A super fine, super scary collection.

Horror games have had a rough history of ups and down in terms of sales and popularity. Years ago, though, one such game came out that not only surprised PC players everywhere, but even helped birth the creation of super popular “let’s players” as Pewdiepie. That game was Amnesia, and even though it’s been a long time in the making, the franchise has finally landed on consoles. Those that haven’t had a chance to check out the series yet have no excuse at this point. Amnesia still holds up even today.

3 for 1

Amnesia Collection actually contains the original release, the expansion Justine, and the sequel Amnesia: Machine for Pigs. All three of the games are worth experiencing alone, but the fact that they come in this bundle together is a great value. Checking each version out on the PS4, the mood and atmosphere is critical in delivering what these 3 games offer, and for all intents and purposes, what players experience on the PS4 version is identical to the PC versions. While the games visuals are obviously dated at this point, combined with the eerie soundtrack, subtle scare elements, notes, and jump scares, the core element of a fun, frightful, and downright scary experience still holds up well for PS4 players.

MSRP: $29.99
Price I’d Pay: $29.99
Multiplayer: N/A
How long to beat: 15+ hours

The first game will last a solid amount of hours depending on player experience in exploration and solving puzzles. Here, and in the Justine expansion, expect lots of notes to read, puzzles to solve, and enemies to run and hide from. Justine takes an almost Saw-like approach in its execution, but still offers plenty of creepy elements. Machine for Pigs is the one that seems to be hit and miss for most. It strips back some of the gameplay elements from the first, with less interactions with the world, sanity system, item management, and more. Perhaps not as scary or foreboding in terms of monsters or scare tactics, but it’s still a dark game with its weirdness and Cthulhu like horror at times. The total package is honestly a great mind fuck, for lack of better words.

Each game has a wicked atmospheric soundtrack, subtle creepy effects, and downright scary moments, though the first game will still be considered the best by many players. I personally enjoy all of them in their own way, but the gameplay and length is definitely preferred overall in Amnesia: Dark Descent. Visuals didn’t seem to get much of an upgrade from the PC but it does appear at least the first two games run at 60fps to match it.

The second game, which came out years later, thus looks a bit more up to date in aesthetics might run at 30fps on consoles? It’s hard to tell, but overall other than some minor framerate skips I vaguely noticed, things seems to run smoothly all around. The one element of the game I never preferred on the PC versions that is still here is the blurring effect during sanity moments or during key story elements. It just makes the game look washed out and is headache inducing for me. I’ve never been a fan of the effect in this game.

Amnesia Collection is a nice package for those that never played any of these entries, and for $29.99 I consider it a great deal. Even for veterans of the franchise, this isn’t a bad way to relive the experience all over again and gain trophies in the process. It’s a given that a ton of players have already experienced what the majority of this package contains but for those that missed out on the sequel, or perhaps somehow the entire package, Amnesia the collection is highly recommended for PS4.

Favorite moment: Hands down, the waterway segment still sends me into a panic… if you don’t know what it is… you will once you get there.

Worst moment: Having to turn the game off just to select a different title. Odd.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.