So I decided to try something a little different. Seeing as I don’t really have that many games to review in the near future, I figured I’d try writing other types of articles, lists, vs matches, maybe even some retro reviews. Reviews will still be coming from me when they do, stuff like this is just for when I have no new games to talk about. With that being said…

I’ve always been interested in the games that very few people really talk about. Partly because I didn’t really grow up playing the popular games for the consoles I owned – for example, despite growing up with a Gamecube I only started playing Metroid Prime about a year ago – partly because it’s fun to play a game that very few people have even heard of. Because of my constantly growing interest, I figured that I’d put this useless information to use and make a series (if you can call a bundle of articles a series) where I talk about the games that perhaps should get more attention than they do. I decided to start on the Playstation 2 because it’s one of my favourite consoles and because there are so many games for the system that there are bound to be plenty that have gone unheard of. 

Though before we get into it, a few rules to be stated:-

• I’m going to try and avoid talking about the more obvious ones that a lot of people already know about, so despite the fact that games like Psychonauts and Beyond Good and Evil definitely deserve more attention, a lot of lists like this have already talked about them so I’ll refrain from doing so. 
• This list will not be relegated to just games exclusive to the Playstation 2, I will allow games that came out on other consoles to be on here, they will just be exempt from other lists in this series. 
• Just because a game is in a popular series doesn’t mean that I won’t talk about it, if the game itself is unknown I’ll mention it. 

With that being said, in alphabetical order so there’s no favouritism, here are 10 obscure PS2 games that deserve your attention.

1. Blood Will Tell: Tezuka Osamu’s Dororo (Sega, 2005)

So who here remembers Dororo, it was a manga written in 1967 by Tezuka Osamu (the same guy who wrote Astro Boy) that was adapted into an anime in 2019, one I highly recommend watching if you haven’t already. Blood Will Tell tells the same story (if the title wasn’t obvious enough), of a man named Hyakkimaru who had parts of his body and organs sacrificed to forty-eight demons known as Fiends by his father in exchange for dominance on the battlefield and peace within his lands, with a young girl name Dororo by his side, he hunts down these demons to try and regain his missing body parts as well as what humanity he’s lost. The game focuses on hack and slash combat with Hyakkimaru and stealth, puzzles and platforming with Dororo, and while some parts with Dororo will lead to a bit of frustration, both are very enjoyable. The combat is incredibly fun, using a katana for slower but stronger attacks, and being able to remove Hyakkimaru’s prosthetic limbs and fight with blades hidden beneath for much faster combos; there are also some ranged weaponry that you can use, like an arm that shoots bolts and a knee containing a rocket launcher. The part I love the most about this game is that when you kill one of the forty-eight Fiends and regain a body part, it not only adds to the story but it also adds to gameplay as well, allowing you to gain new abilities and powers as well as adding more to presentation, like adding colour to the environments when you regain your eyes, when it was just black and white before, it really makes you want to defeat all the Fiends and see how the game plays with all body parts regained. Both the gameplay and story will surely have you playing until the end. While this is one of the most expensive games on this list, it’s definitely worth picking up if you can find a cheaper copy, especially if you’re a fan of games like Onimusha and Devil May Cry.

2. Gungrave (Red Entertainment, 2002)

This is definitely one of the more simple games on this list, as well as one of the most flawed. Gungrave follows a character called Beyond the Grave, an ex-member of a group known as the Syndicate, who was revived from the dead and is out to hunt down the Syndicate to protect a man who goes by Big Daddy from the request of a girl named Mika and with the help of his reviver Dr. T. The game is a third-person shooter where you walk through corridors and small open areas and kill waves of enemies before moving on with a boss at the end of every level… and that’s basically it. You use a pair of pistols named Cerberus as well as a metal coffin – which can be used to perform a melee attack as well as special attacks when you charge up a gauge, like a rocket launcher or a barrage of bullets – to destroy your enemies. It plays more like a game that belongs in an arcade rather than your traditional shooter. And while there are plenty of problems like performance, movement speed and the fact that you can beat the game in a couple of hours, I still had a good amount of fun while playing it. It’s nothing extravagant nor is it trying to be, it’s just a bit of mindless fun.

3. .hack// Series (CyberConnect2, 2004)

When I hear people talking about the best JRPG’s on the Playstation 2 they’ll normally talk about Final Fantasy 10 or Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 or perhaps something like Suikoden IV if they’re into more obscure ones, though unfortunately very few talk about the .hack// series. The series takes place in an MMORPG called The World, you play as Kite who’s invited to play The World by his friend Orca, while playing they find a strange girl and get attacked by a monster named Aura, which leads to Orca’s player ending up in a coma in real life, with the power of an item called the Book of Twilight, it’s up to Kite, and the friends he makes through the story, to find out what’s happening in the game that causing players to go into comas. The entire series takes place on the main characters computer, where you can read emails and message boards and of course play The World, it honestly makes me surprised that they never released this game on PC. The gameplay and combat doesn’t play like a traditional JRPG, in fact it more closely follows the sort of real time combat that you’d find in MMORPG’s, where your characters continuously attack until given a different command. Many of the bosses are known as Data Bugs, which are (in context with the story) glitched to have infinite health, this is where you have an ability called Data Drain, which will cancel out the Data Bugs infinite health and can also be used on smaller enemies to transform them into rare items. The games also interlink incredibly well, the data you have in one game is easily transferred, meaning that you won’t lose any of the level progression you made in one game when you move on to the next. These reasons and many others make this one of my favourite JRPG series’ on the Playstation 2 that really deserves more recognition than it gets. Though a bit of warning, the further you get into the series, the more expensive the games get, so just keep that in mind if you decide to check this out.

4. Haunting Ground (Capcom, 2005)

I think we can all agree that the Playstation 2 had some awesome horror games. From Silent Hill 2-4 to Project Zero 1-3 (or Fatal Frame as most people know the series) there were a ton of great horror games, so many that some are bound to be passed over, including, unfortunately, Haunting Ground. In Haunting Ground you play as Fiona Bell, an 18-year-old who’s found herself trapped in a castle with her memories of how she got there hazy, with the help of a dog named Hewie she must escape the castle and avoid the denizens that want her dead. The game plays a lot like one of the games from the Clock Tower Series, where there’s more of an emphasis on exploration and puzzle solving and where you’re meant to avoid enemies as opposed to fighting them. One of the coolest mechanics is with Hewie the dog, who’s not only one of the cutest but also one of the most useful companions in any horror game, using him you’re able to retrieve items that you’re not able to reach yourself, fend off pursuers for a moment, get him to stay on something that needs to be held down, amongst other things. While unreliable at first, by praising him when he does something good and scolding him when he does something bad, he’ll become much more reliable as the game goes on. The pursuers are also really cool, in most games where you’re supposed to avoid attackers they mostly just chase and attack you because they’re a horror game villain and that’s what they’re supposed to do, in Haunting Ground however each enemy has a distinct reason for trying to kill you, really adding to the threat and story. They also play very differently, each one being more clever than the last and having gameplay elements that really adds to their fear factor. This is, in my opinion, one of the best and most overlooked horror games on the Playstation 2, if this game peaks your interest then I cannot recommend it enough. That being said though it is steadily increasing in price, so I suggest you get it quickly before it becomes too expensive.

5. Legend of Kay (Neon Studios, 2005)

Despite this game having a remastered version released in 2015, which was later released on the Nintendo Switch in 2018, it’s sadly still barely talked about. Legend of Kay is based within the land of Yenching which is populated by anthropomorphic animals, the mains ones being cats, pandas, hares and frogs, but then everything changed when the rats and gorillas attacked (sorry, couldn’t resist), led by Minister Shun, who now oppresses the rest of the clans and forces them to live under his rule. Taking the role of Kay, a cat who had his martial arts school forcefully shut down, you must fight these forces and make Yenching free once more. The game is an action platformer with more of a focus on combat. In Legend of Kay you’ll fight small waves of enemies – ranging from a number of different breeds of animal – with the occasional platform puzzle in between, while also aiding the denizens of the different towns you visit. The combat is very simplistic, there are no complex combos for you to perform and what button combinations there are are very easy to memorise, though despite the simplicity, the fast movement and having to maneuver around multiple enemies with the style of combat you have, the game still feels intense and rarely gets boring. The combos also really help to make the game more exciting, defeating enemies or destroying Zhiongs will increase your combo meter which will allow you to deal more damage to enemies and quickly jump towards them at the push of a button, this is also done during platform sections and adds that little bit more intensity to them. While there are flaws in the game, like the terrible voice acting, this is still a very decent game, nothing on the levels of Jak and Daxter or Ratchet and Clank mind you, but it is still very fun and at the very least deserves a chance.

6. Seven Samurai 20XX (Dimps, 2004)

Just like how Blood Will Tell is based on Dororo, Seven Samurai 20XX is heavily based on the movie Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa, to the point where it’s practically a retelling of the movie but in a futuristic setting. In Seven Samurai 20XX you take on the role of Natoea, a lone samurai travelling through a town that’s getting attacked by cyborgs and humanoids, he’s convinced by another samurai named Kanbei to help him find five other samurai and to help defend the village. The game is a linear fast paced hack and slash, which focuses on battling hordes of enemies as you explore the city. The main mechanic of combat is the use of your second katana, for a good chunk of the time you’ll be using just one sword while the other remains in its sheath strapped to your back, as you fight you Nitou-Ryu meter will quickly fill up overtime and once full you’ll be able to draw your second blade and fight using both, making the fighting much faster and a lot more satisfying. Combat in this game focuses mostly on the timing of maneuvers, push a button to either guard, dodge or attack at the right time, and you’ll be able to get a better advantage against your opponents and will fill up your Nitou-Ryo meter even faster. I especially love the boss fights, when you enter one it almost turns into a fighting game like Soulcalibur – with how you enter a small arena and how the camera angle is consistently to the characters side – and each one brings with it its own elements of challenge. Despite mixed reviews when it came out and it mostly seeming like a mindless button masher, I personally think that this is still a really fun game, while it’s still not as good as Devil May Cry or God of War it still doesn’t deserve to be overlooked, I very much suggest checking it out.

7. Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga Duology
(Atlus, 2005-2007)

While Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga does still have quite the cult following, it doesn’t have nearly as much notoriety as Shin Megami Tensei iii: Nocturne or Persona 4, which is a shame because outside of the Persona series this is my favourite Shin Megami Tensei game. At the time this was one of Atlus’ most ambitious projects, going for a more cinematic game than their previous titles, which is what led to them splitting the game in two. It contains a very intriguing and well developed story – that’s kind of a mixture between Tokyo Ghoul and Battle Royale – as well as likable characters and an interesting setting. The gameplay still follows the same turn based style of combat that the series is well known for, while also being more accessible to new players than Nocturne. The main difference between this game and others in the series is the human and demon forms that you take during battle, in human form you’re able to use firearms which is a weakness to some enemies, though you also don’t deal that much damage, while in demon form you’re able to do more damage and you can use your magic attacks. Aside from that you’ll be mostly exploring – and likely getting lost – in giant dungeons which will require a lot of figuring stuff out, slow progression and a decent amount of trial and error, though it feels really good when you do find out where to go and how to get there. As usual in other Shin Megami Tensei games, the combat can get very difficult, forcing you to try and be more conservative of your SP and items and being more tactful in your party as some will have attacks that the enemies are weak against while others won’t and vice versa. If you think games like Dragon Quest are a little too easy, I’d definitely suggest trying out these games, especially if you’re new to the Shin Megami Tensei series. Though if you’re gonna get these games be quick as, just like with Haunting Ground, these games are slowly increasing in price, so pick them up before they become too expensive.

8. Spartan Total Warrior (The Creative Assembly, 2005)

Of all the games on this list, this is the one I’m most excited to talk about and is one of the main inspirations of this series, as I grew up playing this game and it was one of the first 15 rated games I ever played. Spartan Total Warrior is a spinoff of the Total War series where you play as an unnamed Spartan defending your city from the blight of the Roman Empire who has taken over most of Greece with Sparta being its last line of defence The game is a hack and slash which plays more like a button masher than one where you perform stylish combos, in fact you only really have three attacks, a quick attack which targets one enemy at a time, a sweeping attack which lets you deal damage to multiple enemies but takes time to charge up and a bow and arrows for ranged combat. What makes the game super satisfying is just how many people you have to fight, in each level you battle and kill literally hundreds of Romans, some weak with little health and others with large defence that you’ll have to work around. You have a small pool of weapons that you gain very early in the game, which not only has different attacks and advantages but lets you perform different magic attacks like shooting out lightning or turning your enemies to stone for a short period of time. Aside from that you’re mostly just performing tasks, like protecting someone or a group of people from damage or trying to sneak around without getting spotted. The game is hard as nails as well, especially with some of the later Romans you’ll have to fight, which can lead to some frustration, though it’s never so bad that it’ll leave you unsatisfied when you finish a task that’s given you trouble (except for that one mission with Archimedes, *shudders*). I promise that nostalgia hasn’t blinded me with this game and despite being somewhat flawed it’s still a really fun game, you can buy it for dirt cheap as well so I seriously cannot recommend it enough.

9. Under the Skin (Capcom, 2004)

I only heard of this one recently, but when I did I knew that I had to add it to the list because how this game went under the radar I have no idea. You play as an alien named Cosmi, a three-year old from Planet Mischief, where it’s tradition that three-year olds travel to other planets to cause mischief and havoc, with Planet Earth being the most difficult as no one has ever succeeded there, after messing up very early on by crashing into a satellite, Cosmi finds himself in Coco City where his reign of mischief begins. In the game you play a total of eight missions, where you explore open areas and pull pranks on humans while collecting coins and competing with other aliens to see who can gather 500 coins first. To do this you scan other humans and disguise yourself as them, each human has their own inventory of items that you can use to pull pranks, from pins for people to step on to full on rocket launchers and tanks. Of course the people who you prank will become hostile so it’s definitely suggested that you swap disguises regularly as you’ll revert back to your alien form after two hits and you’ll get a game over if all your coins are lost. The levels are very distinct and each have their own flavour and gimmicks that makes no two levels the same, one of the levels is even Racoon City from the Resident Evil Series where you get to fight Nemesis, which was heavily promoted on the back of the game box. It even has a multiplayer mode, where you and a friend can battle against one another in one of the single player levels, it almost feels like this is where the main bulk of the game takes place as the amount of chaos that comes from these sessions really increases the enjoyment value of the game. This game unfortunately didn’t sell too well and wasn’t even advertised that much, which is a shame because this is a really unique premise, has aged incredibly well and is overall a really fun game. While it is very short, I still very much recommend it.

10. Zone of the Enders / Zone of the Enders: the 2nd Runner (Konami, 2001 – 2003)

Admittedly this is probably the most well known game on this list, it was made by Hideo Kojima after all, though let’s admit it, most people likely bought Zone of the Enders because it came with a free demo of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, which is a shame because these are really good games. Zone of the Enders is mostly about a battle between two powerful mechs (which are called Orbital Frames in this world), one of which, named Jehuty, you play as, or more accurately you play as its pilot Leo, who stumbles across Jehuty and is tasked by the Space Force to bring it back to their ship. The games are a combination of a third-person shooter and hack and slash (the fourth one on this list? I swear this wasn’t intentional), where you go into small open areas, explore and find items and upgrades, and fight other Orbital Frames laced throughout. As you play you receive a series of upgrades and different weapons for Jehuty to use, admittedly the move pool that you can perform with melee attacks in the first game is minimal – as you only have a single string of attacks – though in Zone of the Enders: the 2nd Runner you’re able to pull off a much larger number of attacks, as well as fight a larger variety of enemies, while in the first game there are only three (aside from bosses). The first game will have you exploring the space colony, going to different areas to kill enemies and find new upgrades and revisiting old areas to complete side missions, the second on the other hand, while still having the open areas, abandons choosing which area to visit and instead has you going to wherever the story requires. A lot of people say that these games are two of the best mecha games out there, and I can definitely agree, if you’re a fan of shows like Gundam or franchises like Pacific Rim I highly suggest you give these games a try. 

The Medium

If you take a look at the line up of exclusives for the Xbox Series X during its first year of release, I’m sure that you’ll agree – especially when compared to the Playstation 5’s – that there’s still a lot to be desired. Aside from Halo Infinite there really isn’t that much to get excited about. While I am certain that their line up will improve as the years go on, at this point in time, in my opinion at least, there’s not really that much point in getting the console. That being said however, we have finally been given our first true exclusive to the Xbox Series X in The Medium.

The Medium was developed by Bloober Team, who are best known for developing Layers of Fear 1 & 2 and Blair Witch. The game was originally announced in 2012 for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii U, but they held it off as they wanted better technology for the game. The game was originally scheduled to be released on the 10th December 2020 but got delayed, and was eventually released on the 28th January 2021 for Xbox Series X, Steam and Epic Game Store.

In The Medium, you take on the role of Marianne, a spirit medium who has the unnatural ability to dive into the world of the dead and guide souls to their final respite and put them at peace. While grieving the death of her foster father, Jack, she receives a phone call from a man named Thomas Rekowicz who claims to know about her powers and can lead her to its origins, as well as the meaning of a dream that’s been plaguing her for nights. She then journey’s to the Niwa Workers’ Resort, the place of the infamous Niwa massacre, in hopes of meeting Thomas and finally getting the answers she so desperately desires. 

It was said that the game was heavily inspired by the Silent Hill Franchise and it really shows. The atmosphere and the environment, both in the real and spirit world, have similar levels of foreboding and tension as those in Silent Hill do, while also taking on their own identity and not feeling like a clone. I especially love the look of the other world, probably the best comparison I can give to it is Limbo from DMC: Devil May Cry, though while that world is more twisted and anarchic, this world has more of a sense of ruin and decay. Though at the same time it doesn’t dampen the effectiveness of the real world. The Niwa building really gives you a good sense of isolation and does an amazing job at hinting on the events that happened there in the past while not out right showing them. 

The game also looks great, while I wouldn’t preach that it’s pushing the Xbox Series X to its limits and does resemble something you’d probably find on an Xbox One, it’s still the best looking game that Blooper Team’s made. That being said however, the game doesn’t run that well, as there are numerous moments when the frame rate will drop by a very noticeable amount. This happens most consistently when the screen is split between the real and other world, during those moments the frame rate just cuts in half and becomes really distracting. Just for preference I played this on my PC – which mind you can play Mortal Shell, an already graphically intense game, and the frame rate is still very consistent – so you could just say it was me, however Calvin played it on the Xbox Series X and he also ran into the same frame rate problems. There were also some very odd glitches as well, for example one time when I was examining an item and Marianne was saying something, I exited the examination part way through her dialogue and she just abruptly stopped speaking but the subtitles continued as if she still was. Calvin also reported that at one point in the game he supposedly ran into a game breaking glitch whenever he died and had to reload to a previous save, however I never experienced that, so whether I missed it or it was fixed with an update I’m not fully sure. 

Easily one of my favourite parts of this game was the music. The music was composed by Arkaduisz Reikowski and Akira Yamaoka, the latter of the two being well known for composing the soundtrack to every Silent Hill game. That was one of my biggest draws to The Medium as Yamaoka has written some of my favourite soundtracks in video games, hell, Not Tomorrow is one of my favourite songs of all time. The music in this game really fits his style, having a combination of haunting ambient pieces, to more somber and calming melodies that fits the mood of the moment perfectly. Though, just like the rest of the game, it takes on its own identity and never feels like it came from a Silent Hill game, in fact I’d probably say that I prefer it to some of those soundtracks. 

Gameplay wise, you explore the Niwa Workers’ Resort, both in the real and other world, collecting items, solving puzzles and gathering information from the past, all the while avoiding the monster known as Maw. One of the main mechanics of the game is being able to split from the real to the other world. There are moments in the game where you’ll be in one world at a time, being able to swap between them when you find a mirror, or when the screen splits in two and you’ll be in both worlds at once. During these moments, you’ll need to explore both areas thoroughly to be able to continue, as your actions in one world will affect what happens in the other world and vice versa, which leads to some very enjoyable puzzles which feel so satisfying when you solve them. To help you with this you have a power called a spirit sense, where if you use it you’ll be able to sense any items that you’re able to interact with that are close by, as well as see things that you normally wouldn’t be able to. 

Another way to solve puzzles is by using spirit energy which you find in the other world from spirit fountains; which sometimes you can just find in certain rooms, though other times you’ll need to construct from the real world by placing items in their proper spots. After absorbing the energy, you’ll be able to either perform a spirit blast, which if used on a fuse box in the spirit world will activate one in the real world, or will help to defend yourself if Maw notices you and give you a couple of seconds to flee, or you can use it to activate a shield which will protect you when you have to walk through a corridor filled with hornets. 

While in split screen, there will be times when you can’t progress in the real world because the platform you’re on has crumbled or a door is locked, during those times you can go out-of-body and just explore the spirit world while your real world self stays in place which lets you explore further ahead, though you have to be careful as staying out of body for too long will lead to death. I really like this mechanic as it, again, leads to some very clever puzzles while also building up the tension and makes me more vigilant. Though I would have preferred it if there were consequences to using the out of body mechanic too often in a short amount of time as you can instantly cancel it when you get close to your limit and activate it again with no cool down or recharge period. 

There are, however, some puzzles that can be somewhat frustrating, for example, there’s one puzzle where I had to try and find a code for a locked door, and I must have spent half an hour looking through papers trying to find what the code was, it eventually lead to the point where I just looked up the answer, and even then I couldn’t figure out how that person found it (yeah I cheated, don’t act like you never have). Luckily these were the rarity and most of the puzzles are fair and easy to get a grasp on while being challenging enough to be satisfying to solve. 

Throughout the game you’ll be pursued by the monster known as Maw. Maw has a really cool design, which – while nothing unique – makes him feel very much a threat to you. He’s also voiced by the amazing Troy Baker, who adds extra life to the role by giving a somewhat flamboyant yet menacing performance, making the fiend feel like much more of a threat and making him more memorable. While the moments you interact with him are scripted, during your first playthrough you get a sense that he could pop up from anywhere, constantly putting you on edge. When you encounter him, you’ll either have to run away from him in a chase sequence, or you’ll have to try and sneak past him to get from one side of the room to the other. While effective at first, he’s sadly really easy to avoid, there’s always a set pattern that he tends to follow and when you learn it avoiding him isn’t much of a challenge, in fact the only times I actually died to him were the few times where I was a little confused on what I was meant to do rather than my own ineptitude. 

One minor issue I had with the game was the length. I was trying to take my time with the game and there were plenty of times where I ended up stumped on a puzzle or not fully sure on where I was meant to go (I already mentioned that one puzzle where I was stuck for thirty-minutes), and yet I was still able to beat the game in about eight hours. I’m certain that if I were to go back and replay the game knowing what I know now, that I could easily knock off at least a couple of hours. In fact, if you look on Youtube, most of the full playthroughs of the game are about five to six hours long. 

Despite its flaws and the somewhat disappointing length, The Medium is still a very good game. The puzzles are enjoyable, the characters are great and the story is intriguing the entire way through. While I wouldn’t say it’s as good as the first four Silent Hill games, I’d definitely say, especially if you have an Xbox Series X, that it’s well worth your time. In fact, at time of writing, it’s currently free on Xbox Game Pass, so you have pretty much no excuse to not pick up this game. 

7.6/10

AMNESIA: REBIRTH

Happy Halloween everyone… wait, it’s November?… #@%£

If you were watching Youtube during the 2010’s, then no doubt you’ve heard the name Amnesia: The Dark Descent. The game was first made popular by the large number of people making Let’s Plays of the game, and inspired a large number of games where rather than fighting the horrors head on, you instead have to run and hide, like the Outlast series or Alien Isolation. While many other popular games went out of the minds of many within a couple of months, Amnesia stayed in the minds of horror fans for the unrelenting terror that it brought, with many hailing it as the scariest horror game of all time. And after ten years away from the series (A Machine for Pigs was developed by The Chinese Room), Frictional Games has finally returned to the series with the recent release of Amnesia Rebirth on the 20th October 2020, on Steam, Epic Game Store, and Playstation 4. 

In the game, you take on the role of Tasi Trianon, an archeologist who is on an expedition in Africa, with a small crew including her husband, Salem, only to have her plane crash in an Algerian Desert. She awakens with her crew missing and with fragments of her memory forgotten. Lost, alone and pregnant, she must traverse the desert in order to find her crew, or at least, what’s left of them. 

The game follows in The Dark Descent in many aspects, both to its benefit and downfall. While this isn’t a bad thing, as The Dark Descent was an incredible game, it does feel a lot like it’s constantly in its shadow rather than trying to move beyond and evolve. One of the best examples of this is in the game’s presentation. While the game’s presentation isn’t bad, the voice acting is decent and the environments are very creepy and creative, the look of everything is very much like the game’s predecessor. The graphics are only a slight improvement to The Dark Descents, and honestly does not have the same quality that a game released in 2020 would. Honestly it looks more like a game that you will find on a PS3 or Xbox 360. The character models are very much the same, the best comparison to the models of this game are the ones you will find in Dishonored, not the worst though they fall slightly into the uncanny valley. Though that being said, some of the environments in this game are very well done with a good amount of creativity to it, one area in particular looks very much like a H.P Lovecraft version of Bioshock. It does, in my opinion, make up for the dated graphics. 

The gameplay follows The Dark Descent very closely as well, with the main goal being to avoid the monsters as best as you can, as you have no means to defend yourself. Once again one of your biggest threats is the impending darkness of the caverns and ruins that you’ll have to traverse and seek items for whatever puzzle is to be solved if you want to escape. To combat this you have effective but limited sources of light. One of which being matches, when lit it will have the same effect as the lantern in The Dark Descent, where it lights up a good deal of area around you, and you can use these matches to light torches hanging on the walls whenever you see them, however they burn out very quickly, only lasting a few seconds at a time, and will be blown out if you’re running, after which you’ll need to light another. There’s also the lantern which lasts for much longer and that runs on oil, though the amount it lights up is much more limited, working more like a torch and revealing only what’s in front of you rather than lighting up the surrounding area as well. With a decent amount of exploring you’ll be able to find more matches and oil to keep the darkness at bay, though while there’s enough to help you to feel safe when exploring, they’re also scarce enough so that you won’t just use too many at once and will want to preserve them. If you stay in the darkness for too long without any light your fear meter will rise up, which will also rise if you see any monsters, dead bodies, or anything unnatural. It is very much like the sanity meter in (you guessed it) The Dark Descent, after a while you will hear what sounds like the scuttling of insects in your ears, and after long you will end up having a panic attack where you’ll have to press the directional keys and move the mouse in order to get out of it. While this can be effective and definitely make you want to avoid the darkness, especially when there’s a monster around, it’s not nearly as much of a threat as it was in The Dark Descent, where, if you’re not careful, you’ll eventually get found by a monster if your sanity drops too low. I can understand if some players do find this scary, for me though it felt more like a mild inconvenience. 

The game also has a variety of puzzles for you to solve, and while a lot of them will seem simple and obvious when you figure it out, they’re done well enough that it’ll take you a good while to solve them. They’re also mostly physics based, so rather than just pressing a button to do something like open a chest or pull a lever, you’ll instead have to hold down the mouse button and move the mouse in the desired direction. This doesn’t just enhance the puzzles but other forms of gameplay, like when you’re running away from a monster and have to try and shut a door on it. It adds a lot more to the gameplay than you would expect. 

Speaking of monsters, at first their designs don’t really seem that creative and honestly I feel like I’ve seen these monsters before, which is very different to The Dark Descent which, while the monsters seemed somewhat dopey, were at least creative, however the later ones are very unique and creative and have a really cool design to them, both in presentation and gameplay. The scares are very good as well, the game finds many great ways to make you jump without it exactly being a jump scare. There were many moments when I was being hunted by the monsters and had no idea about where exactly they were, though I could still hear them lurking about the area, and the few chasing moments that this game had never felt the same and they all never failed to make me feel like I was in danger, despite some of them being very scripted.  Even when there are no monsters around and there likely won’t be, the game still keeps you on edge, with very subtle sounds and noises and by making the environments foreboding enough to make you feel like you’re never safe (though that could just be me seeing as I have the bravery of a jar of marmalade). 

What really kept me going with this game, however, was the story and the mystery around it. The story was really enjoyable and kept me guessing the entire way through, and while there were parts that I was able to guess, like the truth about the monsters, there were still some parts that completely shocked me and that I would never have seen coming. It’s honestly really hard to talk about this game and not mention the story as, for me at least, it was the thing that kept me excited to play and what helped me brave through the terrors that it brought. 

Is Amnesia Rebirth as good or as scary as The Dark Descent (take a shot every time I mention that game… actually don’t if you wanna stay awake and keep your device vomit free)? Honestly no, in some aspects I think it doesn’t have the same foreboding atmosphere, or is as threatening, also it feels like it’s trying to capture the same magic that that game did while others have expanded on it, like Alien Isolation for example. But does that mean that this game is bad? Absolutely not, this is still a really good game with amazing horror that I promise will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire way through. If you’re a horror junkie like myself or are just looking for something interesting to play in the dead of night, then you can definitely do a lot worse than this game. 

7.8/10