Amnesia: The Dark Descent - scariest game of all time?

To answer a question many people don't bother asking, "Yes, I have played Amnesia: The Dark Descent". You'd be surprised how many people just watch the videos and say "Wow, this is scary", then don't bother playing it. That's not experiencing the game, no matter how much of a fright you get from it. So if you're watching a video of the game being played, then no, it's not the scariest game of all time and instead Condemned or Left 4 Dead could easily take the title, rendering this Hub useless.

To fully understand Amnesia: The Dark Descent you really have to play it. No good just looking on Wikia for the game's lore, you need to play it to get the feel of it. You know when people say that they feel like they're actually inside the TV doing this? That's what this game does. When you see a Grunt walk by, there is no pause button because you're stricken with fear. Option 1: Run. Option 2: See option 1. There's no way anyone can describe this game and make it scarier than playing the game. Hence why I've said the videos will ruin the whole experience, plus the spoilers.

This game can scare us not only by what we see, but also by what we don't. If the eerie music plays, then we get a major screech, we know not to stay and investigate, it's Frictional Games' way of saying "GTFO!" So I think the soundtrack plays the biggest part. The beginning of the game does tell you to play in the dark with earphones in on a high volume, so you really get the feel. Playing with little to no sound at all just makes the game extremely inconvincing, and only until you see a Skidrow do you really fill your breeches. What I also mean by "what we don't see" is that, if you've been playing for several hours straight you WILL open doors to find nothing there, but still jump out of your skin. It's psychologically unhealthy, but boosts your instincts quite a bit.

The setting altogether - you're in a castle, with no idea how you got there or why you're there in the first place. You can't escape. On top of that, you have Amnesia, so you can't remember anything at all. Your safety or sanity is nowhere in sight. Perfect for a horror game. The castle is very gloomy, and barely has any luxuries. It's cold, dusty and has many draughts (something you can really get a feel for if you're in a chilly room). No, it's not pleasant, and no-one said it would be. You're playing the best indie horror game you'll ever find. It's gonna be tough.

Now here's why everyone says the game is scary, or those who haven't played the game and don't know from experience - the "monsters". Skidrows, grunts, brutes, scissorhands - whatever you wanna call the two monsters. Some are "poofers", which literally go "poof" when they make contact, but you can't be sure until they do. Secondly, there's the normal ones which will kill you if you don't block them out or hide. Now, something that gives their positions away is the music.The eerier the music is and the bigger the build-up it has before a huge screech, the closer it is to finding you. There's also a few "water monster" encounters, and this goes into the "what we can't see" category. See, we don't know what this thing looks like, except for the splashes it makes when it moves through the water. We're scared because we don't know where it is (in shallow water? It's literally invisible), and the only way to find out is to step into the waters. You don't know how scary this is until you've faced them.

Indeed, the dark and constant winds blowing out the candles makes it hard to see and can fill us with fear. However, I'd rather be in the dark hiding from a monster than shining a light in his face, because that's just like saying "HEY-OH, JONNY BOY! LUNCH IS SERVED!".

So yes, the darkness is scary when you don't need it. But it's a life-saver and your best friend a lot of the time. The same applies to the light, when you mutter to yourself, "Someone hit the lightswitch, PLEASE!".

I'm not a sheep with this opinion (one goes, then another follows, then another follows, and another, etc) - I've played the game, completed it and am doing it again because it's just so entertaining. I used to say Monster Hunter was scary (traded it in after an hour of gameplay, hated it!), but that was when I was younger. I played Resident Evil which has just become less and less convincing (and more and more laughable), then Condemned 2 and its ancestor after.

Psychological horror games are the best ones, I think. Zombies, vampires, werewolves or Roman Bellic are a different kind of horror. Psychological truly scares us, haunts us and dominates us while we play the game. It is in control; a nightmare we cannot wake up from until we beat its challenges. Yes, they are tough at times, but what did you expect? This is Clive Barker territory, and you're bound to get your fair share of gameplay that requires intelligence.

This isn't some cheap monster flick you rented from the local video store in the bargain basket. This is horror at its finest - around 5 people created this game, getting help from here, there and everywhere. And so what if it was low budget? It was high quality and has made millions (no doubt). The only way you can tell someone's scream during gameplay of this is if you sit and watch someone play it in person, or if you do yourself (nice acting, YouTubers).

I say this is scariest because of all the elements any video game should have:

- Soundtrack

- Graphics

- Gameplay

- High Life Span

- Plot has few twists

With those elements combined and with a pinch of imagination (great lack in that since the "next-gen" consoles came out), you've got an excellent horror game and a million bucks.

To answer the question of this sub-heading, it's because of effort. Sheer effort was all that was needed. Elbow grease was what scared me. Hard work was the thing that gave me a heart attack when it assaulted me, before I hid in the broom cupboard. That's what this game is - the eighth wonder of the world - Amnesia: The Dark Descent!

I say Amnesia: The Dark Descent is scary? Well, that's true. But so is the impossible to avoid (if you plan to complete the game) scene of Amnesia: Justine, where you're constantly running from a Brute - that too is scary.

The Amnesia: Custom stories, not made by the developers, are pretty good too. Some are better than others, and some are just cheaply done because they want to satisfy the YouTube community's idea of a horror game. They put effort into it and they're greatly rewarded. And then there's those who don't and.... you get the idea.

Be sure to check them out and download them - most are reviewed by ChaoticMonki (known as Cry), and you can also find my review on YouTube! Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave your feedback!