Reviews - AuntieRae

I really can't say anything that hasn't already been said. A brilliant game that draws you in immediately. There is a reason Amnesia: TDD has become the cult classic that it is.

This is a very good custom story. I don't understand why this isn't rated higher. Not only does this have an excellent plot (that doesn't bog down the player with tons of reading), but it has many clever details that I really enjoyed.

First: what I didn't like. I noticed some rooms were taken straight out of Amnesia: The Dark Decent, but I forgive this because of the unique mapping in other areas. Also, I don't like stacking boxes, so you lost a point for making me stack boxes, barrels and chairs to reach a high ladder. Personal thing, but I find it REALLY slows the game down in a bad way.

Though there weren't many real threats in the story, the monsters that were a threat were well used. That first monster...I was certain was a poofer...until it hit me. LOL. It was a pleasant surprise and I was able to dodge and escape, but I thought that was great. You don't really use any BIG jump scares, and I like that. The scares were mostly atmosphere and foreboding: bottles falling off shelves, distance groans and shapes moving in the darkness.

I loved having items hidden in urns. Maybe that's been done before, but this was the first I'd seen someone do that. Great hint at the beginning to help the player figure that out.

The Red Herring at the beginning with all the keys was clever, but not obnoxiously annoying. Everything in the game had a reason to be in the game, and that is such a rare quality in the custom stories. You didn't just mess with people, like some designers do.

And, of course, the multiple endings were great. They were interesting and made sense. Would have been neat to see cut scenes for the different endings, but the descriptions were good. Again, the endings made sense in relation to the decision the player made.

Keep up the good work.

Overall, I enjoyed playing this story. There isn't an over use of "poofers" and there were times of real threat. However, you force the player to "RUN" allot toward the end which is just a personal thing that I'm not crazy about. I understand using it at the end of this story to create a sense of urgency to get out of the mansion, but I suggest using is sparingly in the future.

Maps were well designed. Items and secrets were reasonably hidden. An experienced player would feel at home in the map. A newer player wouldn't be completely lost.

One last thing. Add Auto-save points. My game crashed, and I had to start from the beginning because there were no auto-save points. There are plenty of opportunities to have them when the player moves to a different map. This annoyance lost you a point on my rating.

Not a bad custom story. Not great either, but you have allot of potential. Keep at it. I'll look out for more from you.

Not bad for a short adventure. Well made maps. My biggest gripe would be the instant deaths. There were two that I can't fathom any way of surviving. I was able to out run or out smart the other threats. One of the instant deaths kept me from getting one of the notes. As someone who likes story and reading notes (if they are pertinent to story and not riddled with bad grammar), I was a little miffed that I didn't get the read that note.

Again, good level design, but there were two instances when the player needs just a little more warning that a threat is literally right behind them and will kill them in a single hit. I want a challenging threat, not an impossible one.

I also appreciate that jump scares weren't over used.

Verdict: Not a waste of my time. Overall enjoyed myself, but threats need to be better balanced for a good challenge without instant death frustration. Keep up the good work.

I really enjoyed this. Instead of relying on jump scares, this is all atmosphere and story. Very reminiscent of the original amnesia. The few "jump scares" were actually very moody and atmospheric rather than cheap. I thought the story was interesting. I would have liked more which is the only reason I did not give this a 10. Very well designed. Monsters/Enemies had just the right level of threat.

I am embarrassed to admit I did die while playing this, but I think with the right amount of skill. A player could make their way through without death. I enjoyed this almost completely. I got a little stuck on one puzzle, but what is an amnesia game without one puzzle that takes that extra effort of observation?

I really wish this could have been longer, but I respect the length and scale of the custom story. Good job. Keep up the good work.