Preview by: Neilie Johnson

When thinking of titles by Swedish company Frictional Games, I'm reminded of the tagline from classic '80s horror movie, Poltergeist—“It knows what scares you.” Frictional first got under our skin three years ago with Penumbra: Overture, a horror title that used surprisingly simple but highly effective means to tap into our deepest-held fears. As shown by the hands-on press demo of upcoming first-person survival horror title, Amnesia: Dark Descent, Frictional is once again doing all they can to scare the proverbial pants off us.

The minute you fire up Dark Descent, you're given two directives: first, an ominous warning that when encountering enemies, you should run, not fight because you can't defend yourself and second, that you shouldn't play the game “to win”, but should instead immerse yourself in the mood and the story. (You'll find it wise to follow both of these suggestions.)

As the demo starts, Daniel (you) wakes up on the stone floor of a dark, deserted castle. You remember only that your name is Daniel, but that means little to you since little else is familiar. In the near-pitch darkness you begin tentatively looking for a way out, your obvious mental imbalance indicated by the way the camera slightly swims when you move and even more when you stand still.

The terrifying darkness worsens your mental state, and it's a constant battle between the urge to rush toward the few pools of light and the fear of what lies in the intervening shadows. As you creep through derelict rooms and cobweb-filled hallways, searching for tinder and oil to light your way, you strain to listen, to pick up any hint of impending danger.

Sound in Dark Descent doesn't just augment gameplay—it's integral to it. While most games today allow you to “play it your way”, Frictional bucks the trend and insists you play it their way. From the impressive sound design evident in the demo, that isn't a bad thing and players of the game will benefit from following Frictional's advice to “play in a dark room with headphones on.” In a game so dependent on darkness, it's no surprise that sound is such a major player. It's also no surprise to find it more than a little unsettling to walk around in the dark hearing creepy music, low moaning, footsteps, screams and occasionally something that sounds like a dog being torn limb from limb.

If you can withstand the terrifying sounds and the constant tension that comes from expecting something horrible to jump out at you at any given moment, you'll explore the castle, slowly unraveling the reasons behind your entrapment and uncovering hints regarding an ancient evil that might yet be lurking there. In addition to a macabre setting, menacing sound design and a gorgeously oppressive atmosphere, Dark Descent promises to present gamers with a compelling story and the opportunity to solve some interesting situational and physics-based puzzles. Amnesia: Dark Descent will be available for download September 8th of this year on Windows, Linux and Mac.