Exclusive: Words from Frictional Studio

While wild rumors have been flying about the nature of Frictional Games' latest project, known only by the mysterious title Soma, I took it upon myself to ask the fine folks at frictional just what they could mean with a title so steeped in mysticism and conflicting conceptual uses.

In an email exchange with Frictional's own Thomas Grip, I asked for the nature of the name: was it tied to the mind-numbing drug of Aldous Huxley's A Brave New World? Was it based on the beverage which in Vedic traditions grants immortality?

The answer I got were a definitive no to A Brave New World, which was surprising given the high-tech futuristic aesthetic of the game, and as for the immortality potion he replied, and I quote, "it is connected to a lot of other stuff ;)".

You heard it here first, folks, Soma and a future-tech attempt at immortality go hand-in-hand, and with a lethal dose of something-goes-horribly-wrong the latest from Frictional Games will be bigger and better than ever.

Preview: Closure

Greetings gourmands of the grizzly and the gruesome, I'm back and I have some exciting news about an upcoming Amnesia mod. Closure, an upcoming total conversion mod, has been slated for release as early as April 2014. While a good deal of the mod's content is still deep under wraps, the mod creator and producer ExpectedIdentifier has released a trailer, and a few tantalizing tidbits about the game currently in production by the studio Bleed With Me.

 

 A quick glance at this youtube trailer reveals beautiful and highly streamlined textures, both of which are always concerns in a total conversion mod. Clearly ExpectedIdentifier's call for designers was answered by impressive, consummate professionals as of yet unnamed. He has also put out casting calls for voice actors, meaning that we can expect partial or full voiced dialogue to boost immersion into this new and exciting world built around the Amnesia engine.

As for details of the story and gameplay, Bleed With Me studios has released only the following information: 

"Closure is an Amnesia: The Dark Descent full conversion mod [...] that tells the story of a young man who is searching for his father who worked in a recently quarantined chemical testing facility."

Family tragedy? Check. Abandoned facility of questionable science and ethics? Check. Spunky young hero ready to have his spirit broken by unrelenting horror? Check. Great mod that Amnesia fans can't wait to play? We'll have to wait and see.

What do you think of Closure so far? Any other mods you'd like me to preview? Be sure to leave a comment and let me know.

Introductions, and The Key to Freedom

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to The Darker Descent, the premiere source for previews, reviews, and new about mods for the indie classic that redefined the survival horror genre, Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

Today, we'll begin with one of my favorite mods of all time, an instant hit that has only improved with age, one of the few mods to give the original game a run for it's money, The Key to Freedom. The first and only mod created by the mysterious Amnesia modder Christopher Golden, who goes by the handle lllDash, this little gem is rated 9.5 on Moddb, and I'll break down its freaky goodness piece by piece.

 

The mod can be found at http://www.moddb.com/mods/key-to-freedom

Production and Polish: 22/25

On the technical side, this game was flawless. Every event triggered as it was supposed to, the audio for the voice-overs was crystal clear, and every item was in the right place, at the right time. My only deductions came from the content of the voice-overs; though they were quite good compared to most custom stories, I'm particularly harsh on voice actors given my experience in the field.

                               Plot: 24/25

 Though it suffers from a bit of plot-bloat at the beginning, like many mods, the constant stream of tidbits of information from the notes you pick up manage to keep it quite engaging, and in addition the notes you unlock as you progress make for a refreshingly new system of driving the plot. The story itself is close enough to the original game to bring back old fears, but fresh enough to keep even veteran players on their toes.

                    Gameplay: 25/25

This mod manages to take classic Amnesia puzzles and turn them on their heads, as well as creating enough new ones to keep any gamer busy for a few hours. The sheer amount of creativity put into these should be enough to attract any fan of The Dark Descent; the puzzles, monsters, set pieces and everything else related to what you do between point A and point B in this game will not disappoint.

             Horror Factor: 24/25

Without spoiling too much, the monsters appear early and often, and the jump scares are timed very, very well. This game does atmosphere, timing, and lethality perfectly. If there was just a tiny bit more threat through the lengthy middle section, it would get a perfect 10.

                         Overall: 95/100 

Rating: Excellent (90-100/100)

I would suggest this game for any lover of the original, or survival horror in general. It has scares, puzzles, and set pieces aplenty, and its only real flaw is a tiny lack of polish. Nothing major, and certainly nothing a hardcore fan would notice while they lie in a dark corner whimpering after a few special scares. 

Questions? Opinions? Tell me what's on your mind in the comments!