History VideoGame / AmnesiaTheDarkDescent

In 2020, a second NonLinearSequel, ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NiQAlGUw_o Amnesia: Rebirth]]'' was announced for an Autumn release date. Unlike ''A Machine for Pigs'', it will be developed by Creator/FrictionalGames themselves.

** [[spoiler: There is also a fourth, lesser known ending only possible if the player decides to remain in the cell after the three Brutes attack him in the Chancel. This ending is similar to the 'bad' ending, in that it means Alexander will go through the portal and Daniel will be consumed by the shadow.]]

* MultipleEndings: [[spoiler:If you break Alexander's machine before it opens the portal, Alexander dies and Daniel leaves Brennenburg free of his curse and content that he did the right thing. If you let the portal open and didn't help Agrippa, Alexander will go through the portal and the darkness will kill you. If you let the portal open and throw Agrippa's head through it, both you and Alexander will die, but Agrippa will call out to you in the ethereal realm and ask Weyer to help you, before assuring you "it will be alright." There is also a fourth, lesser known ending only possible if the player decides to remain in the cell after the three Brutes attack him in the Chancel. This ending is similar to the 'bad' ending, in that it means Alexander will go through the portal and Daniel will be consumed by the shadow.]]

* SanityMeter:
** The bad thing is that it's an ''accurate barometer of the player's mood.'' Well, except for needing to stay near lights to keep sane.

* ShownTheirWork: Evident when you turn on the commentary.

* TortureCellar: Oh '''God''' the torture cellar... brass bulls that people are crammed into to be broiled alive, torture wheels that allow for multiple bone breaks -- and worst of all, the cells that permit the neighbor to hear nothing but the anguished screams emitting from the torture chambers. Even worse is the reason behind the torturing -- see PoweredByAForsakenChild. Almost all of those items are ''[[TruthInTelevision real medieval torture devices]]'' that ''actually existed and were used on people'' -- with the exception of the Iron Maiden, which (despite its many appearances throughout popular culture and inside some historical "tours") is purely fictional as a means of torture. Unfortunately, it's only one of many -- and the only one that was never used. The others are entirely factual.

* ManipulativeBitch: Justine. She succeeded to get all three suitors into the chambers, [[ColdBloodedTorture all physically and psychologically tortured]], mostly by words and manipulation. It's stated that the reason Malo is insane was because she tried to completely [[SanitySlippage break him]] long before she began to physically torture him. And she did this all [[ForTheEvulz only for her own, twisted, selfish amusement.]] No wonder the suitors want to kill her!

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: As you learn about various torture victims, the severity of their supposed crimes seems to lessen. The worst were accused of rape and arson, but a forger got thrown into the iron maiden as well.

%% * NoteToSelf

** The "Sanity Potion", [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin which restores the player's sanity by one level]], similar to how Laudanum restores health. It isn't used anywhere in the main game, but is still fully functional and can be placed into maps via the level editor. Was likely not used because it would have made the game too easy, and wouldn't be terribly useful, since sanity is passively replenished whenever you solve a puzzle. It is also possible that the devs thought it didn't fit the setting, as drugs for treating mental illness were extremely primitive and largely ineffective in the Victorian era.

* AlienGeometries: [[spoiler: The Choir and Chancel towards the end of the game are... Peculiar. Daniel also has visions of these when he first finds the orb.]]

** [[spoiler:Daniel, merrily: "We should have more than enough prisoners to finish the ritual now."]]

* WasOnceAMan: [[spoiler:The creatures hunting Daniel were once soldiers working under Alexander; after giving them tainted wine, [=BodyHorror=] ensued, causing them to explode and become horribly misshapen.]]

* FissionMailed: When you try to find a way to escape the closing walls, the music begins to turn more dramatic as you tip over. It seems like it is game over, but it turns out to just be a test.

A free expansion pack, ''Justine'', was released in April 2011 as part of a cross-game AlternateRealityGame promotion for ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'', featuring a new player character and a brand-new scenario to play.

A 2013 sequel, entitled ''VideoGame/AmnesiaAMachineForPigs'', was published by Creator/FrictionalGames, with primary development by Creator/TheChineseRoom, the team responsible for ''VideoGame/DearEsther.''

* SmashToBlack: When you enter the Cellar Archives, you will hear the Shadow's roar and it will suddenly go black as the protagonist is knocked unconscious. When he wakes up, he discovered the corridor is all flooded and there is something in the water that is after him...

--> [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere Left when things were getting interesting in Amnesia: The Dark Descent.]]