Might be the antithesis to Rebirth, a really small and low-scope narrative with a high emphasis on atmosphere and gameplay. I feel like Frictional tries to push the scope way too much with Amnesia with the intent to reach that "Lovecraftian" status, but it never quite gets there. Penumbra's humble, low-budget story, despite how butchered it ended up, reaches those heights better than Rebirth's attempts with alternate dimensions, weird aliens, strangely geometrical artifacts and whatever the fuck not. SOMA reaches the existential dread far easier than any monster or spoken dialogue in an Amnesia game. That's why I like that The Bunker keeps it simple, and the fact that the story events happen due to a mix of bad luck and the effects of a realm and beings far detached from our reality which the characters couldn't have known or affected in any way makes it really cool for me.
Gameplay's... fine. Exploration and resource management is really addictive once you get the hang of it, but the game itself likes to push this "immersive sim" narrative which just isn't true. There's a lot of systems interacting in gameplay: the generator, your weapons, the lighting system and puzzles, but the truth is that bypassing obstacles isn't as much of a free choice as it wants you to think. Most obstacles are doors, and you got two ways to open doors: with the proper key (a key or a code) or just brute force. There's many types of brute force, your revolver, a rock, a grenade, the Beast's attacks, but in the end it's just plain old brute force, and it has the same effect no matter the tool: you gotta fight or flight. And that brings me to the next point: you don't have many options fighting the monster either. You either damage it and it flees (once again, you can choose your tool, but the outcome will be the same) or run and hide for your life, which is the most logical and convenient option. I'm fine with all this, it's a small, short game, and it gives you enough time to explore your limited amount of tools, but there's definitely not as much freedom of choice as it wants you to think.
That said, it's a great game. SOMA has a great narrative and atmosphere, but the gameplay ruins it a bit for me (still like it a lot), so I'd call this the opposite: a great gameplay system with a great atmosphere, attached to a somewhat serviceable story. They took some lessons from the first Penumbra (one of their greatest games imo) and refined them to a higher degree. After how dense Rebirth was in its attempts to prove its worth as a horror and character-driven game (which I think failed at both), its nice to have a more humble, little story in the middle. I hope they learn a lot of what works here and what doesn't for their next stuff.
Gameplay's... fine. Exploration and resource management is really addictive once you get the hang of it, but the game itself likes to push this "immersive sim" narrative which just isn't true. There's a lot of systems interacting in gameplay: the generator, your weapons, the lighting system and puzzles, but the truth is that bypassing obstacles isn't as much of a free choice as it wants you to think. Most obstacles are doors, and you got two ways to open doors: with the proper key (a key or a code) or just brute force. There's many types of brute force, your revolver, a rock, a grenade, the Beast's attacks, but in the end it's just plain old brute force, and it has the same effect no matter the tool: you gotta fight or flight. And that brings me to the next point: you don't have many options fighting the monster either. You either damage it and it flees (once again, you can choose your tool, but the outcome will be the same) or run and hide for your life, which is the most logical and convenient option. I'm fine with all this, it's a small, short game, and it gives you enough time to explore your limited amount of tools, but there's definitely not as much freedom of choice as it wants you to think.
That said, it's a great game. SOMA has a great narrative and atmosphere, but the gameplay ruins it a bit for me (still like it a lot), so I'd call this the opposite: a great gameplay system with a great atmosphere, attached to a somewhat serviceable story. They took some lessons from the first Penumbra (one of their greatest games imo) and refined them to a higher degree. After how dense Rebirth was in its attempts to prove its worth as a horror and character-driven game (which I think failed at both), its nice to have a more humble, little story in the middle. I hope they learn a lot of what works here and what doesn't for their next stuff.