A Horror Game Without the Spooks
What do you get when you take the visceral horror out of a horror game? Something along the lines of a Lovecraftian mystery/adventure novel, apparently. Frictional Games released the Amnesia: Rebirth Adventure Mode today. This special mode is made for gamers who like a good story and an engaging world to explore, but would rather not have to deal with the foreboding atmosphere and constant spooks of a true horror experience. The result is a stunning but brightly lit adventure where the player can focus on roaming around, gathering up story details, and working on puzzles instead of constantly looking over their shoulder for threats. It sounds positively relaxing, though the devs assure players the story itself will still be creepy.
Drawing inspiration from SOMA’s Safe Mode, in Adventure Mode monsters won’t attack the player unless you attack or annoy them first, darkness won’t affect you, and the harrowing visual and audio cues that affect protagonist Tasi’s sanity have all been removed. This makes the experience ideal for players who can’t deal well with anxiety, claustrophobia, or the dark. Take care of your mental health by enjoying the experience that’s right for you. Frictional Games has even tossed in some extra puzzles just for Adventure Mode so that players have something new to discover. That’s pretty awesome of them.
“The game still has its very serious theme and sometimes unnerving ambiance, but the new mode feels a lot more like an Indiana Jones type of adventure in places where it would otherwise be more of a horror experience,” explains Fredrik Olsson, Co-Owner and Creative Lead of Frictional Games, in the press release.
Adventure Mode can be downloaded as a free update for PlayStation players.
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