Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs

Очень много раз слышал в кулуарах интернета, что в отличии от любой другой части Амнезии, именно "Машина для свиней" пугает по особенному - не монстрами, а нарративом. Решился наконец-то спустя десятилетие пройти эту игру. Честно сказать - они были правы! Я прошел все части Амнезии с финалом "Машины для свиней" и смело могу заявить - именно эта игра пугала по экзистенциальному, почти как SOMA. Да, твист читался чуть ли не со старта игры - но он очень хорошо обрастал "мясом" по ходу сюжета. Новые детали, новые подробности, новые повороты - и все это описывало лишь одно - какой же монстр попал под мое управление. Я уважаю "Китайскую комнату" за такое решение. Здесь нет "Злого зла", монстров ради монстров. "Машина для свиней" это грустная история 1 человека, который совершил немыслимое зло по стечению неудачных обстоятельств. Дальше спойлерить не буду, авось кто и пройдет. Геймплей тут базовый, но вот что реально достойно похвалы - саунддизайн. "Китайская комната" сделала звук в игре выше всяких похвал. Это просто 10 из 10 железно. Наверное 70% всей атмосферы игры составляет именно звук. Здесь, в виду тематики, очень грузный и тяжелый индастриал эмбиент. Он великолепен, что-то на уровне Condemned. Все эти паровые котлы, гайки, скрипящие трубы, фабричные механизмы, лопасти - все скрепит, дребезжит, стучит - просто вах. Тебе всегда некомфортно, ты почти никогда не остаешься в тишине - это очень хорошее решение, особенно контрастирующее с тематикой сюжета. В общем, проходится игра быстро, сложностей не вызывает, монстры тут прикольненькие, но не опасные. Страшно ли было геймплейно на уровнях? - Скорее нет. Страшно ли было от понимания происходящего - вот тут да, это даже не первобытный страх от скримеров, а тяжелое осознание ужасающих событий. Вот как-то так.

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs – A Poetic Nightmare Score: 8/10 If The Dark Descent was a haunted house that wanted to give you a heart attack, A Machine for Pigs is a disturbing novel that wants to rot your soul. It is one of the most well-written, atmospheric, and audibly terrifying games ever made. The story of Oswald Mandus and his industrial slaughterhouse is a masterpiece of "cosmic horror," tackling themes of guilt, the 20th century, and what it means to be human in an age of machines. The "Art" of Horror The Atmosphere: The setting—a steampunk Victorian London on New Year's Eve 1899—is incredible. The sound of the massive machine thrumming beneath your feet, the steam hissing from pipes, and the distant squeals create a constant sense of dread. The Writing: This game has some of the best prose in gaming history. The monologue at the end is legendary. It doesn't rely on jump scares; it scares you with concepts. It makes you afraid of what the main character has done, rather than just what is hiding in the dark. The Soundtrack: The score by Jessica Curry is hauntingly beautiful. The mix of industrial grinding noises and tragic cello music perfectly captures the sadness and horror of the story. The Flaws: It Forgot to be a "Game" However, you have to accept that this is barely a survival horror game in the traditional sense. Mechanically Hollow: If you loved managing your tinderboxes, oil, and sanity in the first game, you will be disappointed. They removed everything. You have an infinite lantern, no inventory, and no sanity meter. You basically just walk forward and open doors. The "Walking Simulator" Syndrome: The game is extremely linear. There is almost no exploration and very few puzzles. You are essentially walking through a ghost train ride. Not "Scary" Enough: The enemies (the Pigmen) are terrifying in concept, but easy to avoid. The AI is simple, and because the levels are so open, you rarely feel the claustrophobic panic of the first game. Verdict A Machine for Pigs is a narrative masterpiece trapped in a simplified game. If you go in expecting a hardcore survival challenge, you will hate it. But if you treat it like an interactive horror story—a dark, industrial tragedy about a man and his machine—it is an unforgettable experience. Status: A disturbing classic (just don't expect to fight for your life). 🐷⚙️

На самом деле игра не такая уж и ужасная как другие про нее говорят, большинства механик нету, но история на мой взгляд нивелирует данный минус

The first time I played this game, it was on launch in 2013. As a big fan of the previous Amnesia and Penumbra games, I was very excited with high expectations. This game plays very differently than the previous games, where at the time, was sorely disappointing. I recently revisited this game, and while I'd still consider it a weaker game in the Amnesia series, it still has a rich story and dark atmosphere that can stand on its own. The game is very linear and story driven, but with very few puzzles and enemy encounters. I'd still recommend the game if you're a fan of the Amnesia series, but be warned the game play is very limited and serves more as an interactive story than anything. Ideally, you'd get this game on sale or in a bundle.

People who dismiss this game as a “walking simulator” should revisit it and pay closer attention to the story. A Machine for Pigs is one of the best artistic metaphors for the idea that no eldritch horror we invent can ever be more terrifying than the horrors created by humanity itself.

Disappointing experience. As a horror fan and Amenesia games supporter, I thought playing this game would send chills down my spine. This game goes a different route than the first, and in my opinion - a worse route. Story aspect was not terrible, but left alot to wish for. Playtime seems very short, making the story fall flat because of how rushed it felt. The monster design was not scary to me personally. Also monster encounters were rare and very staged. Instead of having a monster roam free like in the first game, here the game events are predestined, meaning you don't have as much of a free will to play as you want [which affects the scare factor]. The atmosphere however was kept mostly the same as the first game, which is perfect. Overall, I think the change of developer studio made a big impact on why this game wasn't as good as it could've been.

What Machine for Pigs lacks in gameplay (compared to Dark Descent) it thoroughly makes up for it in story, where the true 'horror' lies. Not developed by Frictional Games but by the Chinese Room, who already proved themselves creative storytellers with Dear Esther, the first 'game' without an interface or HUD where exploration and audio logs piece together the story. It is still one of my favourite games of all time as it proves (traditional) gameplay is not needed for an engaging video game experience. I wish they had made MfP in an entirely similar fashion, I mean the no re-fuelling of the oil lamp was a good idea, but the mindless turning of valves, opening empty drawers/cabinets and carrying useless items by hand to find its purpose bogged the game down. It could have been shorter even, as in the end many people don't consider this a real Amnesia game anyway. Having re-played the game recently in VR using Vorpx and a HD texture pack made the experience fresh and exciting again (apart from the above mentioned gameplay blockers).