Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs Reviews

A beautiful story doesn't save A Machine for Pigs from it's lackluster gameplay and regular crashes. That said, I would be interested to see what a third party developer could do with the new systems developed by frictional since The Dark Descent's release.

To a lot of people, especially fans of original The Dark Descent, A Machine for Pigs has cemented itself as one big disappointment to the point that I'm pretty sure it's never mentioned later in Rebirth. Mainly because it seems like The Chinese Room has cut out a lot of horror elements since their first trailer for the game in favour of story and atmosphere. In the original every time a Grunt showed up on the level you risked getting caught if you weren't careful because it was an actual physical presence and therefore a threat, and it could show up anywhere. Here, however, unless you are in a specific arena-like section or a scripted chase sequence Wretches act as nothing more than a cheap scare simply to SHOW you that they are everywhere around you except they don't react to you at all. In some places around the levels there are oddly convenient hiding spots as if the Wretches were meant to be there for you to hide from but sadly they never come into play. Not to mention somewhat wasted potential of Wretch variants. The Dark Descent's story was relatively straight-forward, coherent and somewhat grounded in possible reality. Every piece of the narrative fit together with just enough ambiguity to keep you guessing the whole way through. And in the end the whole journey can have a satisfying payoff. A Machine for Pigs cranks up that ambiguity to ridiculous levels. The general idea of events is there for you to piece together but the narrative is very on and off about the clarity of details it's trying to sell you with a bitter-sweet ending to top it all off. It's a chilling psychological horror story and it makes just enough sense to work but once you start thinking about its details it's actually pretty bizarre and over-the-top and it starts getting hard to believe. BUT! All that aside, if you simply try to immerse yourself in this world, if you just take everything at face value this game is quite an experience. The atmosphere of the world you're thrown into is haunting, suffocating and still manages to keep you on edge. Sound design really makes you feel like a lonely insect trapped in a gigantic yet tight, cold yet living, merciless machine ready to crush you the moment you take the wrong step. Level design and overall style work at helping you believe the Victorian Industrial Revolution era you're in. The soundtrack is incredible and wraps the atmosphere of the game together wonderfully. And though the story is ridiculous, at the end of the day it works though probably not to the extend it was hoping for. All in all, in my opinion A Machine for Pigs is very underrated and deserves a playthrough or two. Compared to the original it's one big missed opportunity and an undercooked dish but on its own it gets the job done at immersing you and keeping you on edge even after you finish it once. It's my personal favourite Amnesia and one of my favourite horror games. Thanks to its industrial setting I fell in love with steampunk and everything related to it. It's such a shame that it's also the only Amnesia game that doesn't have a Workshop support on Steam, I would absolutely love to see what certain enthusiasts would create using its assets since, like I said, the game is brimming with unused potential that in skillful hands could be turned into a worthy successor of The Dark Descent.

Crashed right at the peak of the game, restart and forced to do an entire area again, crash at the end of the same level again. This crap is just not built well compared to any of the others. Felt like a walking simulator the majority of the time. I mean just look at my hours, wtf happened, the game was on for one night.

Honestly this was a really enjoyable horror game, I'm not sure why it got absolutely ripped to shreds at the time other than it being a sequel to Amnesia.

One of the few horror games to stand the test of time, no remaster needed. If you tire of constant cheap jumpscares in video games, you'll enjoy the atmosphere of the game.

⭐ Rating: 6.5/10 ⭐ Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs takes a different approach from The Dark Descent, shifting away from complex gameplay mechanics in favor of a more narrative-driven experience. Developed by The Chinese Room, the game leans heavily on storytelling, atmosphere, and psychological horror rather than resource management and survival elements. Pros: ✅ Strong atmosphere – The game excels in environmental storytelling, with eerie sound design and disturbing visuals that create an unsettling mood. ✅ Compelling narrative – If you enjoy deep, philosophical horror with themes of industrialization and human corruption, the story will likely intrigue you. ✅ No resource management – No sanity meter or inventory means a more streamlined experience, which some players may appreciate. Cons: ❌ Less interactivity – Unlike The Dark Descent, there’s no real inventory system, and puzzles are minimal, making gameplay feel simplified. ❌ Short playtime – Can be completed in around 4-5 hours, making it feel more like a long interactive horror story rather than a full-fledged survival horror game. ❌ Less scary – While still disturbing, it lacks the same level of terror and tension that The Dark Descent had, due to the removal of sanity effects and fewer monster encounters. Final Verdict: If you go in expecting another Amnesia: The Dark Descent, you might be disappointed. However, if you’re a fan of atmospheric horror and enjoy games like Dear Esther or SOMA, you’ll likely appreciate its narrative and unsettling world. Worth playing for the story and atmosphere, but don’t expect the same level of fear and challenge as its predecessor. 💀 Recommended? Yes, but only if you enjoy story-driven horror.

The story is amazing. The gameplay is a walking sim. It's not bad... it's just not as good as the first game.

Simpler gameplay than the others but still really scary

It’s funny to think back that approx. 10 years back, the younger version of me couldn’t even pass the first level in 4 hours of time in [b]Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs[/b] before he uninstalled it and left it to “play later” categorization in his Steam Library. Back to present, finished the whole game under the two and half hours. Well, it is product of the time; Encountered piggies are mostly just grotesque to look at and gameplay rolls around playing tag with them throughout multiple levels with little puzzle elements. Comes also with extra boosted SFX and screen shaking effects. [h2]Final score from current self: 6/10[/h2] [h2]Final score from past self: 9/10[/h2]

Not only did this game crash for me 3 times in the 30 minutes that I played, when I first launched the game, there was already a profile called "Hi", which absolutely was not me. When I clicked continue it spawned me 10 minutes into the first area. This game is cursed and I'm never installing it again.