Amnesia: The Bunker
Amnesia: The Bunker is the latest instalment in the Amnesia series, taking players on a petrifying journey as Henri Clément, a French soldier recovering from injuries sustained during a mortar strike while rescuing a comrade. Upon returning to the trenches, the troops discover an abandoned bunker and believe it to be safe – but, as it turns out, this abandoned bunker holds a very dark secret.
On his way back to the trenches, Henri and Augustin Lambert navigate the battlefield and encounter gas attacks, separation, and enemy fire. As Henri explores the abandoned bunker, however, he discovers notes and journal entries revealing the truth behind the bunker’s construction and the Mithraic Cult’s involvement in conducting horrifying rituals.
Tensions rise among the soldiers, leading to a mutiny and the sealing of the tunnels. Henri’s encounter with a German prisoner and his coma sets off a chain of events, with men mysteriously dying in violent animal-like attacks. Upon his return to the war, Henri begins to encounter visions and hallucinations, slowly uncovering the horrifying truth of what the soldiers had discovered beneath the trenches.
The protagonist’s journey to the bottom of the abandoned bunker is slow-paced and unnerving, but it is the small details that make Amnesia: The Bunker a truly terrifying experience. Upon exploring the abandoned, crumbling bunker, it is clear that there is a lot of history behind it – Henri discovers notes, journal entries, and pictures that reveal the truth behind the Mithraic Cult’s involvement in conducting horrifying rituals. It also becomes clear that, upon finding something unholy, the soldiers decided to seal the tunnels and abandon the bunker.
However, the introduction of Augustine, who drinks water from the bunker’s spring, causes the mutiny and leads to his transformation into a hulking mole-like creature known as The Beast. The Beast hunts Henri after he wakes up to find the bunker in ruins, infested with flesh-eating rats. He must collect dynamite and a detonator to escape the bunker, leading him to traverse the dark passages and uncover more of the story through notes and pictures.
After detonating the barricade, Henri finds himself in ancient tunnels beneath the bunker. He must navigate the tunnels, which are filled with wandering wraiths. At one point, he encounters Toussaint Beaufoy, a deranged soldier who has been trapped in the abandoned tunnels for months. After clearing the tunnels, Henri finds himself in an Eldritch arena, where he faces The Beast.
He can either fight or flee, with both options leading to different endings. Climbing out of the arena, Henri encounters debris blocking the exit, but eventually clears it and makes his way outside – but, depending on your choices, this is where the two possible Amnesia: The Bunker endings diverge.
In one ending, Henri stumbles into a ditch and hears a German patrol closing in. In the other ending, the player navigates the tunnels further, encountering more visions and coming across a room filled with the bodies of men killed by The Beast.
Though Amnesia: The Bunker is short, clocking in at just over two hours, it is a terrifying and engaging journey.
