Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a survival horror game developed by Frictional Games, released on PC in September 2010. The publisher in Russia is "1C-SoftClub". Amnesia: The Dark Descent is the spiritual successor to the Penumbra series. The games are quite different, but the atmosphere of horror and hopelessness remains almost unchanged.
The story of the game revolves around a character named Daniel, who finds himself in a highly precarious situation. Not only has he lost his memory, but he also wakes up not knowing where he is—in some old castle with rather bad energy. Daniel remembers almost nothing, yet he is absolutely certain that he is being hunted. Fighting his fears, he embarks on a journey through the castle's dark corners, where he encounters quite unpleasant encounters with the locals. As he progresses, Daniel learns more details about his unenviable past and the madness unfolding around him.
It turns out that it is the 19th century, the castle is located in Prussia, and the main character has lost his memory due to his own fault—he drank some nasty potion. He was evidently afraid of something so strongly that he decided to rid himself of his fears in a radical yet mundane way—he drank and forgot. Nevertheless, Daniel still had a lot ahead, so he caused harm to his body for nothing. A certain Shadow follows him closely, invisible to the naked eye. In various corners of the castle, terrible monsters may be found, not too frequently, though, but each such "acquaintance" brings Daniel closer to the threshold beyond which only madness lies. The main character is quite cowardly and fears every rustle, and the constant tension only exacerbates his deplorable state. Moreover, the creatures that seem intent on dragging Daniel to hell do not inspire much optimism.
Despite the fact that the monsters in Amnesia: The Dark Descent are quite dangerous and extremely unfriendly, Daniel cannot resist them in any way. The only thing he can do is throw some object at the monster that appears in his path and run away as fast as he can. The beast, of course, will not die but will stop attacking for a while. For Daniel, this is all he needs. In Amnesia: The Dark Descent, it is highly discouraged to encounter monsters, and if there is even the slightest chance to avoid direct contact, one should grasp it with all hands and feet. He will still have to flee and fight for his life, but the chances of survival will increase. This approach not only reduces the adrenaline levels in the player's blood (which can sometimes be overwhelming), but also helps the main character, Daniel, avoid descending into the abyss of madness. After all, every encounter with a Grunt, Kaernk, or another inhabitant of the castle deeply shakes the main character. It can even drive one mad.