I rather enjoyed Amnesia: Rebirth when it came out at the end of last year. It was well-written with some thoughtful puzzles and a character I immediately wanted to see survive the terrible experience she was going through. Yet for many, the goodness of Rebirth is mired in that pesky genre known as “horror”; some folks don’t want to be made uncomfortable and on edge when enjoying a story which is fair enough, making it through a single day in 2021 is scary enough as it is. Fortunately developer Frictional Games has released an “Adventure Mode” for Rebirth that should go a long way in helping easily frightened folks experience what is genuinely a gripping story.
In much the same way as Frictional Games released a “Safe Mode” for their previous horror title SOMA, Adventure Mode removes many of the elements players may find distressing. All scenarios where a monster is trying to rip your face off are gone, as are the excessively dark locations (which is probably not bad as an addition for everyone, Amnesia does use excessive darkness as a crutch). The harrowing sound effects and visuals will also be removed so one would battle to this version of the game as a horror. I suppose “Adventure Mode” should tell you everything you need to know. There are even a few bonus puzzles that weren’t available in the original game!
“Playing the game in Adventure Mode still contains the same serious themes and story – and the atmosphere can still be quite unnerving at times – but the experience is going to be much less of a horror experience and more one of an epic adventure,” reads the Steam Page announcement. As stated above, I enjoyed Amnesia: Rebirth quite a lot. I wrote in my review, “Despite some boring locales and an over-reliance on the darkness just for the sake of it, Amnesia: Rebirth is an excellent horror game with some fun puzzles, well-written characters, and genuinely terrifying moments.”
Last Updated: March 31, 2021
Original Heretic
March 31, 2021 at 09:35
Puthies.