Indie developer Frictional Games is well known for its dark, puzzle-driven survival horror games, specifically the Amnesia franchise and the very (very) good SOMA. And fans of the studio and its spin on the genre have something to look forward to in 2023.
Amnesia: The Bunker is slated to release on May 16 for PC (Steam and Epic Games), PlayStation, and Xbox platforms. While this new installment will still be gloomy and carry with it the hallmarks of a Frictional horror game, the studio hopes to create something fresh by bringing players into a semi-open world, a deviation from previous installments.
Oh, and you’ll also have a gun to defend yourself this time around.
Which makes sense considering the game’s WW1 setting. In The Bunker, you’ll play the role of a French (amnesiac) soldier making his way through a foreboding, blood-stained bunker — all while keeping unspeakable monsters at bay. There will be puzzles to solve, obstacles to overcome, and limited resources to contend with.
The game’s announcement trailer (seen at the top of this article) may only be 50-seconds long, but it already paints a terrifying picture of what to expect, giving a taste of the game’s ever-present threat and claustrophobic setting.
Perhaps what’s most interesting about the reveal is that The Bunker will have an “unscripted environment,” meaning that each playthrough will theoretically be a little bit different than the last, with “objects, threats, and resources changing in every playthrough.” Memorization alone won’t get you out alive this time.
Frictional also says that The Bunker will expand on the series’ classic gameplay elements by providing more freedom and agency, infusing the game with more “sandbox” style mechanics, with “all-new levels of interaction with the worlds through puzzle-solving and tool handling.”
Amnesia: The Bunker looks great so far, even if we haven’t seen that much of it. Its announcement is an exciting development for horror fans in general, especially coming off such a great 2022 for the genre. Stay tuned for more.
