Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs – in focus

Humans seem to thrive on horror – despite the fact that horror movies or games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill keep us up at night in a cold sweat, we just can’t seem to get enough of it.

When it comes to psychological horror, Amnesia: The Dark Descent developer, Frictional Games, goes beyond simple scares and cheap spooks, opting rather to shake you to the core.

Anyone who’s played and finished Dark Descent can probably confirm as much. James certainly though so in his review: Amnesia: The Dark Descent review

A Machine For Pigs

The upcoming sequel to the game, A Machine For Pigs, sounds like it’s going to be following the trend – and them some – coming to us as a collaboration between Frictional games, and Dear Esther developer, thechineseroom.

IGF Award-winner, Dear Esther, is an aesthetic marvel – a non-game game that provides a visual experience within a hauntingly isolated environment.

So naturally, this is one collaboration that’s looking to strike players in a big way.

Speaking to Gamasutra about the sequel, thechineseroom’s Dan Pinchbeck explained how the game will have to be familiar enough for players – but also bring the unexpected to scare you out of your pantaloons.

It’s about the atmosphere

Dark Descent was part horror, and part psychological-oh-my-God-why-me – that is to say, you’d find yourself stopping before every closed door, seriously considering not opening it.

And then you’d shut down and go cry.

“The thing is, if we don’t frighten people as much as the original, then we’ve failed. But now we have to frighten people that know what to expect,” Pinchbeck said.

“The big design challenge is: How do we protect the things that make Amnesia great, and how do we evolve everything else to make a really fresh experience?”

To recapture that same atmosphere – but on a higher level, Pinchbeck is investing a lot into the visuals.

“With this new game, we want to create a world that is so rich and dramatic and beautiful that the player is constantly torn between wanting to go around the corner to see what’s there and not wanting to go around the corner because they’re frightened of what’s there,” said Pinchbeck.

So how does he want gamers to react to the game?

“We want this game to be absolutely skin-crawlingly, heart-shatteringly, and nerve-jarringly terrifying — that’s the target. Everything is geared around that. Just turning people to complete ice and making them have complete meltdowns.”

We can’t wait.