New Amnesia game offers ‘semi-open world’ gameplay and a gun

Frictional Games, maker of SOMA and the Amnesia series, has announced it’s working on a new entry in its roster of survival horror titles with Amnesia: The Bunker.

With a release date sometime next year, Amnesia: The Bunker seems to be unlike any of its predecessors. For starters, in the game’s short announcement trailer, it looks like you’re not going to be forced to stare down unknown eldritch terrors with naught but a flashlight and thinking happy thoughts. No, you’re getting a gun.

The arrival of guns to Amnesia will no doubt cause major discussion as the series was lauded for specifically not giving you the means to just blast your enemies to bits. Threats and the terror they inspired were amplified because your only recourse in dealing with them was to run and hide. But according to the press release, in Amnesia: The Bunker, you’re not going to just Chris Redfield your way through the game.

“For the first time, players are equipped with high levels of freedom to impact gameplay, choosing their playstyle as they explore at will this semi-open world,” Frictional said in the press release. “With hardly any scripted events, and constant tension brought about by an ever-present threat, it is up to each player to finesse their approach to survival.”

A semi-open world, sandbox-style of survival horror is a big departure from the current trend of horror games. That Amnesia: The Bunker offers a style of gameplay totally unlike Resident Evil, Dead Space, and Dead Space-lite might make it a welcome addition to the survival horror landscape. But it’s also an Amnesia game and its two predecessors — A Machine for Pigs and Rebirth — didn’t quite live up to the expectations set by the incredibly terrifying The Dark Descent.

Amnesia: The Bunker is due sometime next year on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.