* rebirth/bunker spoilers * Tasi absolutely did something wrong, though it's more of a moral dilemma than outright evil like Daniel or Mandus, she was given a choice by the empress to wait with her until her baby is born and giving it up to her, and in turn the empress would save Tasi and the other survivors. Tasi refuses, and in doing so the Empress poisons Tasi and the group, which causes them to slowly transform into ghouls, which lets her control Tasi into basically forcing her into leaving the child with her. The question of whether Tasi is evil for making this choice is interesting, she already traumatically lost her 1st child so obviously leaving her 2nd to a torturous crazy alien queen is a highly unlikely decision for her character, but it does come at the cost of basically dooming her friends But there's also the argument that since the Empress is a less than honest character, that she would poison or kill the survivors regardless of whether or not Tasi agreed to her terms anyway Sorry for the blogpost, but I feel people sit on rebirth's lore, it's more nuanced than space zombie virus (which is also the same transformation that lambert underwent after he drank the water from the roman ruins!)
I feel like it is pretty much space zombie virus. The nuance is in the character, not the lore. They should have not made the dark world so open in Rebirth, it reveals too much. The Bunker has so little lore that its more about the characters, which is why its easier to gobble up. Regardless, there was still too much "character" in rebirth. I was rarely on my own in that game.
That's not immoral at all. The Empress was not entitled to the life of her baby just because she demanded it. The Empress' actions are her own and were not Tasi's responsibility. That's the real horror of Rebirth to me: the horror of taking agency away from pregnant people. The Empress, the shadow, the other survivors, they ALL want to take Tasi's autonomy away, mainly out of selfishness. Tasi. Did. Nothing. Wrong.
One could also argue that Tasi’s “choice” of whether to give her unborn child to the empress is not actually a choice at all. As you said, The Empress is an obviously-sinister otherworldly entity of great power and influence, and easily could’ve taken the baby whenever she wanted, or taken the baby AND killed everybody, or taken the baby and NOT killed everybody, or just killed everybody, or whatever. So the Empress, in pretending that Tasi has nearly enough power in this “exchange” to make her consent informed or worthwhile is simply being cruel. This isn’t so much a Sophie’s Choice or even a Trolley Problem as it is a COMPLETELY un-winnable and unreasonable scenario that no human being can or should be expected to be in. Therefore making any moral judgments of actions taken within it all-but-superfluous.
I do agree the idea has merit, my only issue is that the game really isn't willing to explore the idea of the Empress outside of her being evil. If you do give up your child, she just kills you, which to me felt like a cop-out on the idea and also why it's called the 'bad ending' Probably my change to the ending would be for the Goddess to send you back home. Tasi loses everything and the Empress fulfills her bargain, fairly and justly. It would have been a nice kick in the stomach, seeing Tasi alone, and lean into the fact that she really could have saved them all. Meanwhile in game, giving up your child gets you killed regardless, so you might as well run or destroy the whole system. The game could have benefited a lot from making the Empress more fair. She's evil, sure, but that doesn't mean she has to be deceitful. The game isn't willing to explore the idea that Tasi could be wrong, personally I think she isn't, but having the story only say that detracts from the same moral question in Dark Descent, about if Daniel SHOULD be allowed to survive
As far as I'm concerned, Tasi's only "crimes" were her obtaining vitae a couple times in the game. The first by stealing it from someone who was using it to stay alive and the second by torturing someone on the empress's say-so. Outside of that, everything she does is well within her rights. She does not owe the other survivors anything. They could have left and taken their chances in the desert. Their infection was due to them stupidly trusting an otherworldy monarch of a dead world. Hank would have been fine with dying from his wounds, he was not attached to living. The others blame Tasi for not *giving up her child* which no one has any right to ask of her even if it weren't to some psychopathic semi-immortal hag.
I'm really happy that The Bunker found the success it did. Frictional deserves to continue experimenting and changing their formula up. Considering the instability in the industry, I'm so glad they managed to stick around for almost two decades.
Frictional games does a lot of things right where almost everyone fails. The bunker pushes the gameplay in the direction I wanna see. They are pushing the formula of horror further and further. A bit of a stretch but the bunker reminded me of PREY 2017. It made me feel extremely weak as a player character while offering me a space where I can just mess with mechanics until something gives. I just wish for the scale to be larger than a single bunker. How about a space station? Lol
@@alexdietrich7975 well but Prey is more funny even with the DLCs and the Multiplayer and i think they are different games as Prey got a concrete lore.
I don't care for Bunker's gameplay, I don't enjoy stalker monsters and the whole story and setting were pretty limited, but that doesn't mean I think more like it shouldn't be made even if it doesn't appeal to me like Soma did.
0:22 Nintendo had patented the sanity system from Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem which is why no other developers did anything with it for forever. I know everyone knows this, but I couldn't pass up a chance to celebrate the good news that AS OF NOVEMBER 5, 2021, THAT PATENT HAS EXPIRED, BABY! 🎉
When playing the Bunker and getting that feeling of Penumbra, I actually put into question if maybe The Bunker is not just a new Amnesia game, but maybe a prototype to a possible Penumbra: Remake. Like attach the prototype to the Amnesia series and see how people felt about the game and if it shows success then they know that it be worth building more on this with a Penumbra: Remake.
@@TheMountainMan-wz8xf Oh that would definitely be awesome. Basically an Penumbra with better modern graphics, less wonkiness, and refined as well as including the Mines / Archaic Residential / Conclusion in one package? Take my money!!
Man. . . This would literally be a wet dream for me... Totally fucking dope dream! I really want to see someday an official penumbra comeback from Frictional Games.
Oh, man, that would be so awesome! I am still sad about Frictional dropping combat mechanic after Overture because of all the hate and mocking from gamers. Yes, it was clumsy, often frustrating, but it made Overture much more realistic compared to later games. Yes, you _can_ fight and kill your enemies. Also, 9 times out of 10 you will rather sneak/evade them. But you had an actual choice. Regarding Amnesia... I would say that part of Amnesia TDD initial success was the reason I finished the game without being invested in the plot. Basically, after Daniel had showed his true colours, I stopped caring whether he lives of dies. Despawning monsters didn't make the game more interesting either. Anyway, things I'd rather not see in Frictional's future: Amnesia TDD-like protagonist (thank you, I might as well go and read some WWII nazi officer autobiography), Soma's plot and protag (dear God, so much facepalm, I unintalled it without finishing) and Penumbra Requiem (please, devs, never again). But Overture's remake? Final meeting with Red was devastating, devs surely did their best to make player to remember that moment. P.P.S. Funny detail from Overture - each and every object/tool/weapon you gather through the game stays with you, unless destroyed/spent. A minor detail, sure, but one that adds immersion.
Hearing that the Bunker is more like Penumbra than Amnesia made me weirdly emotional. My mother really likes horror games and used to play them often when i was still a child. So when i was in my first semester of uni and had to write a paper about an innovative indie game, i - although never having the best relationship with her - asked my mother for suggestions. She suggested Penumbra. After taking a look at the game, i was kind of fascinated by it. Of cause it has flaws, but i never played a game, that felt quiet as isolated, threatening and hopeless as this one. Penumbra, to me, is a masterclass of horror and although my paper only got a 2.0 or so (still good in my country, but i expected better), i am still quiet proud of it and it also opened the door for my mother and i having more pleasant conversations. Felt like one of the only real mother-daughter moments we ever shared and i am quiet thankful to Frictional Games for that. And then when i played the Bunker i had a similar feeling to Penumbra - even if slightly less hopeless, weirdly enough, - so having this connection stated directly in this video was really nice ^^ (I know the connection is really obvious, but just hearing someone talking about Penumbra made me smile)
Dark Descent is still my favorite but the Bunker was absolutely horrifying and had the best resource management out of any of their games. Such a wonderful game but I agree with people that it feels like a very well executed prototype to something bigger that they may be working on.
'I wonder what the voice actor has done' Toby Longworth narrates a great number of the Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks and does them masterfully. I've never been pulled into a book anywhere close to the level Toby has done. His cadence, change in emotion and clear distinction between various characters is insane. Truly a master of his craft and I seriously recommend the first 3 books of the Horus Heresy to anyone. Even non Warhammer 40k nerds. You'll love it.
It was nice to see the appreciation for A Machine For Pigs in this, I've really developed a soft spot for it. It's such a shame that that gameplay (or lack of it) turned out the way it did. It'll never happen, but I'd love nothing more than a remake of AMFP that actually gives it game mechanics - or an adaptation in a show or movie or something, I think it'd work very well in that setting.
I personally just couldn't stand AMFP, I played about 6 hours and got to this overly dark narrow corrider where I finally got killed by the monster...and then never played it again. I'm sure its good and I'm sure its got a good story, but I just couldn't after playing 6 hours of nothing.
I recently played the amnesia collection and skipped Justine after playing Dark Decent and absolutely LOVING it then played AMFP and was so dissatisfied with how unscary it was the entire time The story was amazing but my god was it not at all scary to me in the slightest. Not to mention the lack of an inventory, matches or otherwise and especially lack of sanity.
very few little things bring fear into my heart more than the term 'bubsy' and i'm glad to finally see someone acknowledge it for the horror classic that it is
Look, as someone who HATES rebirth and a lot of the choices the devs made in creating it, that the concept of Pregnancy horror is incredibly strong. Extremely strong. I remember one scene where you, like, get scanned by the h.r. giger computer and I realized I was scared because i thought the evil alien virus was going to hurt the baby. I dont know how they did it but they were able to put me in a mothers shoes. It wasnt pleasant but it was effective. This was a good video and as a fellow Penumbra enjoyer I love when someone comes back to take a look. I have to admit that after Amnesia took off and the Pewdiepie effect hit i was worried we would never be able to come back but here we are. Cheers.
Oh yeah, pregnancy horror does have some great potential! If only they didn't go with "press x to pay baby respects" as the main aspect of it :( If I remember right they do change things like your movement speed as the pregnancy progresses which is a cool thing, but they could have done much more too
I think Rebirth is good, mostly because on a conceptual level, the horror is REALLY intense. It's just that the mechanics and voice acting take away from it rather than reinforce.
Unless you are immersed in the game (which is so much more harder when you are a male and cannot get pregnant. Nor are you a person interested in having kids in the first place, becuase you play games.) This game is going to be a tedious slog from point A to B. People really liked this and some have said its better then TDD. Im glad, but I cannot shift this unnerving sensation this game gives when it comes to game design. We have gone from TDD with Gameplay + One scripted event an hour. No Talking/responsive Char apart from **gasp** SOMA With Gameplay + common scripted events. Talking ONLY WHEN needed Rebirth with Scripted event FIRST + "Gameplay." Talks to much, wheres the duct tape? You can say Rebirth's story is amazing. But you dont need to play the game to get that, RUclipsrs will dedicate their time towards doing that for you. The most enjoyable thing this game brought was trying to speedrun the steam refund section. I dont hate Rebirth, I am just super sad this is the result and the part I played was considered the best part. Love Bunker though
Black Plague was just a terrifying experience. When what happens at the end of Overture happens, and you hear the dialogue, it really sets the tone for Black Plague.
The fact that the bunker feels like home is amazing in a video game. What l mean is: You can place objects and crates and anything really. You find them exactly how they were when you return back to it. Really promotes strategy of X steps ahead. Very few or if any, games manage that. Immersive game for sure, even the smallest details are important. l know spots where they have chairs and l think, if l run to this room for safety, l should remove any objects or chairs to minize accidental noise.
Yes! By my 3rd playthrough, even on hardcore mode, I felt so sly & resourceful. I stopped shrinking away from the beast, and started reacting to him --and before that, planning for him. When he came out, I'd keep moving, listening for the telltale sound of him breaking the supply boxes (giving me supplies for later) which I had already put in the way so I could know exactly where he was, and where I could safely be. He'd be out & snarling, but I could be confident I wasn't where he was. It flipped a switch and made the game a battle of wits. I'd move barrels to create hiding spots where I was normally exposed. I'd keep bottles & grenades in spots I might get cornered in. Or clear debris but leave some in arms reach of a bed/table so I could Huck a distraction from safety. The monster wasn't my doom any longer, he was an obstacle to navigate, and I was ready for him.
I just played Dark Descent, and when I tried The bunker, it blew my mind how good it is, but now you are explaining to me why I like it so much, because I played Penumbra too and I liked it more than DD.
I wanna see a modern Penumbra remake. Overture and Black Plague, either put together or separate idc. Just having advanced graphics, new gameplay (maybe, it might just be perfect as is), etc.
I'm gonna stop you right there, and say this: given how Amnesia took off via the level creation kit, I feel that the community has a very distorted view of what Amnesia was, is, and should be. Each game has had its differences, yes, but there is a basic formula. Character wakes up with memory issues in a hostile environment. Character pieces together what happened since they forgot with notes. Gameplay has heavy emphasis on light and dark. There are monsters. You cannot fight or kill them in any conventional way, you can only temporarily drive them off. The monsters are, or were, people. The characters will be revealed to have, either accidentally or on purpose, opened the door for a cosmic evil. This is an Amnesia game, and Bunker fits this criteria. Certain things are streamlined and a slight bend to gaming trends is had in the open world nature of the bunker and the random placement of items and codes, but this is absolutely an Amnesia game. Frankly, I think people grew to expect too much, and expect the wrong things, due to the community of brilliant level designers given free reign to toy with the first game's engine.
So you're saying Machine for Pigs isn't amnesia because the character wakes up in a non hostile environment (his own home) and doesn't open a door to a cosmic evil? As well as not having a lot of emphasis on light and dark I guess.
@thechugg4372 the home was absolutely a hostile environment, the whole city was a hostile environment, it just wasn't IMMEDIATELY hostile. Neither was Castle Brennenburg at first. The problem with Machine is that it was a departure from the original game in a different way. Don't ask me to explain, it's been too long since I went through either, but the story just wasn't as good, the puzzling was not really there (no inventory), no survival management element, darkness was not a double edged sword, there was more of a focus on cinematic elements, and the story just too different. Much more "manmade horrors by a madman" and much less "cosmic horrors driving learned men to arcane madness".
I noticed those Penumbra similarities about the game too. Also you mentioned the protagonists being from London. The first five (published) games by frictional all have a protagonist from London, then with Soma the next three games start to have French protagonists? This is clearly a french conspiracy against Ingerland.
Just discovered the channel from this video and watched some other videos, criminally underrated channel. You know your stuff when it comes to horror. Please keep it up!
Dark descent - great story, atmosphere and gameplay Machine for pigs - melodramatic story, overwritten and confusing notes, no gameplay, blue filter Rebirth - good story, great setpieces, excellent voice acting and atmosphere, good gameplay Bunker - great gameplay and sound, hilarious voice acting (if you speak German and French you know what I mean), very replayable although the monster is a bit too predictable
@@deivymaybe7554 the prisoner is actually fine, but the soldiers in the intro and outro do sound English. When they say "dort" (there) they pronounce it in a strange way , more like ~dOort~ .
@@ennayanne The voice acting and soundtrack are top notch, and I really like the story too (though I liked the cut "nuke ending" better). AMFP is a game that knew exactly what it was going to be, and I don't think it's the game's fault that it didn't align with player expectations.
I decided to play Penumbra Overture once I finished watching a playthrough of The Bunker. I was delighted to find out just how similar the two games are! Thank you for the video!! It's nice to see the comparisons laid out in such a succinct format!
oh so i am not crazy! i have horrible memory problems and the last time i played the og penumbra/amnesia has been years now. i recently streamed the bunker and i was like "hey wait, isn't this more like penumbra?" but didn't want to say it out loud cause i wasnt sure and just shrugged it off. now i am sure! thanks :)
Funny, I finally played through Amnesia: The Bunker a few days ago and had the exact same thoughts. Yes its similar to Amnesia, but it reminds me so much more of penumbra that it honestly felt weird to me to connect it to amnesia lore-wise. A monster that hates light and travels through the walls, the bunker setting feeling similar to the mines and the rats reminding me of the dogs from overture. It almost felt like a do-over (I dont mean that in a negative way in the slightest). Honestly the only thing I disliked about Amnesia: The Bunker was some items being randomized because it can make some playthroughs needlessly more complicated than others. But Im really happy how well it was received and I hope it gets more people to go back to the penumbra series, since its less popular than amnesia. Clarence is one of my favorite antagonists from horror games and I wish more people knew about him.
@@csmrookie9600 Yeah, I get the thought behind it, I just personally think it wasnt handled that well. If you are unlucky on your first playthrough (which I was) the item randomization can be very frustrating. And with the way the "remember no run is the same!" message you get makes it seem, youd think there was more to replaying the game than "items are now placed slightly differently". Still a great game and its not a big issue I had with it. It was more that I felt like that was a feature added bc "other games do it I guess".
The funny thing is, many people in the discord server before the game coming out said that the visuals are very Punumbra like. Which I still can't see, but I guess they weren't the only one who thought so.
Had to rewatch this again, for some reason the daniel semtex joke has been living rent free in my head for months. You have a very good way of delivering your script and jokes. The first thing I thought about when I picked up some of the items in the bunker was Overture, so it's great you articulated it into something more cohesive. Great work, I can't wait for more of your vids!
New video released today and another one coming out in the next two weeks? Paint you're spoiling us! Great video as always, should've guessed you'd tackle the new Amnesia but I wasn't expecting this comparison. I've had the Penumbra games sat in my backlog for ages, might be a good time to give them a go (especially after hearing Requiem described as a psychedelic puzzle game - sounds right up my alley). Got to say your comparison also makes me realise how Amnesia: The Dark Descent is still quite unique in Frictional's lineup to this day; despite continuing to use the Amnesia name, each game in the series has been different enough to make them their own experiences rather than just copying everything from the first game. That's actually pretty cool when you think about it, even if some games aren't as well received as others I appreciate the studio experimenting rather than just repeating themselves.
I found that The Bunker is kinda like Alien Isolation in all honestly, all be it with a more predictable beast than the xenomorph and no flamethrower. Also I have no clue why a trench gun would be in a french ww1 bunker, those are american and if I remember correctly, they came to ww1 after the time the bunker takes place by a year or 2 Would have made more sence for maybe a bolt action rifle which could easily do the same damage as the shotgun, and same fire rate (instead of pumping it, you cycle the bolt) and individually loading rounds into it, not only that, it could also possibly be easier to check how much ammo you have left in it as you can look down inside the internal magazine.
On the trench gun part, apparently the trench gun was around even before ww1 and was fielded pretty much exclusively by americans, but I suppose it's not unreasonable to think that one could have ended up in france. As for it coming to ww1 after the bunker takes place, I didn't find a date when they were fielded from a quick search, but I did find that germany protested their use about 2 years after the time the game takes place, so they might have been in use? So, not super out of the realm of possibility, but still a slightly strange choice.
a shotgun just makes more sense to use in a bunker enviroment than a rifle. it's not really suppose to be a history simulator so im not too concerned about there not being any rifles kept in the arsenal.
Fuckin feeling the Penumbra, always preferred that series as well. Glad they found new ways to build on that kind of atmosphere. Also bruh that Limmy reference came out of fucking nowhere and it's brilliant.
I KNEW YOU WERE GONNA SAY "Amnesia the bunker is penumbra" the MOMENT you mentioned that it wasn't the "first" or the most "original". when you introduced "penumbra" and the overture theme started playing, I got goosebumps bro! Great video! It felt tremendously similar to Penumbra Overture while I played it, but I just blamed that to me being one of the few weirdos playing Penumbra and The Bunker around the same time frame.
From developer point of view they are most likely re-using stuff they made before, but imagine how good would be another game that would make sure that all of their games are in same universe - I love their games, I don't follow chronically them, but I do love them, one universe would be mind blowing
Wow, this video really captures the essence of Amnesia's psychological horror elements! The sound design alone had me on the edge of my seat, not to mention those spine-chilling monster encounters. I love how the game blends puzzle-solving with stealth mechanics to create an atmosphere where you're constantly questioning your safety. Kudos to the RUclipsr for also adding insightful commentary that enhances the experience. I was gripping my seat the whole time, and now I'm tempted to revisit the game myself-though I might have to keep the lights on this time. 😅🎮👻
I definitely feel like the game was originally going to be titled "The Bunker" whilst being a spiritual reboot to Frictional's early games, but got Amnesia added on to get more coverage/press; which did help it significantly imo. I definitely hope it attracts more attention to Penumbra as that tends to get overshadowed.
A lot of people have favorably compared this game to Penumbra, like this was Frictional's return to their first horror series that was the precursor to Amnesia.
In Penumbra you can find ammunition boxes, a tip to military aspect, in Rebirth there is WW1 and at last Bunker. The absence of rifle is insane, but i do love mechanics of the weapons in Bunker. If they make another game going horror with guns, the rifle could work similar to 1916 dinosaur game we had back in the day. But darn will i never forgive them for adding shotgun and revolver and not the rifle. I mean come on!
It is pretty strange that you get a shotgun when WW1 was basically 99% bolt action rifles and 1% everything else like machine guns, pistols, or the weird experimental stuff only limited to very few factions like the Shotgun, Submachine gun, light machine guns, etc. A French soldier in 1916 would likely never have a shotgun. It would be more realistic only for the American troops in 1918 late war-stage.
1916 Dino game was good with inventory system, I could see my bullet, grenade and flares just looking at my chest. What i wouldnt give for a survival action or horror game with combat system of bunker and inventory system of 1916
I'm really glad I held off on watching this until I played the Bunker, because I 100% agree. Last year I was going to play Amnesia for the first time but I decided to play all of the Frictional Game games, and playing this gave me huge flashbacks to playing Penumbra.
Solid video. Enjoyed the Bunker as well and always thought the Penumbra games should have gotten more credit - Black Plague especially was very very good. Really curious to see how systems-driven Frictional's next game ends up being. I get that Rebirth doesn't connect for some people and that's totally fine, but I just recently played through it for the 1st time and honestly quite enjoyed it. I always liked the cosmic horror / ancient alien stuff with Alexander in TDD so all of the Otherworld stuff in Rebirth just fascinated me. Crawling around the ashes of this insane alien society with that amazing pseudo-Aztec aesthetic, it was just totally crazy and I would have loved to see even more of it. Also quite liked the pacing of the game, reminded me of SOMA quite a bit in that it bounced you between puzzle stuff and scary stealth stuff at a nice brisk pace... anyways, peace and love, happy halloween
After my first playthrough of the bunker at it's release, I commented on the lack of amnesia in Henri and how the bunker didn't feel like the dark descent despite being a wonderful game, but I couldn't put my finger in it. I played penumbra years ago and forgot it existed. I'm glad there's others who saw the same detail. Nice vid man!
It always gave me more Penumbra vibes than Amnesia. I mean, the monster even moves around that like the kennel guy from Black Plague. ^ I wrote that before i finished the video. So little people have played Penumbra i wasn't expecting this! So glad the community didn't forget that awesome game.
I did too notice a lot of connections to Penumbra Overture when playing Amnesia: The Bunker. However, I think there is a big piece of DNA that you missed which can be found earlier than Penumbra through an obscure freeware horror game made by Frictional Games co-founder Thomas Grip; titled "Fiend." Fiend is an early 2000's top-down Lovecraftian survival horror game set in the mid 1920's where you play as an American geologist who gets caught up in a cursed village with evil pouring in from a nearby abandoned mansion. There is a lot of similarities between Fiend and Amnesia: The Bunker. Such as both games having the same weapons roster (a revolver & shotgun), both games have rats and ghouls as enemies (there is also wolves, relating more to Penumbra), the game is set sometime after WWI ended, both games have underground sections and have a tomb/ruins section near their ends, and both games have a character that grew insane and transformed into a monster. I wish Fiend was mentioned in your video, but it's understandable that you probably wouldn't be aware of Fiend, since it is so obscure that only hardcore FG fans would know of it.
I am aware of Fiend! It's something I've been meaning to try for a long time. I downloaded a version of it a couple of years back but it didn't work for whatever reason. I plan on making a video in the future for more obscure or forgotten Frictional products like Fiend and the Penumbra Tech Demo :)
My main issue with Rebirth aside from the protagonist breaking the immersion by talking to themself, was that magic just isn't scary. When I entered the other world in Rebirth it just felt like going through an Oblivion Gate in Oblivion. Sure it's moody and there's a general feeling of hostility but it just kills the tense, visceral mood of the more grounded sections, and I found myself just boredly hurrying through to go back to reality. The ending of TDD felt out of place for me for the same reason and it was kind of disappointing to see magical stuff at the end of The Bunker too, but it was mostly so minor that it didn't really affect the rest of the experience. It's kind of and arbitrary line I draw since I absolutely love the monsters and body horror, but I guess that's because I can find ways to mangle those into plausibility in my head, which I just can't do for magic so I'm unable to get immersed.
I'm not a fan of Penumbra per se, but I am nostalgic for it, Overture was decently popular in my country back when it released, so even in this circumstances I feel vindicated that people see just how much of Penumbra's DNA is in Bunker. Happy to see Frictional going strong to this day.
I'd love to hear a front to back review of the penumbra series. It's thrown around a lot as an influential series but I rarely see it actually discussed in depth.
I know this has been a while since the last upload but this video goes hard and I'm immediately hooked on the channel. Please do the Granny video for laughs
Just want to say that the monologue at the end of A Machine for Pigs goes so fucking hard. I played all the Amnesia games for the first time 5 months ago and i loved all of them but A Machine for Pigs is the one i cant get out of my head the most.
Agree, since I booted up the game I thought it was very similar to penumbra in that you have all these different tools and ways of dealing with things where in TDD it’s just run hide or find a key.
from my review of The Bunker on steam: It was only in that maiden release that any means of attack were granted; in that case, a dinky little hammer, a slightly better pickaxe, and a wide-reaching but basically useless broom. The player had more unusual tools besides. Two sources of light, a battery powered flashlight and a meeker but unlimited-use glow stick. Bits of beef jerky could be employed to distract the enemies. Dynamite could be thrown to perform the expected function. It can be surprising going back to Overture, even compared to its very own sequel, seeing just how many things the player was given to work with. Juxtaposed against titles like The Dark Descent and the distinction is even clearer. Rebirth incorporated more design than their previous release, SOMA, but the core inquisition was still the same. The player must act helpless, and to be encouraged to do that, they must also be helpless. In many overt ways, The Bunker acts as a direct evolution of the things which were left behind by Penumbra Episode 2. Here too is the player given throwable explosives. Here too can the player distract monsters with meat left on the floor. Here too is the player given two light sources, a flashlight and a comparatively meek lighter. Crucially, here too can the player defend themself.
If we assume Henri remembers what we see in the intro, then the amnesia made him forget everything about the bunker and his locker code and stuff (which he has been in for weeks at the very least). I suppose he remembers only the most recent things, that being pranking and saving his friend Lambert Augustin. This is a fun way of explaining why Henri (with you controlling him) don't know where anything is on the first playthrough and why we may read every note to figure out what is happening and has happend.
the reason i love amnesia the bunker but think a machine for pigs is really weak is because the bunker replaces any mechanics taken away from the first game, such as the lantern, sanity mechanics and different monsters with other gameplay mechanics such as the generator, a monster that always follows you through walls and a flashlight you have to manually charge up, not to mention it adds new mechanics such as guns, expanded physics objects that can also help solve puzzles and other defensive weapons such as molotovs and grenades, however a machine for pigs strips back many mechanics and doesnt replace them, so instead of a game with really strong mechanics which is what i always felt was something the amnesia games did well, it just became a walking simulator with occasional monsters and light puzzles
People playing The Bunker made a big deal about the generator but i played the whole game without using it (only for part of the game that requires fuel like the prison or the arsenal) and it was just fine i just had to hide more
14:23 you can rotate objects in amnesia the bunker, i'm not sure if its the halloween patch that added this or it was in the game from the start though
I said it when they announced it, I continued saying it and now that it's out I will say it once again. They made Penumbra again but were too scared the title wouldn't sell.
YES! Omg... I was so sure you were going to say that the Bunker was Alien Isolation, or something else ... but YES! PENUMBRA! It's such a forgotten part of Frictional Games' library of games but it's still the series I hold the most dear to my heart. Had to pause the video to say that because I got so excited xD
I think I pinned down why I don't like The Bunker. It's a Granny-like. Edit: I wrote this while watching the start of the video, so I guess we agree that The Bunker is indeed a Granny-like.
I've came to appreciate Rebirth even more funnily enough now (even if despite rather shortcomings it had I'll admit), it's interesting they took what was interesting in SOMA and ran with it while melding the Amnesia mechanics together. I've been thinking of completing it some day after seeing some playthroughs of it. And that just brings me into something. Although not that I hate how it plays for say and I'm sorry if I get harsh, it looks awesome and I wanna give it a try, but the way this game feels like an apology for going too story based in response to people criticizing the last game. This being a bit more gameplay focused (although lacking in terms of story comparing to other titles, tho they still do the best with it either way, rather low key) sells me onto something that this was done to compensate something. Even The Dark Descent can prove to do both story and gameplay together well, the perfectly paced melding. I know they unfortunately won't capture that well since that kinda combo is a lightning in a bottle, and it can get tiring to try do so which I don't blame em for. Despite that, the less is more approach to certain things is quite interesting with what they did (much from the very simple premise as well), and I do commend how it goes back to the roots of their very first series, Penumbra per say (def like how BotW calls back to NES Zelda 1). Side note and fun fact, seeing whatever The Dark Descent did to influence single player games, indie or mainstream, non-horror and horror alike, is quite interesting. Esp influencing the walking sim category which ik some people will prob not like, but I definitely like games outta those. Definitely helped by the modding community it has as well akin to Source modding, which oddly enough isn't a coincidence considering some walking sims came out of it too. Gone Home first as a prototype on HPL engine, Dear Esther and The Stanley Parable (yes it is one indeed for some of y'all people) as HL2 mods.
am I the only one or is Amnesia forgetting its sanity meter - part and how when your style of playing can affect how drunk the main charakter is and how some of the surrounding looks like and everything that comes with it and what's also missing is the whole soundtrack and a bit of sound designe from the dark decend like there are footsteps in every other room, there are scripted soundevents every now and then, there is music playing from a piano although no one is there and so on. The music also were really good in the dark decend to structure the whole experience like the main halls where always full of angle like music, but the unique parts got their own haunting soundtracks or sound design. Listen to the ambient of the archievs or how you get chased through the water part and arrive in the relaxing back halls and such things
When I saw the title of the video I was preparing myself like "let's see what kind of stupid shit this guy will go on about", then you said that the Bunker is more Penumbra than Amnesia and dude, it resonated, I thought the exact same when this game came out. I'm glad that I watched the video even if at first it was with the intention of roasting you in the comments
I mean Tassi's Amnesia is definitely a plot point that quietly gets brushed under the carpet by the writer when you dare ask for an explanation about how she gets back to the plane or what was the point of it in the first place besides an emotional moment where she remembers her dead child and alive tummy-child
She went back to the plane to find Salim after beginning to change into a harvester due to the fountain elixir stuff the Empress gave her and the rest of the party. You can actually find a note from Salim in the cave talking about seeing something "lurking" around the area that spooks him, that was actually Tasi as a harvester trying to find her way back to him
What you are pointing out is not a plot problem, but a narration problem. By reading the notes it all makes sense, but the way Tasi's return to the plane is presented is indeed confusing.
After going through Amnesia The Bunker, I went through other Frictional games. How surprised I was that these games have a lot in common. I also thought about how Penumbra is similar to The Bunker. Thank you for the video, I subscribed to the channel, I will continue to follow your creativity. Hello from Russia. Hey, pss, have you also noticed how the plot of the game and the setting itself is similar to the movie Bunker 2022?
To be fair, even if The Bunker was good, I'd like to see another game more similar to The Dark Descent. Sanity mechanic, similar inventory, multiple monsters instead of just one, etc.
* rebirth/bunker spoilers * Tasi absolutely did something wrong, though it's more of a moral dilemma than outright evil like Daniel or Mandus, she was given a choice by the empress to wait with her until her baby is born and giving it up to her, and in turn the empress would save Tasi and the other survivors.
Tasi refuses, and in doing so the Empress poisons Tasi and the group, which causes them to slowly transform into ghouls, which lets her control Tasi into basically forcing her into leaving the child with her.
The question of whether Tasi is evil for making this choice is interesting, she already traumatically lost her 1st child so obviously leaving her 2nd to a torturous crazy alien queen is a highly unlikely decision for her character, but it does come at the cost of basically dooming her friends
But there's also the argument that since the Empress is a less than honest character, that she would poison or kill the survivors regardless of whether or not Tasi agreed to her terms anyway
Sorry for the blogpost, but I feel people sit on rebirth's lore, it's more nuanced than space zombie virus (which is also the same transformation that lambert underwent after he drank the water from the roman ruins!)
I feel like it is pretty much space zombie virus. The nuance is in the character, not the lore. They should have not made the dark world so open in Rebirth, it reveals too much. The Bunker has so little lore that its more about the characters, which is why its easier to gobble up. Regardless, there was still too much "character" in rebirth. I was rarely on my own in that game.
That's not immoral at all. The Empress was not entitled to the life of her baby just because she demanded it. The Empress' actions are her own and were not Tasi's responsibility. That's the real horror of Rebirth to me: the horror of taking agency away from pregnant people. The Empress, the shadow, the other survivors, they ALL want to take Tasi's autonomy away, mainly out of selfishness. Tasi. Did. Nothing. Wrong.
One could also argue that Tasi’s “choice” of whether to give her unborn child to the empress is not actually a choice at all.
As you said, The Empress is an obviously-sinister otherworldly entity of great power and influence, and easily could’ve taken the baby whenever she wanted, or taken the baby AND killed everybody, or taken the baby and NOT killed everybody, or just killed everybody, or whatever.
So the Empress, in pretending that Tasi has nearly enough power in this “exchange” to make her consent informed or worthwhile is simply being cruel.
This isn’t so much a Sophie’s Choice or even a Trolley Problem as it is a COMPLETELY un-winnable and unreasonable scenario that no human being can or should be expected to be in.
Therefore making any moral judgments of actions taken within it all-but-superfluous.
I do agree the idea has merit, my only issue is that the game really isn't willing to explore the idea of the Empress outside of her being evil. If you do give up your child, she just kills you, which to me felt like a cop-out on the idea and also why it's called the 'bad ending'
Probably my change to the ending would be for the Goddess to send you back home. Tasi loses everything and the Empress fulfills her bargain, fairly and justly. It would have been a nice kick in the stomach, seeing Tasi alone, and lean into the fact that she really could have saved them all. Meanwhile in game, giving up your child gets you killed regardless, so you might as well run or destroy the whole system.
The game could have benefited a lot from making the Empress more fair. She's evil, sure, but that doesn't mean she has to be deceitful. The game isn't willing to explore the idea that Tasi could be wrong, personally I think she isn't, but having the story only say that detracts from the same moral question in Dark Descent, about if Daniel SHOULD be allowed to survive
As far as I'm concerned, Tasi's only "crimes" were her obtaining vitae a couple times in the game. The first by stealing it from someone who was using it to stay alive and the second by torturing someone on the empress's say-so.
Outside of that, everything she does is well within her rights. She does not owe the other survivors anything. They could have left and taken their chances in the desert. Their infection was due to them stupidly trusting an otherworldy monarch of a dead world.
Hank would have been fine with dying from his wounds, he was not attached to living. The others blame Tasi for not *giving up her child* which no one has any right to ask of her even if it weren't to some psychopathic semi-immortal hag.
I'm really happy that The Bunker found the success it did. Frictional deserves to continue experimenting and changing their formula up. Considering the instability in the industry, I'm so glad they managed to stick around for almost two decades.
Seriously, they got me with Black plague and it's a miracle they are still around doing the same thing they love doing for so many years.
Frictional games does a lot of things right where almost everyone fails. The bunker pushes the gameplay in the direction I wanna see. They are pushing the formula of horror further and further. A bit of a stretch but the bunker reminded me of PREY 2017. It made me feel extremely weak as a player character while offering me a space where I can just mess with mechanics until something gives. I just wish for the scale to be larger than a single bunker. How about a space station? Lol
Yes, I think their masterpieces are DD and SOMA. Bunker was not that interesting for me because it is so shallow story-wise.
@@alexdietrich7975 well but Prey is more funny even with the DLCs and the Multiplayer and i think they are different games as Prey got a concrete lore.
I don't care for Bunker's gameplay, I don't enjoy stalker monsters and the whole story and setting were pretty limited, but that doesn't mean I think more like it shouldn't be made even if it doesn't appeal to me like Soma did.
0:22 Nintendo had patented the sanity system from Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem which is why no other developers did anything with it for forever. I know everyone knows this, but I couldn't pass up a chance to celebrate the good news that AS OF NOVEMBER 5, 2021, THAT PATENT HAS EXPIRED, BABY! 🎉
LET'S GOOOOOO
God I hate Nintendo
@@asimplepie2279 we all do buddy we all do.
Patenting gameplay mechanics is such an asshole thing to do
That patent is from like 2000, so as for good news, it expired in 2021! Fuck Nintendo!
was expecting henri's crimes to be listed as being french
I think they should make a game in a big underwater station with a aquatic monster and stuff like that.
Play SoMa
You would absolutely love that game mate
@@nononoohfuck Why the fuck did you type it like that? Soma in the title is the Greek word for "body", it's not an abbreviation.
I want a game where you play as a pregment woman in the desert who is also a monster
Fuck all of these unrealistic expectations. Here I am, and all I want in my whole life is a game where I get to play as someone named Daniel.
Ffs
@@asspills Bro stop it, if the next game they make doesn't have a groundbreaking concept like pigs that are also men, then i don't want it.
When playing the Bunker and getting that feeling of Penumbra, I actually put into question if maybe The Bunker is not just a new Amnesia game, but maybe a prototype to a possible Penumbra: Remake. Like attach the prototype to the Amnesia series and see how people felt about the game and if it shows success then they know that it be worth building more on this with a Penumbra: Remake.
That would be so fucking cool. Could you imagine a true Penumbra trilogy with the story completed?
@@TheMountainMan-wz8xf Oh that would definitely be awesome. Basically an Penumbra with better modern graphics, less wonkiness, and refined as well as including the Mines / Archaic Residential / Conclusion in one package? Take my money!!
Man. . .
This would literally be a wet dream for me...
Totally fucking dope dream!
I really want to see someday an official penumbra comeback from Frictional Games.
Oh, man, that would be so awesome! I am still sad about Frictional dropping combat mechanic after Overture because of all the hate and mocking from gamers. Yes, it was clumsy, often frustrating, but it made Overture much more realistic compared to later games. Yes, you _can_ fight and kill your enemies. Also, 9 times out of 10 you will rather sneak/evade them. But you had an actual choice.
Regarding Amnesia... I would say that part of Amnesia TDD initial success was the reason I finished the game without being invested in the plot. Basically, after Daniel had showed his true colours, I stopped caring whether he lives of dies. Despawning monsters didn't make the game more interesting either.
Anyway, things I'd rather not see in Frictional's future: Amnesia TDD-like protagonist (thank you, I might as well go and read some WWII nazi officer autobiography), Soma's plot and protag (dear God, so much facepalm, I unintalled it without finishing) and Penumbra Requiem (please, devs, never again).
But Overture's remake? Final meeting with Red was devastating, devs surely did their best to make player to remember that moment.
P.P.S. Funny detail from Overture - each and every object/tool/weapon you gather through the game stays with you, unless destroyed/spent. A minor detail, sure, but one that adds immersion.
@@vadimsharanda1052 Curious, what turned you away from SOMA's narrative so much?
Hearing that the Bunker is more like Penumbra than Amnesia made me weirdly emotional. My mother really likes horror games and used to play them often when i was still a child. So when i was in my first semester of uni and had to write a paper about an innovative indie game, i - although never having the best relationship with her - asked my mother for suggestions. She suggested Penumbra.
After taking a look at the game, i was kind of fascinated by it. Of cause it has flaws, but i never played a game, that felt quiet as isolated, threatening and hopeless as this one. Penumbra, to me, is a masterclass of horror and although my paper only got a 2.0 or so (still good in my country, but i expected better), i am still quiet proud of it and it also opened the door for my mother and i having more pleasant conversations. Felt like one of the only real mother-daughter moments we ever shared and i am quiet thankful to Frictional Games for that.
And then when i played the Bunker i had a similar feeling to Penumbra - even if slightly less hopeless, weirdly enough, - so having this connection stated directly in this video was really nice ^^
(I know the connection is really obvious, but just hearing someone talking about Penumbra made me smile)
Surprise, it's also Granny
Amnesia: The Bunker is Not Amnesia.. Then why does Amnesia: The Bunker HAVE THE WORD *AMNESIA IN IT!? CAN SCIENCE EXPLAIN THAT!?*
It's like blueberries but their not berries, or strawberry
Or are they
@@jawsplayz
Are dingleberries berries?
Marketing
Yep explain that atheists.
Dark Descent is still my favorite but the Bunker was absolutely horrifying and had the best resource management out of any of their games. Such a wonderful game but I agree with people that it feels like a very well executed prototype to something bigger that they may be working on.
'I wonder what the voice actor has done'
Toby Longworth narrates a great number of the Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks and does them masterfully. I've never been pulled into a book anywhere close to the level Toby has done.
His cadence, change in emotion and clear distinction between various characters is insane. Truly a master of his craft and I seriously recommend the first 3 books of the Horus Heresy to anyone. Even non Warhammer 40k nerds. You'll love it.
It was nice to see the appreciation for A Machine For Pigs in this, I've really developed a soft spot for it. It's such a shame that that gameplay (or lack of it) turned out the way it did. It'll never happen, but I'd love nothing more than a remake of AMFP that actually gives it game mechanics - or an adaptation in a show or movie or something, I think it'd work very well in that setting.
A Machiene for Pigs could have a lot of mechanical potential since it's based in a factory with all kinds of crazy machinery and things going on.
I personally just couldn't stand AMFP, I played about 6 hours and got to this overly dark narrow corrider where I finally got killed by the monster...and then never played it again. I'm sure its good and I'm sure its got a good story, but I just couldn't after playing 6 hours of nothing.
The entire game lasts like 3 hours man, how did you play it for 6 hours?@@Liz-xd3ed
A Machine for Pigs would be great in the new Bunker engine with those mechanics. I’m so excited to see what they do with the new engine!
I recently played the amnesia collection and skipped Justine after playing Dark Decent and absolutely LOVING it then played AMFP and was so dissatisfied with how unscary it was the entire time
The story was amazing but my god was it not at all scary to me in the slightest.
Not to mention the lack of an inventory, matches or otherwise and especially lack of sanity.
very few little things bring fear into my heart more than the term 'bubsy' and i'm glad to finally see someone acknowledge it for the horror classic that it is
It’s so refreshing to see video game video essays that aren’t 3-4 hours long
Look, as someone who HATES rebirth and a lot of the choices the devs made in creating it, that the concept of Pregnancy horror is incredibly strong. Extremely strong. I remember one scene where you, like, get scanned by the h.r. giger computer and I realized I was scared because i thought the evil alien virus was going to hurt the baby. I dont know how they did it but they were able to put me in a mothers shoes. It wasnt pleasant but it was effective.
This was a good video and as a fellow Penumbra enjoyer I love when someone comes back to take a look. I have to admit that after Amnesia took off and the Pewdiepie effect hit i was worried we would never be able to come back but here we are. Cheers.
Oh yeah, pregnancy horror does have some great potential! If only they didn't go with "press x to pay baby respects" as the main aspect of it :(
If I remember right they do change things like your movement speed as the pregnancy progresses which is a cool thing, but they could have done much more too
I think Rebirth is good, mostly because on a conceptual level, the horror is REALLY intense. It's just that the mechanics and voice acting take away from it rather than reinforce.
Unless you are immersed in the game (which is so much more harder when you are a male and cannot get pregnant. Nor are you a person interested in having kids in the first place, becuase you play games.) This game is going to be a tedious slog from point A to B. People really liked this and some have said its better then TDD. Im glad, but I cannot shift this unnerving sensation this game gives when it comes to game design. We have gone from
TDD with Gameplay + One scripted event an hour. No Talking/responsive Char apart from **gasp**
SOMA With Gameplay + common scripted events. Talking ONLY WHEN needed
Rebirth with Scripted event FIRST + "Gameplay." Talks to much, wheres the duct tape?
You can say Rebirth's story is amazing. But you dont need to play the game to get that, RUclipsrs will dedicate their time towards doing that for you.
The most enjoyable thing this game brought was trying to speedrun the steam refund section. I dont hate Rebirth, I am just super sad this is the result and the part I played was considered the best part.
Love Bunker though
Rebirth > Dark Decent.
Scanned by the "h.r. giger computer"? When does that happen?
Black Plague was just a terrifying experience. When what happens at the end of Overture happens, and you hear the dialogue, it really sets the tone for Black Plague.
The fact that the bunker feels like home is amazing in a video game.
What l mean is: You can place objects and crates and anything really. You find them exactly how they were when you return back to it. Really promotes strategy of X steps ahead. Very few or if any, games manage that. Immersive game for sure, even the smallest details are important. l know spots where they have chairs and l think, if l run to this room for safety, l should remove any objects or chairs to minize accidental noise.
Yes!
By my 3rd playthrough, even on hardcore mode, I felt so sly & resourceful. I stopped shrinking away from the beast, and started reacting to him --and before that, planning for him. When he came out, I'd keep moving, listening for the telltale sound of him breaking the supply boxes (giving me supplies for later) which I had already put in the way so I could know exactly where he was, and where I could safely be. He'd be out & snarling, but I could be confident I wasn't where he was. It flipped a switch and made the game a battle of wits. I'd move barrels to create hiding spots where I was normally exposed. I'd keep bottles & grenades in spots I might get cornered in. Or clear debris but leave some in arms reach of a bed/table so I could Huck a distraction from safety.
The monster wasn't my doom any longer, he was an obstacle to navigate, and I was ready for him.
I just played Dark Descent, and when I tried The bunker, it blew my mind how good it is, but now you are explaining to me why I like it so much, because I played Penumbra too and I liked it more than DD.
I wanna see a modern Penumbra remake. Overture and Black Plague, either put together or separate idc. Just having advanced graphics, new gameplay (maybe, it might just be perfect as is), etc.
Amnesia the Bunker is definitely my game of the year! The gameplay, sound design, and tension were all top notch! Great compact little game
Unfortunately for you, lies of p exists and there are some crazy woke games that will get the nod instead for reasons
The Bunker is essentially a return to the roots, and i'm all for it.
Henri's biggest sin isn't that he played a prank, he's French
Wow it's even funnier the one millionth time you read it.
Now make a similar joke about nonwhite nationalities, go on big boy.
@@infinityking4439 Middle Eastern people otw to escape their destroyed country's just to destroy the neighborhoods they live in America
@@infinityking4439
He already did?
Me : Oops.
@@infinityking4439You ok?
I'm gonna stop you right there, and say this: given how Amnesia took off via the level creation kit, I feel that the community has a very distorted view of what Amnesia was, is, and should be. Each game has had its differences, yes, but there is a basic formula.
Character wakes up with memory issues in a hostile environment.
Character pieces together what happened since they forgot with notes.
Gameplay has heavy emphasis on light and dark.
There are monsters. You cannot fight or kill them in any conventional way, you can only temporarily drive them off. The monsters are, or were, people.
The characters will be revealed to have, either accidentally or on purpose, opened the door for a cosmic evil.
This is an Amnesia game, and Bunker fits this criteria. Certain things are streamlined and a slight bend to gaming trends is had in the open world nature of the bunker and the random placement of items and codes, but this is absolutely an Amnesia game.
Frankly, I think people grew to expect too much, and expect the wrong things, due to the community of brilliant level designers given free reign to toy with the first game's engine.
So you're saying Machine for Pigs isn't amnesia because the character wakes up in a non hostile environment (his own home) and doesn't open a door to a cosmic evil? As well as not having a lot of emphasis on light and dark I guess.
@thechugg4372 the home was absolutely a hostile environment, the whole city was a hostile environment, it just wasn't IMMEDIATELY hostile. Neither was Castle Brennenburg at first. The problem with Machine is that it was a departure from the original game in a different way. Don't ask me to explain, it's been too long since I went through either, but the story just wasn't as good, the puzzling was not really there (no inventory), no survival management element, darkness was not a double edged sword, there was more of a focus on cinematic elements, and the story just too different. Much more "manmade horrors by a madman" and much less "cosmic horrors driving learned men to arcane madness".
I noticed those Penumbra similarities about the game too. Also you mentioned the protagonists being from London. The first five (published) games by frictional all have a protagonist from London, then with Soma the next three games start to have French protagonists? This is clearly a french conspiracy against Ingerland.
Simon Jarrett from Soma has the third worst sin, being from Toronto, Canada. He is probably very sorry about it.
Just discovered the channel from this video and watched some other videos, criminally underrated channel. You know your stuff when it comes to horror. Please keep it up!
The moment I saw the hole mechanic I instantly remembered Penumbra's Kennel level. Absolute fan of Penumbra games (except Requiem).
this is the first painticus upload since i started watching and i'd just started running out of old ones to watch
I am also experiencing this.
I played Penumbra after Bunker and this is definitely how I felt about the ruin digging/discovering something they were not meant to aspect
Dark descent - great story, atmosphere and gameplay
Machine for pigs - melodramatic story, overwritten and confusing notes, no gameplay, blue filter
Rebirth - good story, great setpieces, excellent voice acting and atmosphere, good gameplay
Bunker - great gameplay and sound, hilarious voice acting (if you speak German and French you know what I mean), very replayable although the monster is a bit too predictable
Explain the German dialogues
Machine for Pigs is goated.
@@deivymaybe7554 the prisoner is actually fine, but the soldiers in the intro and outro do sound English. When they say "dort" (there) they pronounce it in a strange way , more like ~dOort~ .
@@hoked2194if you hate gameplay and love pretension, sure.
@@ennayanne The voice acting and soundtrack are top notch, and I really like the story too (though I liked the cut "nuke ending" better).
AMFP is a game that knew exactly what it was going to be, and I don't think it's the game's fault that it didn't align with player expectations.
painticus enjoyer reporting in
Empassioned response!
Man this is a fun and informative video, and it just makes Me wish for either another penumbra game or remasters of Overture and Black Plague.
I decided to play Penumbra Overture once I finished watching a playthrough of The Bunker. I was delighted to find out just how similar the two games are!
Thank you for the video!! It's nice to see the comparisons laid out in such a succinct format!
Ooo, it's breakdown time with Paint again!
This can be read in two very different yet both correct ways
2:40 Bloober team definitely redeemed themselves with the silent hill 2 remake
They did a spectacular job for sure!
New paint content always makes my day! I enjoyed your stream of this btw!
oh so i am not crazy! i have horrible memory problems and the last time i played the og penumbra/amnesia has been years now. i recently streamed the bunker and i was like "hey wait, isn't this more like penumbra?" but didn't want to say it out loud cause i wasnt sure and just shrugged it off. now i am sure! thanks :)
Funny, I finally played through Amnesia: The Bunker a few days ago and had the exact same thoughts. Yes its similar to Amnesia, but it reminds me so much more of penumbra that it honestly felt weird to me to connect it to amnesia lore-wise. A monster that hates light and travels through the walls, the bunker setting feeling similar to the mines and the rats reminding me of the dogs from overture. It almost felt like a do-over (I dont mean that in a negative way in the slightest). Honestly the only thing I disliked about Amnesia: The Bunker was some items being randomized because it can make some playthroughs needlessly more complicated than others. But Im really happy how well it was received and I hope it gets more people to go back to the penumbra series, since its less popular than amnesia. Clarence is one of my favorite antagonists from horror games and I wish more people knew about him.
I guess the reason why items are randomized is to add more of a challenge and a bit more variety for those who want to replay it.
@@csmrookie9600 Yeah, I get the thought behind it, I just personally think it wasnt handled that well. If you are unlucky on your first playthrough (which I was) the item randomization can be very frustrating. And with the way the "remember no run is the same!" message you get makes it seem, youd think there was more to replaying the game than "items are now placed slightly differently". Still a great game and its not a big issue I had with it. It was more that I felt like that was a feature added bc "other games do it I guess".
This actually blew my mind haha
I forgot about Penumbra honestly, but it's sooo cool to see them dig into their roots, of that was the intention.
The funny thing is, many people in the discord server before the game coming out said that the visuals are very Punumbra like. Which I still can't see, but I guess they weren't the only one who thought so.
Had to rewatch this again, for some reason the daniel semtex joke has been living rent free in my head for months. You have a very good way of delivering your script and jokes. The first thing I thought about when I picked up some of the items in the bunker was Overture, so it's great you articulated it into something more cohesive. Great work, I can't wait for more of your vids!
New video released today and another one coming out in the next two weeks? Paint you're spoiling us!
Great video as always, should've guessed you'd tackle the new Amnesia but I wasn't expecting this comparison. I've had the Penumbra games sat in my backlog for ages, might be a good time to give them a go (especially after hearing Requiem described as a psychedelic puzzle game - sounds right up my alley). Got to say your comparison also makes me realise how Amnesia: The Dark Descent is still quite unique in Frictional's lineup to this day; despite continuing to use the Amnesia name, each game in the series has been different enough to make them their own experiences rather than just copying everything from the first game. That's actually pretty cool when you think about it, even if some games aren't as well received as others I appreciate the studio experimenting rather than just repeating themselves.
I found that The Bunker is kinda like Alien Isolation in all honestly, all be it with a more predictable beast than the xenomorph and no flamethrower.
Also I have no clue why a trench gun would be in a french ww1 bunker, those are american and if I remember correctly, they came to ww1 after the time the bunker takes place by a year or 2
Would have made more sence for maybe a bolt action rifle which could easily do the same damage as the shotgun, and same fire rate (instead of pumping it, you cycle the bolt) and individually loading rounds into it, not only that, it could also possibly be easier to check how much ammo you have left in it as you can look down inside the internal magazine.
On the trench gun part, apparently the trench gun was around even before ww1 and was fielded pretty much exclusively by americans, but I suppose it's not unreasonable to think that one could have ended up in france. As for it coming to ww1 after the bunker takes place, I didn't find a date when they were fielded from a quick search, but I did find that germany protested their use about 2 years after the time the game takes place, so they might have been in use? So, not super out of the realm of possibility, but still a slightly strange choice.
a shotgun just makes more sense to use in a bunker enviroment than a rifle. it's not really suppose to be a history simulator so im not too concerned about there not being any rifles kept in the arsenal.
Honey wake up, new paint video!
Great commentary and I never noticed the shadow at the end of the bunker.
Fuckin feeling the Penumbra, always preferred that series as well.
Glad they found new ways to build on that kind of atmosphere.
Also bruh that Limmy reference came out of fucking nowhere and it's brilliant.
Can't believe it took me this long to find your channel! Your narration is so good!
I KNEW YOU WERE GONNA SAY "Amnesia the bunker is penumbra" the MOMENT you mentioned that it wasn't the "first" or the most "original". when you introduced "penumbra" and the overture theme started playing, I got goosebumps bro! Great video! It felt tremendously similar to Penumbra Overture while I played it, but I just blamed that to me being one of the few weirdos playing Penumbra and The Bunker around the same time frame.
ngl would love to see how this is the best "granny-like" out there.
From developer point of view they are most likely re-using stuff they made before, but imagine how good would be another game that would make sure that all of their games are in same universe - I love their games, I don't follow chronically them, but I do love them, one universe would be mind blowing
Wow, this video really captures the essence of Amnesia's psychological horror elements! The sound design alone had me on the edge of my seat, not to mention those spine-chilling monster encounters. I love how the game blends puzzle-solving with stealth mechanics to create an atmosphere where you're constantly questioning your safety. Kudos to the RUclipsr for also adding insightful commentary that enhances the experience. I was gripping my seat the whole time, and now I'm tempted to revisit the game myself-though I might have to keep the lights on this time. 😅🎮👻
If anyone else had posted this I wouldn't be feeling suspicious
I definitely feel like the game was originally going to be titled "The Bunker" whilst being a spiritual reboot to Frictional's early games, but got Amnesia added on to get more coverage/press; which did help it significantly imo.
I definitely hope it attracts more attention to Penumbra as that tends to get overshadowed.
It also wouldn't have helped that "The Bunker" is that terrible FMV game already on steam
A lot of people have favorably compared this game to Penumbra, like this was Frictional's return to their first horror series that was the precursor to Amnesia.
In Penumbra you can find ammunition boxes, a tip to military aspect, in Rebirth there is WW1 and at last Bunker. The absence of rifle is insane, but i do love mechanics of the weapons in Bunker. If they make another game going horror with guns, the rifle could work similar to 1916 dinosaur game we had back in the day. But darn will i never forgive them for adding shotgun and revolver and not the rifle. I mean come on!
It is pretty strange that you get a shotgun when WW1 was basically 99% bolt action rifles and 1% everything else like machine guns, pistols, or the weird experimental stuff only limited to very few factions like the Shotgun, Submachine gun, light machine guns, etc.
A French soldier in 1916 would likely never have a shotgun. It would be more realistic only for the American troops in 1918 late war-stage.
1916 Dino game was good with inventory system, I could see my bullet, grenade and flares just looking at my chest. What i wouldnt give for a survival action or horror game with combat system of bunker and inventory system of 1916
the bunker is more penumbra than penumbra requiem is penumbra. yeah i can get behind that thesis.
I'm really glad I held off on watching this until I played the Bunker, because I 100% agree. Last year I was going to play Amnesia for the first time but I decided to play all of the Frictional Game games, and playing this gave me huge flashbacks to playing Penumbra.
I'd argue that the bunker is more of a WW1 alien isolation than it is amnesia
Solid video. Enjoyed the Bunker as well and always thought the Penumbra games should have gotten more credit - Black Plague especially was very very good. Really curious to see how systems-driven Frictional's next game ends up being.
I get that Rebirth doesn't connect for some people and that's totally fine, but I just recently played through it for the 1st time and honestly quite enjoyed it. I always liked the cosmic horror / ancient alien stuff with Alexander in TDD so all of the Otherworld stuff in Rebirth just fascinated me. Crawling around the ashes of this insane alien society with that amazing pseudo-Aztec aesthetic, it was just totally crazy and I would have loved to see even more of it. Also quite liked the pacing of the game, reminded me of SOMA quite a bit in that it bounced you between puzzle stuff and scary stealth stuff at a nice brisk pace... anyways, peace and love, happy halloween
After my first playthrough of the bunker at it's release, I commented on the lack of amnesia in Henri and how the bunker didn't feel like the dark descent despite being a wonderful game, but I couldn't put my finger in it. I played penumbra years ago and forgot it existed. I'm glad there's others who saw the same detail. Nice vid man!
It always gave me more Penumbra vibes than Amnesia. I mean, the monster even moves around that like the kennel guy from Black Plague.
^ I wrote that before i finished the video. So little people have played Penumbra i wasn't expecting this! So glad the community didn't forget that awesome game.
I did too notice a lot of connections to Penumbra Overture when playing Amnesia: The Bunker. However, I think there is a big piece of DNA that you missed which can be found earlier than Penumbra through an obscure freeware horror game made by Frictional Games co-founder Thomas Grip; titled "Fiend."
Fiend is an early 2000's top-down Lovecraftian survival horror game set in the mid 1920's where you play as an American geologist who gets caught up in a cursed village with evil pouring in from a nearby abandoned mansion.
There is a lot of similarities between Fiend and Amnesia: The Bunker. Such as both games having the same weapons roster (a revolver & shotgun), both games have rats and ghouls as enemies (there is also wolves, relating more to Penumbra), the game is set sometime after WWI ended, both games have underground sections and have a tomb/ruins section near their ends, and both games have a character that grew insane and transformed into a monster.
I wish Fiend was mentioned in your video, but it's understandable that you probably wouldn't be aware of Fiend, since it is so obscure that only hardcore FG fans would know of it.
I am aware of Fiend! It's something I've been meaning to try for a long time. I downloaded a version of it a couple of years back but it didn't work for whatever reason. I plan on making a video in the future for more obscure or forgotten Frictional products like Fiend and the Penumbra Tech Demo :)
My main issue with Rebirth aside from the protagonist breaking the immersion by talking to themself, was that magic just isn't scary.
When I entered the other world in Rebirth it just felt like going through an Oblivion Gate in Oblivion.
Sure it's moody and there's a general feeling of hostility but it just kills the tense, visceral mood of the more grounded sections, and I found myself just boredly hurrying through to go back to reality.
The ending of TDD felt out of place for me for the same reason and it was kind of disappointing to see magical stuff at the end of The Bunker too, but it was mostly so minor that it didn't really affect the rest of the experience.
It's kind of and arbitrary line I draw since I absolutely love the monsters and body horror, but I guess that's because I can find ways to mangle those into plausibility in my head, which I just can't do for magic so I'm unable to get immersed.
I'm not a fan of Penumbra per se, but I am nostalgic for it, Overture was decently popular in my country back when it released, so even in this circumstances I feel vindicated that people see just how much of Penumbra's DNA is in Bunker. Happy to see Frictional going strong to this day.
I'd love to hear a front to back review of the penumbra series. It's thrown around a lot as an influential series but I rarely see it actually discussed in depth.
so happy to see you posting more! you seriously have one of the best channels on the whole of youtube. keep up the great work buddy!
Amazing video, I'm astonished that I never realized how similar The Bunker was to Penumbra.
I know this has been a while since the last upload but this video goes hard and I'm immediately hooked on the channel. Please do the Granny video for laughs
Other games: puts sanity in game
The bunker: uses your actually sanity irl 💀
Just want to say that the monologue at the end of A Machine for Pigs goes so fucking hard.
I played all the Amnesia games for the first time 5 months ago and i loved all of them but A Machine for Pigs is the one i cant get out of my head the most.
Agree, since I booted up the game I thought it was very similar to penumbra in that you have all these different tools and ways of dealing with things where in TDD it’s just run hide or find a key.
from my review of The Bunker on steam:
It was only in that maiden release that any means of attack were granted; in that case, a dinky little hammer, a slightly better pickaxe, and a wide-reaching but basically useless broom. The player had more unusual tools besides. Two sources of light, a battery powered flashlight and a meeker but unlimited-use glow stick. Bits of beef jerky could be employed to distract the enemies. Dynamite could be thrown to perform the expected function.
It can be surprising going back to Overture, even compared to its very own sequel, seeing just how many things the player was given to work with. Juxtaposed against titles like The Dark Descent and the distinction is even clearer. Rebirth incorporated more design than their previous release, SOMA, but the core inquisition was still the same. The player must act helpless, and to be encouraged to do that, they must also be helpless.
In many overt ways, The Bunker acts as a direct evolution of the things which were left behind by Penumbra Episode 2. Here too is the player given throwable explosives. Here too can the player distract monsters with meat left on the floor. Here too is the player given two light sources, a flashlight and a comparatively meek lighter.
Crucially, here too can the player defend themself.
Air Bud: World Pup is not Air Bud but you don't see me making a video essay about it. Yet.
If we assume Henri remembers what we see in the intro, then the amnesia made him forget everything about the bunker and his locker code and stuff (which he has been in for weeks at the very least). I suppose he remembers only the most recent things, that being pranking and saving his friend Lambert Augustin. This is a fun way of explaining why Henri (with you controlling him) don't know where anything is on the first playthrough and why we may read every note to figure out what is happening and has happend.
the reason i love amnesia the bunker but think a machine for pigs is really weak is because the bunker replaces any mechanics taken away from the first game, such as the lantern, sanity mechanics and different monsters with other gameplay mechanics such as the generator, a monster that always follows you through walls and a flashlight you have to manually charge up, not to mention it adds new mechanics such as guns, expanded physics objects that can also help solve puzzles and other defensive weapons such as molotovs and grenades, however a machine for pigs strips back many mechanics and doesnt replace them, so instead of a game with really strong mechanics which is what i always felt was something the amnesia games did well, it just became a walking simulator with occasional monsters and light puzzles
People playing The Bunker made a big deal about the generator but i played the whole game without using it (only for part of the game that requires fuel like the prison or the arsenal) and it was just fine i just had to hide more
I am so excited that you uploaded again!!!!!!!! Sorry for crying last time
14:23 you can rotate objects in amnesia the bunker, i'm not sure if its the halloween patch that added this or it was in the game from the start though
It was in there the whole time - I was just pressing the wrong buttons haha!
I am so happy that someone aside from me said It - Penumbra 2 finally exists!
I thought I was the only one looking at the game like that.
14:28 You can rotate objects in the Bunker using "t" key. Nice video btw.
Hahahahaha
13:26 You forgot to mention that the tank was part of a puzzle to open the gate.
I said it when they announced it, I continued saying it and now that it's out I will say it once again. They made Penumbra again but were too scared the title wouldn't sell.
My first time hearing the term "Dread Simulator".
Love it.
YES! Omg... I was so sure you were going to say that the Bunker was Alien Isolation, or something else ... but YES! PENUMBRA! It's such a forgotten part of Frictional Games' library of games but it's still the series I hold the most dear to my heart.
Had to pause the video to say that because I got so excited xD
That Limmy insert! 5:29. Well done!
I think I pinned down why I don't like The Bunker.
It's a Granny-like.
Edit: I wrote this while watching the start of the video, so I guess we agree that The Bunker is indeed a Granny-like.
Objection, your screen gets blurry when you see the monster so it is amnesia
I was about to celebrate your return, until I noticed you uploaded another video 2 months ago and I just ...completely missed it? Whoops.
OMG You are still alive! it's a miracle.
Good video.
Glad to see another great video by you mate :)
I'm honestly curious if Frictional still owns Penumbra.
Perhaps they could try out rebooting the series or do a little reimagining type story.
Such a good video your sense of humor is elite
I've came to appreciate Rebirth even more funnily enough now (even if despite rather shortcomings it had I'll admit), it's interesting they took what was interesting in SOMA and ran with it while melding the Amnesia mechanics together. I've been thinking of completing it some day after seeing some playthroughs of it. And that just brings me into something.
Although not that I hate how it plays for say and I'm sorry if I get harsh, it looks awesome and I wanna give it a try, but the way this game feels like an apology for going too story based in response to people criticizing the last game. This being a bit more gameplay focused (although lacking in terms of story comparing to other titles, tho they still do the best with it either way, rather low key) sells me onto something that this was done to compensate something. Even The Dark Descent can prove to do both story and gameplay together well, the perfectly paced melding. I know they unfortunately won't capture that well since that kinda combo is a lightning in a bottle, and it can get tiring to try do so which I don't blame em for.
Despite that, the less is more approach to certain things is quite interesting with what they did (much from the very simple premise as well), and I do commend how it goes back to the roots of their very first series, Penumbra per say (def like how BotW calls back to NES Zelda 1).
Side note and fun fact, seeing whatever The Dark Descent did to influence single player games, indie or mainstream, non-horror and horror alike, is quite interesting. Esp influencing the walking sim category which ik some people will prob not like, but I definitely like games outta those. Definitely helped by the modding community it has as well akin to Source modding, which oddly enough isn't a coincidence considering some walking sims came out of it too. Gone Home first as a prototype on HPL engine, Dear Esther and The Stanley Parable (yes it is one indeed for some of y'all people) as HL2 mods.
gotta love the voice crack at 12:42
More Painticus for the coming Autumn. Love to see it.
am I the only one or is Amnesia forgetting its sanity meter - part and how when your style of playing can affect how drunk the main charakter is and how some of the surrounding looks like and everything that comes with it
and what's also missing is the whole soundtrack and a bit of sound designe from the dark decend like there are footsteps in every other room, there are scripted soundevents every now and then, there is music playing from a piano although no one is there and so on. The music also were really good in the dark decend to structure the whole experience like the main halls where always full of angle like music, but the unique parts got their own haunting soundtracks or sound design. Listen to the ambient of the archievs or how you get chased through the water part and arrive in the relaxing back halls and such things
penumbra has always been my favorite series from fractional. it felt more like an immersive sim than any of their other games.
When I saw the title of the video I was preparing myself like "let's see what kind of stupid shit this guy will go on about", then you said that the Bunker is more Penumbra than Amnesia and dude, it resonated, I thought the exact same when this game came out. I'm glad that I watched the video even if at first it was with the intention of roasting you in the comments
Oooh I hope theres a Words With Painticus in this one.
I mean Tassi's Amnesia is definitely a plot point that quietly gets brushed under the carpet by the writer when you dare ask for an explanation about how she gets back to the plane or what was the point of it in the first place besides an emotional moment where she remembers her dead child and alive tummy-child
She went back to the plane to find Salim after beginning to change into a harvester due to the fountain elixir stuff the Empress gave her and the rest of the party. You can actually find a note from Salim in the cave talking about seeing something "lurking" around the area that spooks him, that was actually Tasi as a harvester trying to find her way back to him
What you are pointing out is not a plot problem, but a narration problem. By reading the notes it all makes sense, but the way Tasi's return to the plane is presented is indeed confusing.
1:34 they will also soon be known for bloodlines 2, a very odd switch from walking sims
After going through Amnesia The Bunker, I went through other Frictional games. How surprised I was that these games have a lot in common. I also thought about how Penumbra is similar to The Bunker. Thank you for the video, I subscribed to the channel, I will continue to follow your creativity. Hello from Russia.
Hey, pss, have you also noticed how the plot of the game and the setting itself is similar to the movie Bunker 2022?
To be fair, even if The Bunker was good, I'd like to see another game more similar to The Dark Descent. Sanity mechanic, similar inventory, multiple monsters instead of just one, etc.
Anytime someone says early 2010s I die inside
Not a fan of that time?
4:29 Now its time for Amnesia: Grunts may Cry 2. Daniel does some sick Leon Kennedy face-kick while throwing grenades at the Suitors.