
1. MACHINES
Alexander, antagonist and owner of the castle, loves his machines, he does. He’s got a machine to work an elevator, a machine so complicated that it requires three lots of inventory items and the reading of three different memos, each for three different puzzles, each of which are performed on three different floors, isolating three different rooms where you’re required three different things, but not really, including getting a stove to work, adding cogs to an incomplete layout, putting rods into the correct order and getting your head around roman numerals.
All of the above is to get an old, singular elevator, to work. I hope Alexander never thinks about getting an electric garage.
Still, is there anything good to be said about Alexander’s machines, apart from the deliberate fact that they are there to provide puzzle elements and break up the game? Well, yes, there is, actually. Although a machine's existence may be contrived, their overall presentation comes across as pretty cool. It all boils down to the sound, really. When the machine starts powering up, the sound of pipes hissing is not a million miles away from the music you hear whenever a monster is running after you.
To be fair, there are only two big machine puzzles in the game and neither are particularly tortuous. There is one much smaller machine puzzle which takes place near the end, though, and nothing is said about it until the moment you think you're about to reach the game's conclusion. You won’t know that puzzle needs completing until you see a pop up message, you know something which might as well read like, ‘Well, we would let you complete the game, but there’s this machine we’d like you play with first!’ Bit annoying, really.
2. PAINTINGS
We talked about Amnesia’s reading in the last top listing entry. Now let us talk about Amnesia’s paintings.
I’m not art critic, or an expert, but I like to take a gander at the odd painting now and again. Fortunately, in Amnesia, paintings are in no short supply. What is in short supply, however, are the images of the paintings themselves.
Those who wish to treat Amnesia’s castle like a glorified art gallery may well be disappointed. Yes, what is there is made beautiful, but it is also replicated in later segments. For example, I saw the figure of Christ at least twice and the bloke with the minstrel at least three times. By the time I discovered Alexander’s office, connected to a single staircase which spiralled upward, I saw Alexander’s portrait (again) and the figure of Christ (again) and I was like, ‘Give me something new to look at!’
OK, the recycling of paintings isn’t that bad, and it’s not a gameplay issue by any measure, but it is noticeable. It would be interesting to find out how Frictional Games managed such imagery. Did they have to buy rights, or pay a fee of some kind to use such imagery or did someone from Frictional Games create them? The latter would be believable, if only because all paintings seem to adopt a similar style.
Ooh, I think I’ve just talked myself into playing through Amnesia with its developer commentary enabled! But not yet…
3. COCK
Amnesia loves a bit of cock. I know this because it can’t help but show it off throughout the second half of the game. Granted, most of the dudes who appear naked in this game are dead, but at least they're male. There’s no looking for a pearl necklace in this game (well, not visually, at least – ew).
Even the main characters you come across are either naked or near naked. It makes you wonder if Daniel, the hero you play as, is a boxers or briefs, or in Amnesia terms, second hand loin cloth or absolutely nothing kind of guy. Given how Alexander was waving his around (hyperbole), I’m willing to believe it’s the latter.
I could add my opinion on why I think the nudity is almost completely male, which is odd enough for indie games let alone for mainstream. However, I think I should like to wait until I’ve absorbed the commentary before I do. Perhaps cock, and everything else contained within amnesia, is there to showcase a certain violence men have between men. Sexist? Perhaps. Gender specific? Most definitely.
Play the demo! Buy the full version! [Link]