Play for the story and the creepy atmosphere. No horror game excels Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs in those regards.

Note to anyone who has played Amnesia: The Dark Descent:

Please do not take this game as a sequel to Amnesia: The Dark Descent. What many people do wrong with this game is that they go with the mindset of the previous Amnesia - going for the horror.

Now, I'm not saying it's wrong to play horror games for the horror in them, and it definitely is not a surprise why people think of this as a sequel, what with the blaring "Amnesia" in the name. However, while the game does make an occasional reference to the original, it's significantly better to think of this as a stand-alone game.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent was made by Frictional Games. They have made a name for themselves by bringing back the horror in the horror genre. Their games have that creeping atmosphere that you can never be rid of. From Penumbra: Black Plague onwards, they took a theme of defenselessness, which definitely has been a big asset.

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs was made by The Chinese Room. When Frictional Games thought about making a sequel to the Amnesia series, they decided to have an other company make it instead. Being impressed by Dear Esther, they approached The Chinese Room for sharing similar mindsets in their game development. Frictional Games did not want The Chinese Room to make a game that is similar to the original, they wanted them to make a game in their own way.

Two different companies make a game of the same world, with the same theme. It's obvious there'll be differences.

From Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, you'll get to experience a creepy, gross, horrifying story of a mad man trying to redeem himself.
From Amnesia: The Dark Descent, you'll get a full-blown horror blast in your face. Scrreeeaaaam.

If I were to compare the two Amnesia games quickly I would say that A Machine For Pigs is more horrific, The Dark Descent is more terrifying.

I prefered The Dark Descent, but A Machine for Pigs is still a superb horror game. A lot of atmosphere, horrific story and solid gameplay. It did not scare me as much as The Dark Descent, but then no other game ever has either.

See my full video review for details : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uNyejlkJGI&list=PLE7DlYarj-Deq-6FHXFQQ72vz__aROZ-A&index=19

Darkly atmospheric and beautifully rendered, I thoroughly enjoyed this one, dare I say, more than the first. It abandons the point and click Hidden Object Game mechanics in favor of exploration while masterfully building tension. That's right, it's not a HOG like it's predecessor, which was innovative for it's time and we can still see it's legacy in a brillant masterpiece like Outlast. This one is much more polished and focuses on a cinematic audio that will have you taking off your headphones and turning on the lights to make sure that was from the game and not from the burning carbuncle eyes snorting in the darkness at your window. Often hiding the horrors, it knows that what you can't see will bend your mind on all fours to imagine far worse than any engine can grind up and reanimate. The porcine genius of it all is the sqealing progression of a story line that will raise the bristles down your spine as it roots around, huffing and snuffling, in the fetid mire of your psyche.

Oh man. This game is such a dissapointment.
If ''The Chinese Room'' didnt get involved this could've been so much better.
They didnt try to make Amnesia 2, they tried to make a sequel to Dear Esther.

I loved the story in TDD, it had the perfect balance between gameplay and story. This one is more focused on the story but I couldn't really get into it because it's so effin boring. There was not a single scary moment in this game and the 'monsters' you'll face later on are no threat to you and you can just casually walk past them. Your character is never in any actual danger. You couldn't check your sanity; tinderboxes and oil didn't exist. You don't have an inventory so don't even bother exploring. But why mention it? You can't do that anyway since every door in this game is locked unless you have to actually go through it. If you loved grabbing random sh*t in TDD and throwing it at the enemy or just against a wall - you can't do it in this one cause everything is locked in place.
The nerve wrecking atmosphere from TDD is completey lost, you don't have to worry about oil for your lantern cause it is unlimited.

I quit the game 3 times but I kept giving it a chance because I WANTED it to be good but there is really no hope for this. A Machine for Pigs is a complete let down to every The Dark Descent fan.
The fact that this game is 3-5 hours long is a joke.
So I will say this: This is one of the worst Horror Games I've ever played in my entire life.
It's not even worth a 1 out of 10 so I won't bother rating it.

I will say though, I have much more respect for bacon, now that I know where it comes from. :/

Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs is alright, but nowhere near in comparison to Dark Descent. The atmosphere, sounds and story is quite good, but it lacks enemies, real puzzles and in-depth secrets. It is basically point A to Point B with no backtracking, sidestories or mods to really boot. Basically you get chased by mechanical pigs in dark. What is groovy about it though is that the audio is incredible, the SFX is riveting, and voce acting is quite good. Only thing it lacks is the fear of shadows given to you in the older installment. Get this game when it is on sale, for sure.

List of things that were good in Amnesia The Dark Descent:
- you could light candles with limited supplies of matches
- you had a lantern that could go low on fuel
- you had to manage madness : stay stealthy in the dark and become mad, or get low on resources and be spotted by enemies by lighting stuff but remaining sane. It was smart and a balanced system
- enemies were threatening AND frightening, and hard to outrun

This is also the list of things that have been removed in A Machine For Pigs.
It is closer to Dear Esther than Amnesia. Don't buy if you're looking for a horror game.

Didn't finish it, I was just bored playing it. Not frightening, not involving, not entertaining. And I've seen too many valves.

About as scary as a five foot and senile man, in his late seventies, attempting to rob you with a blunt fork, in broad daylight.

I like it.

I do not like many games. I am ridiculously picky, but this game was good enough to get me to write a review.

It has an excellent story (read the notes you find dammit), creepy atmosphere, and keeps a good pace. It is a short, but worthwhile game to play through.

I will be completely honest here, I used a walkthrough for this and played it in a fully lit room, and sped my way to the end in about two hours.

The game is no where near as scary as the original Amnesia, but I still ended up going through multiple pairs of underwear. The puzzles are decent, however I don't see how anyone could work some them out if they didn't have a guide.

The game does also have some serious performance issues, no matter what settings I changed, the frame rate dropped rapidly between 60 fps and 30 fps. Not sure why, it may just of been me, but my rig is more than powerful enough to run this.

If you haven't played an Amnesia game before, I'd definitely recommend the original over this one, however Machine for Pigs is still a good game.

Certainly feels like I am playing another "The Chinese Room" game. To me, it feels like Dear Esther but with the "Amnesia" name slapped on it. You have very little to no interaction with your environment. No inventory. You spend the whole time just walking. Atleast in the first Amnesia you had puzzles to complete and had to manage your lantern. The times when you would come into contact with the monster were predictable. I never really felt scared to search an area because anytime I would see the monster it would come in the form of a mini jump scare for its reveal.

Here, it is nothing like that and the AI is horrid. There is one part where you need to go down a hallway and the exit is to the right. But to the left it branches off a to a small path with which the monster does laps of. You could sneak past. OR do what I did and just run past and as soon as you go through the door the monster doesnt follow because invisible walls they can't past. It was honestly the stupidoust thing I've ever seen. It was an encounter that was absolutely pointless. I made a little picture to show below. But anyone that played it long enough and got to this part would know how stupid it was.

Excuse the horrible picture I attempted to make.

###################################
#....................................................................EXIT
#.................... ==>
#......../\.....#######
#.......| |.....#..........#.........| |...........########
#.......| |.....#..........#.........| |..........#
#...............#######.........\/..........#
#...................................................#
#...........<== MONSTER.................#
#################.................#
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..................................#.................#
..................................#...YOU......#

I think Machine for Pigs is a failure. But it is such an interesting, artful failure that it's nearly a success. I'm not sure how much I'd recommend it to horror fans, but I think it's a must-play for anyone interested in developing horror games. First, because it tells one of the most intelligent stories in horror gaming, and second, because it provides so many great examples of how not to make a narrative-focused horror game. Some of which aren't immediately obvious. I personally didn't realize before how important environmental interaction in a narrative-focused game was until I played A Machine for Pigs and saw how detrimental static environments could be to immersion.

Read more here

It's not exactly like The Dark Descent, for sure. But too many people evaluate A Machine for Pigs on the standard of how similar it is to its predecessor, too afraid to look at it on its own merits. Indeed, there are fewer gameplay elements, such as an infinite lamp duration, easier/fewer puzzles, and an overall lower danger level. But what AMFP has, it does spectacularly. The Chinese Room took a more story-heavy approach and crafted the world around how it's told, and it's a tale well worth hearing. The environments are beautifully constructed, the voicework fits the characters perfectly, and Jessica Curry's music is spectacular. It's like a roller coaster: just because you're not pushing the carts yourself doesn't mean it's not a enjoyable, thrilling ride.

People looking for a game that will leave them petrified with fear will be more at home with The Dark Descent. But if you enjoyed the story of The Dark Descent and want to lose yourself in a tale just as gripping and harrowing, definitely give A Machine for Pigs a shot!

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs - The second main game from Amnesia series. After the amazing Amnesia: The Dark Descent people wanted next Amnesia, much better than first game, but is it really better? I won't anwer that question, I'll just say that it's "Different", but mostly in positive aspects.

First you have to remember that this game wasn't created by Frictional Games like first Amnesia. It was created by The Chinese Room (You can know them if you've played Dear Esther). Ok, but let's talk about the game!

Most of the players didn't like Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, because a few important aspects from Amnesia: The Dark Descent were cut off in this game. There wasn't any inventory, you couldn't pick up many items like chairs, boxes etc, no tinderbox to pick up and your source of light is unlimited. So the survival aspect of the game don't exist. The only items you can pickup are letters, papers and important items that you have to pickup to move on with story.

Monsters aren't that scary like in first game, but still i have to say that power of imagination in that game still works! I was scared because of simply noises and i thought there is monster nearby. Also i should note that there aren't the "warning alert" when the monster is next to you. That alert was in first Amnesia and in my opinion it's better that it's don't exist here, because if you won't be careful you can me surprised in "negative" aspect of course! Don't get me wrong, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is still very scary game, but you can't compare it to the first game.

Soundtrack is amazing! It was composed by Jessica Curry (Same artist like in Dear Esther). The style is again different than from the first game, but it's also amazing and it's fit with all those factory levels and London from fall of XIX century. Go ahead and try it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fkVvNMuJsA

You could thought that i already said the most important things from that game, but nope, not yet! Now is The Story

The story in this game... I can't describe it, if i'll say it's amazing it's not enough. In this aspect Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs owning the first game, no doubt about it! It's very emotional, sad and you'll think about it after you'll finish the whole game. I won't say any spoilers, but to make you curious i'll just say that the "Pigs" in the title of the game is an ambiguous word... In my opinion one of the best stories i've ever been seeing in video games. You should play this game even only because of that story. Also i recommend read all the notes that you'll find in the game from the chronological order after you'll finish the game.

I'm really sad seeing all those negative reviews, most of these people were just looking for Amnesia: The Dark Descent 2, but I really understand them. I was also a little bit dissapointed when i realised i couldn't take chairs and other objects and throw them away, honestly I don't understand why developers removed that, but when i finished the game I was glad i pre-ordered it.

I rate this game 8/10 (Very Good), mostly because of that great story, soundtrack and the whole atmosphere. It isn't that scary like Amnesia: The Dark Descent, so if you're looking for only scary horror game and you don't care about other aspects, then you should buy other game. My english isn't perfect so I apologise for any grammar mistakes, I hope i'll be better in future!

Ater playing and thoroughly enjoying "Amnesia: The Dark Decent" I was delighted to hear that there was going to be a sequel (in spirit). The atmosphere is quickly set by the story introduction, but sadly it couldn't keep that atmosphere all the way through. The flair of Amnesia is the feeling that you can't fight whatever is after you, sneaking around and hiding are your only way to survive. In Machine for Pigs this mechanic is less pronounced. I felt like the enemies weren't that treatening, I felt like I could run, like I could beat them. This is notthe feeling that creates terror (something that I expect from a game in the horror genre). Overall I wouldn't recommend Machine for Pigs.

It's nothing like the original - but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Dark Descent featured challenging puzzles, pulse-raising ‘run or hide’ decision making, inventory management and constant danger. A Machine for Pigs holds none of these accolades, however, it’s still a good game! It has an interesting story with some horrific themes running throughout. It really makes you feel like you are trapped within the innards of some mechanical beast.

There are a few terrifying and jumpy moments before you actually encounter a pig-monster face-to-face... Until you realise that they are a totally pointless gameplay mechanic. Normally, in games where you must rely on either running or hiding from enemies (e.g. the game’s predecessor or Outlast), there is normally some general indication as to where to run or hide. Whether this is done by backtracking to previously seen areas, or running towards illuminated exits. With other games there is fun to be had in evading danger, but not in a Machine for Pigs. The pig-monsters spot you instantly and you can rarely outrun them! This is all okay though because if you get killed, you simply black out and spawn further on in the game, as if the encounter never happened... What’s the point?

As soon as I hear a pig’s squeal, this is normally my reaction:

“Oh blimey! It’s a pig-man! And he’s spawned right behind me again! I guess I’d better run ahead!”

*runs ahead*

“Oh-no! There’s nothing here! You know what?... Sod this! I’ll just take a beating because I have no idea what is going on...”

*stands there, gets beaten to death by pig trotters and respawns*

“Ohhhhhhh so I was meant to run down that ridiculously dark corridor that was obstructed from view by that massive pipe! Stupid me!”

Literally, I’d say 2 out of 3 pursuits could pan out like this. The action is AWFUL. The "puzzles" literally rely on pressing buttons, replacing power fuses or turning steam valves. That said, simply looking at the machinary is a joy to be had and interacting with it can be quite fun!

The game’s redeeming features are the story and the atmosphere. I’m not going to say much about the story, but it is really good! The themes expressed are extremely dark and the way everything unfolds is rather marvellous. Whoever designed all of the machinery did a really good job. The large growling machines and the spitting steam pipes twisting all around create a very immersive portrayal of 19th century industry. Brilliant ambient noises with the accompaniment of eerie music makes you want to jump out of the nearest factory window. There are some instances at the start that had me bricking myself.

I personally don’t believe this game should have been called “Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs” because it is hardily like its predecessor. The only thing that is the same is that you can open draws and doors, and wind steam valves with mouse actions. That’s it! Everything else has changed. The game feels more like a scary industrial Dear Esther. However, I can totally understand why the developers would want to capitalise on a series.

Essentially, if you want an incredibly immersive and very artistic story-based gaming experience, this game is probably for you. However, if you want a heart-pounding survival horror – don’t even think about it. It’s nothing like the previous game and your money would probably be better spent on Outlast, if you haven’t already played it.

Not interactive like the first one, some say the story made it creepier but for me the gameplay not being scary made it really suck. I wish I could return it, honestly. Waste of money.

This game is largely unimpressive and an absolute disappointment compared to its predecessor.

Admittedly, the removal of the HUD, that is, the inventory menu, and all indications of just about anything, including loss of health and sanity (the latter of which was removed entirely), had a positive effect on immersion compared to Amnesia: The Dark Descent. However, this was quite possibly the ONLY potentially positive difference made between the games, and I use the word 'potentially' very hesitantly. Why? Because, and you can ask ANYONE who has played both games all the way through at least once, a lack of information and indication on your status in the game also causes a bigger lack of things to worry and stress about. And let's face it, what good is immersion if the gameplay itself is tedious and incites no feelings or emotions in the player other than absolute boredom, especially if you made the transition from the first to the second Amnesia video game? In the first Amnesia game, you were always constantly made aware of your health, sanity, objective, and situations/surroundings. The more you let your loss of health, sanity, and light sources get to you, the more you focused on your objective in the forms of memo and journal notes, and the more time you spent being chased by monsters or traversing through eerie environments, the more you'd have genuine feelings of fear, stress, and even despair the more you 'got into' the game.

Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs has a huge problem with all of the above. Health is no longer indicated in any clear or visible form, which honestly has more of a penalty on immersion to begin with. Let's face it, if you're physically hurt, you're aware of it, because of the feelings of pain. In this game, all you can do is 'make your best guess' on your current physical well being based on your memory of how often you were hurt before and how long it had been since then. Sanity has been removed completely, further decreasing the levels of difficulty and immersion while playing, making the game itself even easier than it already is. All that's left is lore and exploration, and a video game composed of nothing but lore is NOT a video game, it's a walking simulator. Objectives are generally more confusing at first glance compared to the first game, but at the same time, they're very easy and tedious due to the fact that they are all marginally you having to walk around to specific points and interact with specific things. That's it. Goals and objectives in this game are basically normal everyday tasks in a slightly creepy environment. Speaking of environment, the next topic, the overall 'feel' of the game simply doesn't seem to fit within fear or horror anymore, and is closer to that of a creepy, almost surrealistic cliché. I mean, come on; someone wakes up in a dark room, and they have to go to laboratory full of failed and murderous genetic experiments?

Oh, the enemies, that's one of the biggest issues with the game. There is literally only one type of enemy which actively endangers you through the game, and only one other actual monster which is only found in the sewers, which is also there purely for cintematic effect; it's impossible to even see it up close and make contact with it. Compare this to the two enemies constantly hounding you in the first game, as well as two more found at specific points (the Kaernk or 'water monster' and the Shadow, or the bloody, goopy substance which constantly makes itself known in the form of restricting paths, adding scenery, and even actively hunting you down). More unique enemies essentially means more threat to the player. It adds a hopeless feeling of being outnumbered as well as constant paranoia that you can be watched and/or chased down more often and possibly even by more than one entity at once. Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs' enemy itself isn't even anything too exraordinary, especially when compared to the first game. The way it looks and sounds, and even its background isn't frightening, it isn't scary, it isn't even eerie or creepy. In fact, it's nothing short of silly, amusing, and cliché. It essentially look like a pig on a more-than-lethal dosage of steroids.

Even the lantern isn't left untouched by the transition between both Amnesia games. Yes, there is a lantern once again, but, and I personally find this to be the worst out of all other changes and features in the game, the lantern has unlimited oil and it constantly flickers on and off whenever you are close to or looking at enemies and while witnessing 'disturbing or unsettling events. In addition to the factors of this being unrealistic (which further breaks immersion) and making EVERY scary event in the game incredibly predictable and generic, it has an effect on the player which makes it easier to proceed without caution while simultaneously making it unnecessary to explore thoroughly (since you don't need to find new, unique areas to find more lantern fuel).


Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs as a whole game feels like it was rushed and lazily made.
Unlike in the first game, there is not, nor will there ever be any possibility of custom stories. The developers themselves have made claims that it would be 'too difficult' to add custom story support due to the new engine, and that they will instead add new content to Amnesia: The Dark Descent instead, including but not limited to: new textures, monsters, and maps. Over a year later, we haven't even heard a single word about it yet. Even assuming this would ever be true, it almost makes it pointless to even buy the sequel in the first place. The first Amnesia game would be the obvious choice out of the two for any gamer to make since A Machine for Pigs is doomed to be a single adventure with absolutely nothing different or new put into the game while The Dark Descent supposedly gets even more playability and support than it already has.
Another problem lies within the fact that the playtime of one single story playthrough, whether you're playing for enjoyement and story or simply rushing through it, is significantly less in A Machine for Pigs' story than in the first Amnesia game. Having not even 5 hours into the game myself and getting close to the ending (I couldn't finish it even once because I got so BORED with it, I'm sorry), while my first playthrough in the first Amnesia took me nearly 20 hours, I can confidently say that this game isn't even worth buying. I actually enjoyed the main story in The Dark Descent so much that I played it all the way through four times, simply because it was absolutely massive by comparison and plenty of 'optional' exploration possibilities. Combine this with the fact that there's a bonus of an additional mode called 'Justine' and a collection of short stories for even more curiosity-invoking lore in the 'Remember' option of the game's startup menu, as well as TONS of custom stories all for free, and it's easy to see that this Amnesia game is nothing short of an embarassment to the first.

Finally tried this, and was let down. From the start there is no feeling of immersion, fear, nevermind horror. Runs very poorly on my computer, which is admittedly old, but which still can run much prettier games like Farcry 2 and Fallout New Vegas. This one looks worse and runs worse than either of those.

Main reason I don't recommend this is a very poor sense of immersion. You can pick up some objects, but everything else is static. I threw a chair on a table with bottles and cutlery, and the chair just slammed into them, nothing happened. Also, although I didn't play for too long, there was no sense of urgency, and I just didn't care about the story at all. I just walked through the house, heard some rumbling and saw lights flickering. Not scary, nothing to do with horror.

Also, some triggered events were just really annoying. Blurring effects and limited movement, and for what? Atmosphere? I wanted to like this, but really I can't.

Not quite sure how I feel about this game. I mean, it's scary and all, but I don't think it's as scary as TDD. And I believe the problem lays in the fact that it was not developed by Frictional Games, but was made instead by the Chinese Room. A company that's only well known title is "Dear Esther" and very lack luster 'Adventure' game. http://youtu.be/Iekm59q6TYo

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is a game unlike it's predecessor. The fear and anxiety caused by The Dark Descent is replaced by an unlimitted supply of light and mental clarity. The game itself often feels more laid back and common place. It relies on atmospheric horror rather than a genuine threat to your so called digital life. While The Dark Descent left me shreiking this game only gives me a subtle jump on the rarest of occasions. This is mostly due to my own mental anticipation which proves to be wasted effort in and of itself. In spite of this, I cannot seem to put down the game. It's redeeming feature lies in the fact that it is truly "A Machine for Pigs". The atmospheric story telling keeps me navigating each passage and slowly bringing the factory to life. As I chase after apparitions it leads me to question my own humanity. In fact, the beasts in this game are strangley human compared to the character I find myself trapped in. Am I really human or am I just trapped in a machine for pigs?