14 DAY TRIAL // Dan Pinchbeck, a leading developer working at thechineseroom, says that their upcoming game Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs will mix the traditional mechanics of the series with the atmospheric interactions seen in Dear Esther.
The designer told GameInformer that, “One of the things it really does is it’s about buying the player emotional time and space to have this amazing emotional reaction to what’s going on, particularly in the terms of the horror, which is really self-generated.”
A Machine For Pigs is designed to create much of its feelings of horror by simply allowing the player to imagine what might await him in the areas he needs to explore, something that’s drawn from the core of Amnesia series.
Pinchbeck added, “That’s a weirdly parallel thing to what’s going on in Dear Esther, having a bunch of ideas thrown at you and really you’re building the story that’s just out of reach.”
thechineseroom is directly working on the new game with Frictional Games in an executive role and the developer says that they have a great working relationship, based on extensive feedback and a lot of support.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent was launched in 2011 and allows the player to control main character Daniel as he tries to explore a dark and mysterious castle, while solving puzzles and trying to keep away from horror-themed enemies.
The core mechanic of the game was insanity, which forced the player to make sure that Daniel maintained his mental integrity by avoiding scary situations and making sure not to dwell in the shadows for too long.
The developers advised players to use headphones and a dark room in order to get the best experience out of Amnesia.
The game was well received on launch and was given two awards at the Independent Games Festival.
Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs will be launched in early 2013, exclusively on the PC.