Octopus Overlords

Just played about a hour of Amnesia and it's all I could muster before I needed a break. HOLY F it's scary and I don't get scared easily.

The basic idea isn't groundbreaking but they nailed the atmosphere so far perfectly. I actually screamed out loud because something scared me so much. If you like scary games this is a must buy at 20 bucks.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/57300/" target="_blank

I watched the trailer when it was first put up on Steam and wrote the game off immediately. No thank you. That looks really really scary.

Yeah it's made by the guys who did the Penumbra games. It is extremely scary in some parts, and just generally creepy throughout. I'm not playing it myself because I'm too much of a pansy. I've been watching Helloween4545's Let's Play of it on youtube. I think within a week or so he'll have completed the game. Here's a link to the playlist. If the game's too scary to for you to play and you're going to pass it up anyways, try watching these videos. Helloween is an awesome LPer. But yeah, there was at least one occasion so far where I had to literally bite my fist to keep from screaming out, and I'm just watching.

I'm maybe 50% through this and really need to get back to it. I can only play in short sessions because I get too freaked out. Then Minecraft and Civ5 took over and I haven't played for weeks.

looks cool, but i'll be waiting for a 50% off type of sale.

I'm a couple hours in, but am saving the rest for my annual Halloween vacation.

The PERFECT Halloween game if ever there was one!

Bringing this thread back from the dead.

Just fired it up last night after the kids went to bed. Wife at work. House silent. Room pitch black. 2nd monitor turned off. Head phones on.

So far, very enjoyable experience, although I'm actually at the point where I need something to happen. Too much build up and not enough anything else. I've gone from oh geez, what's coming to Huh. More wind and moans. Already seen that and I'm perfectly fine. Well, except for sanity, which has my head pounding and my hands shaking (in game, for those who haven't played it).

Of course the in game hints just told me which key to use to run. I'm expecting interesting things to happen during the next play session.

Edit: Question. I keep hearing a chittering, chattering sound. Is that my teeth rattling/grinding in my head? It's a strange sound and seems different from the rest of the atmospheric sounds.

it's $6.80 at Steam right now.

GreenGoo wrote:
Edit: Question. I keep hearing a chittering, chattering sound. Is that my teeth rattling/grinding in my head? It's a strange sound and seems different from the rest of the atmospheric sounds.

That is the sound of the cockroaches that appear when your sanity drops down too far. If it continues to drop you will see bugs run across your vision and then you will fall down.

Popular theory is that the grinding sound is your teeth...
My favorite moment: I just melted the padlock on a door with acid. I then chisel it open, and I hear a moan behind me. I try to pull open the door as fast as I can...and it jams. I turn around and I see the THING bearing on me. I yelled "That shit has to open RIGHT NOW," pulled the door open, and into the next level.
Yes there is a lot of build up in that game, but when it needs to be intense, it plays it very well. Just wait until Storage...and then The Prison.

Lordnine wrote:

GreenGoo wrote:
Edit: Question. I keep hearing a chittering, chattering sound. Is that my teeth rattling/grinding in my head? It's a strange sound and seems different from the rest of the atmospheric sounds.

That is the sound of the cockroaches that appear when your sanity drops down too far. If it continues to drop you will see bugs run across your vision and then you will fall down.

Ah, that makes sense. I saw them crawling around and then they vanished, so I assumed they were a factor of me going crazy. I didn't make the connection to the sounds though.

Been through the Lab, just about to enter the Archives. Will play some more tonight.

I'm taking it slow, enjoying the atmosphere and exploring around. Will follow the splatter trail (strange colour, doesn't appear to be blood, but it is reddish/pinkish) down stairs soon enough.

For the record, I'm pretty sure you're both right. The sounds vary, but are similar-ish. The bugs do sound like bugs, but there are other sounds that are...different.

Again, playing in the dark. Kid woke up screaming with night terrors.

Timing could have been better.

No more Amnesia for me tonight. Sudden screaming from behind me is enough to put me off the game 'til another day.

I really need to get back to this game. I was totally into it and then got distracted. I have a epic backlog of awesomeness right now.

OK.. you guys convinced me. In at the last minute on the steam deal.

It's totally worth it for full price let along what they were selling it for this week. It's a shame when something this awesome doesn't get the attention id deserves.

I'm in as well.....you bas**rds!

Rip wrote:I'm in as well.....you bas**rds!

+1

Octavious wrote:It's totally worth it for full price let along what they were selling it for this week. It's a shame when something this awesome doesn't get the attention id deserves.

It got covered by Yahtzee, and its sales tripled. It's been covered plenty...ESPECIALLY for an indie game.

Gah, I'm in too. Do you know how many unplayed games I have right now?

+1.

Picked it up on the Steam sale as well. Can't wait to get into it, but I'm going to wait until I can do it right. Lights out, headphones on, total focus.

The Bad Shepherd wrote:

Octavious wrote:It's totally worth it for full price let along what they were selling it for this week. It's a shame when something this awesome doesn't get the attention id deserves.

It got covered by Yahtzee, and its sales tripled. It's been covered plenty...ESPECIALLY for an indie game.

This thread is back from when the game was first released. I had heard no mention of that then.

YellowKing wrote:Picked it up on the Steam sale as well. Can't wait to get into it, but I'm going to wait until I can do it right. Lights out, headphones on, total focus.

If I recall correctly, you're a big horror movie fan. If you like to be scared, this game should do it. I know people who scoff at horror movies, don't understand that it is fun to be scared and are therefore incapable of appreciating this game for what it is.

It's clear this game is a niche game, but it's a really great entry in this niche. And I should mention how much fun it is to play a game that is mostly exploring, piecing together a story and just enjoying the experience.

It's not perfect (for me anyway) but it is pretty unique and I'm glad I bought it.

On a more amusing note, who here is a big fan of Baron Alexander? That voice is just so over the top, and there is definitely something going on between him and Daniel...
Highly speculative, but play through the game again with this in mind and maybe you'll see what I mean.

"The INNER SANCTUM...Daniel, is my most SACRED and PRIVATE chamber."

Love that voice actor!

Having finished the game I doubt that was intentional but still pretty amusing to think about.

I really enjoyed the game and finished it on Christmas night. A very festive game especially considering how dark the storyline gets in the final act.

I do think the conclusion could have used a bit of work but I understand that a final confrontation is going to be difficult with this type of game. Also, some people may not be aware but there are actually three different endings to the game. This is probably the first game where I've found the "good" ending to be less satisfying than the alternative.

One final discovery that makes the game MUCH easier and might help people who are too distressed by the game to actually finish it normally. Don't read if you want to play the game as intended!

Lordnine wrote:Having finished the game I doubt that was intentional but still pretty amusing to think about.

I really enjoyed the game and finished it on Christmas night. A very festive game especially considering how dark the storyline gets in the final act.

I do think the conclusion could have used a bit of work but I understand that a final confrontation is going to be difficult with this type of game. Also, some people may not be aware but there are actually three different endings to the game. This is probably the first game where I've found the "good" ending to be less satisfying than the alternative.

One final discovery that makes the game MUCH easier and might help people who are too distressed by the game to actually finish it normally. Don't read if you want to play the game as intended!

Spoiler:

I discovered this pretty early on but it will definitely save you a lot of stress. The way the game is built is that if you are killed by a monster that monster gets moved from that area of the game to somewhere else. If you get killed enough times the monster is removed from the level entirely. Since there is no real penalty to dying you can run headlong into the first monster you see without fear of repercussions. Monsters that are spawned by the triggering of events will never be removed but not having the wandering variety makes completing puzzles much easier.

I enjoy the exploring in this type a game a lot more when I don't have to worry about death so using this little "exploit" actually increased my enjoyment of the game considerably.

About the ending, here is how I see it:

The Bad Shepherd wrote:About the ending, here is how I see it:

Spoiler:

If you knock over the pillars and kill Alexander, you are siding with yourself. You essentially get away scott-free. The epilogue states that Daniel clearly feels no remorse and that he has passed his "trial" and become a free man. Considering his unforgivable actions previously, I would call this the "satisfying, but shitty ending."
If you side with Alexander, you essentially let the shadow take you on the grounds that you have been performing evil deeds to better yourself and later on simply for the hell of it, while Alexander just wants to get home and return to his loved one. You die, and Alexander gets away free. A "highly unsatisfying, but somewhat karmic ending."
If you take Agrippa's head and shove it through the portal, you are basically siding with the people you have tortured and killed. Both you and Alexander are killed by the shadow, but you are possibly given a second chance from Agrippa. This is the "redemptive, extremely karmic, cryptic ending." Whether it is satisfying or not is up to the player, I personally loved it because Daniel was just as bad, if not WORSE than Alexander (they're made for each other ) and they both deserved to die...With just a hint of rescue for Daniel due to the redemptive quality of his actions. But your mileage may vary, naturally.

I guess I don't interpret the endings the way you do.

Got my first sight of "something" tonight. Startling moment and I whipped around to see what the hell was going on, and got just a split second view of something before it dissipated into thin air. I like that it was just a glimpse.

I forgot to mention in a previous post, if you find a grate in the middle of the floor while exploring, don't forget to look down through it.

I'm dodging spoilers in this thread like mad. Please don't let anything slip out guys.

I should probably just bail on the thread until I finish or give up, either way.

Lordnine wrote:One final discovery that makes the game MUCH easier and might help people who are too distressed by the game to actually finish it normally. Don't read if you want to play the game as intended!

Spoiler:

I discovered this pretty early on but it will definitely save you a lot of stress. The way the game is built is that if you are killed by a monster that monster gets moved from that area of the game to somewhere else. If you get killed enough times the monster is removed from the level entirely. Since there is no real penalty to dying you can run headlong into the first monster you see without fear of repercussions. Monsters that are spawned by the triggering of events will never be removed but not having the wandering variety makes completing puzzles much easier.

I enjoy the exploring in this type a game a lot more when I don't have to worry about death so using this little "exploit" actually increased my enjoyment of the game considerably.

I'm not sure your observations are entirely correct: (don't read this spoiler if you want the game to remain mysterious and scary. Seriously!)

TiLT wrote:
I'm not sure your observations are entirely correct: (don't read this spoiler if you want the game to remain mysterious and scary. Seriously!)

Spoiler:

Death isn't really a factor. I noticed that pretty much every single encounter with the monsters was scripted, with only two or so exceptions at the very end of the game. As long as you didn't cross the script triggers, you'd be perfectly safe leaving your keyboard for hours without fear of dying. Even if you did cross the trigger, avoiding the monster even just once would always cause it to despawn as soon as it's left the immediate area, and it would never spawn again. If you fully explore a level and don't touch any objects in it, you will never be in danger after evading the initial monsters. New ones won't spawn until you reach some new kind of objective. Evade the new monster(s) and you're safe until the next objective again. Knowing this completely destroyed the tension and atmosphere.

Hell, you could notice a monster in the vicinity and follow it into a dead end, where there would be no trace of it. I know I did.

The script triggers were also pretty predictable. Even some of the best ones, like the scene where you reach the door leading out of the current level and suddenly a monster is screaming just behind you, weren't scary because I was expecting it to happen.

I'm not saying I didn't love the game. It just lost a lot of the appeal once I "figured it out".

I'm regretting not grabbing this for $6 during the Steam sale.

Lordnine wrote:

TiLT wrote:
I'm not sure your observations are entirely correct: (don't read this spoiler if you want the game to remain mysterious and scary. Seriously!)

Spoiler:

Death isn't really a factor. I noticed that pretty much every single encounter with the monsters was scripted, with only two or so exceptions at the very end of the game. As long as you didn't cross the script triggers, you'd be perfectly safe leaving your keyboard for hours without fear of dying. Even if you did cross the trigger, avoiding the monster even just once would always cause it to despawn as soon as it's left the immediate area, and it would never spawn again. If you fully explore a level and don't touch any objects in it, you will never be in danger after evading the initial monsters. New ones won't spawn until you reach some new kind of objective. Evade the new monster(s) and you're safe until the next objective again. Knowing this completely destroyed the tension and atmosphere.

Hell, you could notice a monster in the vicinity and follow it into a dead end, where there would be no trace of it. I know I did.

The script triggers were also pretty predictable. Even some of the best ones, like the scene where you reach the door leading out of the current level and suddenly a monster is screaming just behind you, weren't scary because I was expecting it to happen.

I'm not saying I didn't love the game. It just lost a lot of the appeal once I "figured it out".

Spoiler:

Either way the outcome remains the same. My way just removes them faster. Dang monsters are slow when they're not chasing you!

I DO think some of the later areas have monsters on patrol routes though. There is a orange foggy area I had some trouble getting through even knowing what I did. Of course I suppose its possible the trigger was just me walking across the bridges.

I hadn't played in a day or two, and have 30 mins free last night so I fired it up. Running low on oil and I had already forgotten where the Lab was, so I was scurrying around trying to be quick about it, rather than cautious. The game caught me with one of those "the house/castle/manor/whatever is not happy" moments and I jumped. A split second later I felt the adrenaline course through my body as a tingling sensation running out from my torso to the ends of my extremities. Heh.

The game is not a priority play for me right now, but I do plan on getting a little time in when I can. Bioshock is completely on the backburner now, with any "FPS" time being dedicated to Amnesia.

I forgot to mention that the last time I played, my 6 year old son was watching (not the brightest move on my part, but I had earphones so he couldn't hear anything, which is the majority of the scare right now). He was getting a little freaked out even though I was just wandering through corridors with my lantern. I guess a barrel fell on my head, but that again was mostly scary due to the sounds at the time.

In any case, I finally got a real view of something (through the messed up perspective and focus the game throws at you sometimes). My in game heart rate jumped and I started making gibbering sounds as I dosed the light and tried to hide. Interestingly, I had lit a torch right where the thing appeared, so I got a much better view of it than was probably expected by the designers. It lurched away in the opposite direction and when I tried to get another eyeful of it, it was no where to be seen. At that point my son and I both agreed that maybe now was a good time for him to stop watching me play. Heh.

With the sounds, music, perspective, focus, optical effects and spooning out a little bit of fear in measured doses, this game is a marvel to experience, given how different it is from any mainstream game design. Still really enjoying it. Still a long ways from it giving me nightmares, but hopefully when I get "right in the thick of it" it'll be more intense. The trailer they put out does a great job of illustrating how vulnerable you are and how scary it can be.

I really want to play this and I really don't want to play this. I got it during the recent Steam sale.

How long is the playthrough? Maybe I can steel myself.

I think it's fairly short. I'm taking my time and am in no hurry whatsoever.

It seems to be heavily scripted, but I'm not very far into it yet. If this was a "normal" FPS where you ran around shooting things, I suspect the game would be very short indeed. In fact it's taken me 3 or 4 shortish play sessions to get where I am, but I'm sure someone could get where I am in an hour, or maybe two, max.

The game is all atmosphere. If you don't go slow enough or you don't pay attention to it, you'll probably be disappointed in the game. From a "gameplay" standpoint, I've really just explored a bit, grabbed a few notes/letters that expand the plot, experienced a few scripted events and found some "things" that essentially equate to a Doom keycard needed to advance.

Up until now, it has basically been the first half of a haunted house movie. For example, I was exploring an unlit wine cellar. As I crept along, I heard footsteps on the wooden ceiling (i.e. the floor of the next level up) above me. I stopped and looked up, just in time to see some dust fall from the ceiling. The footsteps stopped when I stopped. Then when I started moving, the steps started up again, seemingly following my progress around the cellar.

I'm trying not to spoil anything, even atmospheric stuff, because that's where my enjoyment lies, and it might be where others find it as well. That being said, the steps are a great example of something small and uneventful (so far) that when added together with all the other atmospheric effects, combine to make for an unnerving experience. Of course it depends on personality, and if scary movies hold no appeal for you beyond, say, being amused by the gore factor, this game is probably not for you.

But if you like being scared. If you want to be scared. If you work with the game to be scared. It will scare you. For realz.

Without giving anything away you should probably limit children from viewing the second half of the game. There are not only frightening moments but downright disturbing images. While a 6 year old might not understand what he was seeing if he did it might spur some complicated conversations and restless nights.

Lordnine wrote:Without giving anything away you should probably limit children from viewing the second half of the game. There are not only frightening moments but downright disturbing images. While a 6 year old might not understand what he was seeing if he did it might spur some complicated conversations and restless nights.

a) I've already dropped the ball on the parenting thing. Even my 3 year old daughter uses the word zombie at least 10 times a day.

b) My son, when he's not allowed to play video games, desparately wants to watch me play video games, and asks me constantly to play this game or that game, sometimes just based on the shortcut icon, even though he knows nothing about the game. He asked me to play the leapfrog TAG application recently. =P

c) The game was so atmospheric, part of me wanted to see his reaction to playing just the first 5 minutes of the game. Which is really nothing more than some normal looking rooms and sounds. LOTS of sounds.

d) In the vein of b) and c) I sorta/kinda let him watch for a few minutes because he wanted to, really badly, and he couldn't hear anything.

And finally, no, I don't have any intention of letting him watch me play the game in any real depth. I only played Bioshock at night after he was in bed, and despite the fact that nothing so far has been visually disturbing/scary in Amnesia, yeah, I have no plans on letting him watch me again. Particularly since something *finally* showed up, which means it's going to get a helluva lot worse (I hope!) before it gets better.

I appreciate the feedback though, since I certainly don't want to scar him for life. Although, I still might let him play the first 5 mins or so, just to see how he reacts to it. Yes, I use my children for experimentation. What? =D

Had a nice little scare last week. Since I only play the game in short increments, I'm going to be playing it for a LONG time, probably.

Anyway, I come across another diary entry. And the manor/castle/house does its thing again. Except this time one of the doors to the room bursts open, and another slams shut, while wind is swirling around and the howling of tormented souls fills my ears. Ok, scary, right? So I back myself into a corner and prepare to look around the doorway to see what, if anything, is coming for me. The room is dark except for a single candle, and I had backed into this corner. Well, there was some sort of biomass growing there. And anyone who has played the game knows it gives you quite the tweak. It's a loud sound (funny, I can't even remember what it sounds like), your viewpoint spins around a bit and you take damage.

So here I am, frightened, assuming something is coming for me, trying to see without being seen, back myself into a presumably safe dark corner, where the equivalent of someone screaming "BOO!" happens from behind me.

I almost barfed up a lung.

To add to that, I seem to be trapped in a flooded room, surrounded by flooded corridors, and for reasons many of you will already know, am afraid to step off my box into the water.

I am at a loss as to what to do next. I may have to throw caution to the wind and make a run for it. Not knowing my way around, I am loathe to risk my well being to my ability to run faster and navigate better than...something, that apparently lives here and calls these corridors home.

Just beat the game tonight. The last quarter of the game is VERY disturbing. Like I wouldn't let anyone under 12 anywhere near the game at all.

It's a good game though, liked it a lot and would recommend it to about anybody.