Though Amnesia Rebirth is a far cry from the level of psychological horror achieved in The Dark Descent, or the phenomenal storytelling from SOMA, it kinda mixes the two to give you a great narrative that keeps you on your toes for most of it's 6-7h story.
The story is definetly the focus here and learning what happened to all of the characters and the nature of the parallel world you often encounter yourself in is fun and interesting and keeps you wanting to learn more till the end, even if most of the lore is explained through notes and letters (which i didn't mind much). The setting and atmosphere is great and incredibly immersive, in great part due to the increible work of the voice actors, especially the voice of Tasi, the protagonist, making you really feel everything she is feeling all throught the journey.
What i also particularly enjoyed was the multiple elements that connect the events of this game to the events of tdd with elements such as the orb, the shadow, brennenburg, and even letters to alexander himself being present in the game, which gives you even more insight into the events of tdd and what led to these events.
The horror element does serve it's purpose, and the fort level shows that there was a lot of potential in that regard, but most of the times the horror parts are relatively short and don't offer that much challenge or panic as tdd manages to achieve, though i was still quite scared when they were present. It doesn't help either that the monster designs are quite uninspired, especially in comparasion to the horrors seen in tdd and even SOMA (althought miles better than a machine for pigs).
The ending is also another disapointment due to how quick everything comes to an end once you reach the final sequence of events, and none of the three different endings being particularly satisfying or bringing much closure to the story, plus all three of them make the whole journey feel kind of pointless since most of what happens in them is decided in the final moments.
Overall, a really enjoyable game, with a great narrative and some horror elements, but doesn't really achieve the highs seen in The Dark Descent or SOMA.
The story is definetly the focus here and learning what happened to all of the characters and the nature of the parallel world you often encounter yourself in is fun and interesting and keeps you wanting to learn more till the end, even if most of the lore is explained through notes and letters (which i didn't mind much). The setting and atmosphere is great and incredibly immersive, in great part due to the increible work of the voice actors, especially the voice of Tasi, the protagonist, making you really feel everything she is feeling all throught the journey.
What i also particularly enjoyed was the multiple elements that connect the events of this game to the events of tdd with elements such as the orb, the shadow, brennenburg, and even letters to alexander himself being present in the game, which gives you even more insight into the events of tdd and what led to these events.
The horror element does serve it's purpose, and the fort level shows that there was a lot of potential in that regard, but most of the times the horror parts are relatively short and don't offer that much challenge or panic as tdd manages to achieve, though i was still quite scared when they were present. It doesn't help either that the monster designs are quite uninspired, especially in comparasion to the horrors seen in tdd and even SOMA (althought miles better than a machine for pigs).
The ending is also another disapointment due to how quick everything comes to an end once you reach the final sequence of events, and none of the three different endings being particularly satisfying or bringing much closure to the story, plus all three of them make the whole journey feel kind of pointless since most of what happens in them is decided in the final moments.
Overall, a really enjoyable game, with a great narrative and some horror elements, but doesn't really achieve the highs seen in The Dark Descent or SOMA.