By Craig Pearson on February 10th, 2012 at 2:45 pm.
Trouser-colour troublers Frictional Games, makers of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, have dramatically unveiled a website for their next game, pulling aside a metaphorical curtain, making thunder noises with their mouths and flicking the lights on and off. Scared? Nope? You’re just made of steel, aren’t you? I’d have thought a website with a blurry image with the word “Amnesia” on it in scary script and a link to a Google Map of China (click the image, if you dare) would have made you curl up into a ball. So what is going on? Well, I’m afraid I know as much as you do, apart from the two little more bits of information contained below this terrifying jump. Dare you? Mwahahaha…
..haaaa. Well, I checked a few Whois records, sneaking into Old Man Smith’s house during a full moon and exposing myself to the mild uncomfortableness of IE 6 on his DIAL-UP [blood-curling scream], and the domain is definitely linked to Frictional, so it’s not a troll. The meta information of the site includes this list of keywords [places torch under chin]: “3D game, frictional games, advanced physics, survivial [sic] horror, action adventure, first person, horror, scary, HPL, work in progress, upcoming game, next frictional game, game development.” It’s accompanied by this Crowley-esque incantation: “Welcome to the next frictional game site, a site with information about our game projects in development. We use this site to post content about a project in development, during the period it does not have a final name decided.”
If you say them three times in a mirror while balancing an egg at the equinox, someone somewhere will die an unrelated, unconnected death that’s of no significance to you whatsoever. The image is also listed as “tease_image_1.jpg”, which numerology experts tell me is just the beginning [Wilhelm scream played backwards]. It does look like something’s hiding in the murk of “tease_image_1.jpg”. Come closer. See? No, closer. Clo-ser.
10/02/2012 at 14:46 Dana says:
Horror game set in Ancient China ? Oh my oh my…
10/02/2012 at 15:37 JackShandy says:
Here’s hoping it’ll be exactly like Ghost Stories.
12/02/2012 at 00:59 Thermal Ions says:
Either that or the lead character / conspirator is a panda.
10/02/2012 at 14:47 GT3000 says:
Yuan-Ti errywhere.
QUICKLY. UP THE LADDER, AND OVER THE RIVER!
10/02/2012 at 14:48 Meat Circus says:
“Don’t forget… some things mustn’t be forgotten. The shadow hunting me… I must hurry. My name is Rock Paper…Sh, I live in Bath at… at… Bath… What have I done? This is crazy. Don’t forget, don’t forget. I must post. Focus! My name is… is… I am RPS.”
10/02/2012 at 14:49 Meat Circus says:
So, a first-person physics-based horror adventure?
Stick with what you know, I guess.
10/02/2012 at 14:49 BobbleHat says:
Exciting stuff. I thought Frictional were done with the horror genre after their previously announced game. More Amnesia in any form, whether a short add-on campaign or a full blown sequel, is definitely A Good.
10/02/2012 at 15:21 MichaelPalin says:
I also remember them saying that their next game would be not that much a horror game. But that was right after the release of Amnesia, things may have changed a lot.
10/02/2012 at 14:49 Theoban says:
Aw cool another game I’ll buy excitedly but then be too scared to play past the intro.
I am not good at horror games.
10/02/2012 at 15:52 Trans says:
Lol, I have bought two of the Amnesia series games. I got an hour into the first one and about two hours into the last one that was released. I found that I wasn’t exactly scared just constantly on edge and very jumpy. I should go back and finish the last one, but it’s not same having to go around to my Mum’s House to play it in the day.
10/02/2012 at 16:09 Ricc says:
@Theoban:
Or, one could argue that you are actually too good at them.
10/02/2012 at 19:01 povu says:
@Trans:
Don’t you mean the Penumbra series? There was only one Amnesia game (with a free DLC).
10/02/2012 at 14:50 ZIGS says:
They said their next game wouldn’t be full-on horror so I thought an Amnesia sequel was pretty much out of question. Now I’m confused
10/02/2012 at 14:53 CaspianRoach says:
I think it will be a cover-based squad shooter with regenerating health and autoaim.
10/02/2012 at 15:20 ZIGS says:
throw in copious amounts of motion blur and a narrow FOV and I’m sold!
10/02/2012 at 16:44 Rinox says:
Not without plenty of scripted sequences and QTE I won’t be!
10/02/2012 at 19:02 povu says:
I always thought an adventure game (A bit like the old point and click ones, but in first person and with physics puzzles) would work well in their engine.
10/02/2012 at 21:00 Net_Bastard says:
Serious Sam with Amnesia monsters?
Wait, that actually sounds really scary. I’d probably close the game via Task Manager while crying after the first wave of enemies.
10/02/2012 at 14:52 Kaira- says:
For some reason the first idea that popped in my head was Cursed Mountain. I should finish it, it was rather interesting and bleak.
10/02/2012 at 15:00 Nero says:
Ooh, Cursed Mountain. I loved that game (on the Wii). The atmosphere in that game was just great.
10/02/2012 at 19:21 Kaira- says:
Yeah, it definetly had one of the best atmospheres in any horror game in recent times. Obviously helped by the exotic location and seeping mythology.
10/02/2012 at 14:55 The Sombrero Kid says:
INSTABUY!
10/02/2012 at 14:57 stahlwerk says:
INSTABUY, NEVAFINISH :D
10/02/2012 at 19:29 magnus says:
INSTABUY, ‘TRYING’ TO FINISH FIRST ONE NOW!
10/02/2012 at 14:57 Timtoid says:
I need to finish Amnesia, but the idea of a second set in potentially more interesting area intrigues me. Lovecraft is pleased.
10/02/2012 at 15:05 JackDandy says:
I thought their next game would be in a new setting?
Oh well. Can’t wait to see more.
10/02/2012 at 15:05 foda500orama says:
All I need is a date and a price.
10/02/2012 at 15:05 Hoaxfish says:
I don’t really remember much about the first game.
10/02/2012 at 15:12 Anthile says:
It’s quite a forgettable title.
10/02/2012 at 15:18 Ridnarhtim says:
Every time I replay this game, it’s almost like I’m playing it for the first time.
10/02/2012 at 15:14 Burky says:
whoopty do, they’ve chosen a setting
wake me when they reveal anything about gameplay evolution, because it hasn’t changed much since Penumbra
10/02/2012 at 16:30 Examiner2 says:
Somebody’s a cranky mc cranky head today.
10/02/2012 at 16:45 Rinox says:
If they keep making games exactly in the vein of Penumbra (Black Plague, preferably) or Amnesia, then I’ll keep giving them my money for all eternity. Well, per game. Not just like that. That would become painful after a while.
10/02/2012 at 19:31 magnus says:
Troll much?
10/02/2012 at 15:15 Claws says:
Instant 2 copy purchase for me (and the little brother).
10/02/2012 at 15:17 Ridnarhtim says:
No! I haven’t even recovered from playing Amnesia yet.
Afterthought: I think China has some potential for some much more terrifying torture chambers than Amnesia had. Ugh.
13/02/2012 at 11:24 Uninteresting Curse File Implement says:
Oh no! Not Ch-Ch-Chinese Water Torture!!
God I hope they don’t repeat the banal trick of “show a player an overused-in-media mediaval torture chamber then make his screen swoosh left and right to indicate that they’re scared”.
10/02/2012 at 15:21 Bluerps says:
I never played the first one. I was too afraid. :(
10/02/2012 at 15:24 Ammike says:
If you change tease image 1 to tease image 2 like this: http://www.nextfrictionalgame.com/tease_image_2.jpg it takes you to a website called ‘the dark swarm’, which seems to be Frictional related. Is that already a thing?
10/02/2012 at 15:40 Ridnarhtim says:
Poor thing. It’s just a work in progress, currently not playable. Leave it alone.
Also:
“Horror, Game, First Person, Frictional Games, Game Physics, Newton Game Dynamics, Computer Game, Survival Horror, Horror Game, 3D Game, Scary Game, Scary Adventure, Adventure horror, Action adventure, Penumbra Collection, Penumbra, Amnesia, Amnesia The Dark Descent, Dark Descent”
Description:
“Welcome to the Dark Swarm, Frictional Games media hub. Enjoy the scary game…”
Edit 2: There’s a timer at the bottom. Wonder what it’s for.
11/02/2012 at 05:20 MegaScience says:
Is this codenamed Mantis in some way? Because it’s very telling.
Mantis Model?
13/02/2012 at 11:55 MegaScience says:
It won’t be called The Dark Swarm. I was checking out the site, and discovered that Dark Swarm was actually a working title for Black Plague. AKA that was the name for Black Plague originally and it’s meaningless now unless they decide to pass it off to the sequel, which there is no reason.
10/02/2012 at 15:31 magnus says:
Yes, yes and thrice yes!
10/02/2012 at 15:43 Shooop says:
If they make decent controls this time around I’m in.
A computer mouse is NOT well suited for simulating pushing and pulling. It ruined the entire Penumbra series for me by making me more frustrated at it than scared by what’s lurking in the hallways.
10/02/2012 at 16:05 Squishpoke says:
I strongly disagree. Using the mouse to slam doors and spin valves felt very intuitive and a lot better than stupidly pushing a button.
Perhaps your mouse is just shoddy? I’d imagine that the feel would be awful if it skipped a bunch of pixels.
Edit: I’ve only played Amnesia, so Penumbra might have it worse.
10/02/2012 at 16:35 JackDandy says:
Are you serious? The control scheme is what I liked the most about those games.
10/02/2012 at 23:12 thebigJ_A says:
What?
The controls are what made Amnesia (and Penumbra before it) as good as they are. I’ve never seen a better implementation for a game than that.
Pulling out drawers just feels right. Actually fumbling for a door knob was perfect. It’s easy under normal circumstances, just like in real life, but just like in real life, it suddenly becomes difficult when madly scrambling for your life.
The control scheme Frictional set up is, as far as I’m concerned, the bar by which other adventure/survival-horror style games are measured against from here on in. I remember I played Cryostasis after Amnesia, and kept longing for Amnesia’s controls.
10/02/2012 at 15:49 staberas says:
nice, where do i go to kickstart it?
10/02/2012 at 16:48 Rinox says:
They put up a preorder “meter” for Amnesia before, so they may just do that again. That way we can give our monies directly.
11/02/2012 at 03:31 bear912 says:
Those first 2000 preorders for Amnesia?
I was one of them.
12/02/2012 at 00:12 Acorino says:
And I was another one!
10/02/2012 at 16:14 Ricc says:
They have written some technical features on their blog, since the release of Amnesia. Frictional have been working on generating and texturing terrain for example, so there should be some outdoor spaces in the new game. (This is assuming, that their tech-research was done for this Amnesia sequel and not some unrelated new game.)
10/02/2012 at 16:23 Zarunil says:
I heard the Collector’s Edition comes with washable adult diapers.
10/02/2012 at 16:30 googoogjoob says:
just because it has the amnesia logo on it doesn’t mean this is necessarily an amnesia sequel
everyone realizes this right
they might just be putting it there because it’s their most successful game and they want the brand associations
10/02/2012 at 19:32 magnus says:
It’s actually going to Amnesia : Carting.
10/02/2012 at 20:04 ResonanceCascade says:
Or it could be an expansion. They’ve already released one, I don’t see why it would be so shocking if they made another.
10/02/2012 at 17:48 Grover says:
This post reminds me of the Team Fortress 2 blog Halloween posts quite a bit (sound of cackling witch).
Also, watch out when you place a torch under your chin, you might burn your face off. Silly britons.
10/02/2012 at 18:02 Hillbert says:
It’s rather a shame that Amnesia: The Dark Descent wasn’t ported to consoles as it’s not something that needs a complicated UI nor is is particularly system intensive. It would have sat very nicely alongside other console based survival horror.
10/02/2012 at 19:05 subedii says:
All the other console based survival horrors have turned into shooters.
Scratch that, pretty much the majority of the survival horror genre in general has gone that route.
10/02/2012 at 20:26 Kaira- says:
It’s a bloody shame. I’m somewhat anticipating the new Silent Hill, but I have some serious trouble believing it lives anywhere close to Shattered Memories.
At least Fatal Frame 4 was good.
11/02/2012 at 04:02 bear912 says:
If I recall correctly, they were seriously contemplating it at one point, as they were on really shaky ground financially for a while during the development of Amnesia, and for a while after its release. I’m really not sure that creating a console version would have helped, sadly. They’re expensive and difficult to develop for, and I have an indistinct and probably unfounded idea that PC gamers tend to be more friendly to niche titles like Amnesia. I’m glad that they no longer have to worry about that stuff, and I hope that any console development they do proves successful.
Speaking of porting things, and speaking of Frictional, I’d rather enjoy seeing Frictional do a port of Heavy Rain, given their experience with movement-based controls.
10/02/2012 at 18:15 LennyLeonardo says:
Hooray. Now I just have to summon the nerve to finish Amnesia before this bastard comes out.
10/02/2012 at 18:28 Gabbo says:
I’m all in on this. Loved Amnesia, and would love to play through more. it pulled everything I liked about Penumbra and made the gameplay mechanics a lot smoother.
I’ll just stock up on new pants in the mean time, should it be as scary.
10/02/2012 at 19:25 hosndosn says:
Their tech engine dev-blog posts looked kinda sci-fi-ish. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was actually set on Mars (or something more original than that). China has a few space projects going and could easily rule the industry in the future.
Eh. As good a speculation as anything.
10/02/2012 at 19:57 Big Murray says:
The horrifying thing is … can they make Amnesia more pantwetting than it already was?
I don’t want to know if they can.
10/02/2012 at 20:08 Navagon says:
On one hand it’s cool to see a very interesting, culturally rich location that is commonly neglected by the western industry. On the other hand it does raise the question of just what Frictional are going to achieve with this, in terms of gameplay that they haven’t already achieved. At the end of Amnesia I was certainly left wanting more. But a whole new game might be stretching it a bit if they don’t introduce some new concepts.
10/02/2012 at 20:40 dethtoll says:
I certainly hope they do something other than CRIB THEIR ENTIRE PLOT FROM LOVECRAFT this time around. Also none of this insanity effects bullshit, which they only did to make people stop abusing the night vision instead of just FUCKING GETTING RID OF THE NIGHTVISION COME *ON* GUYS.
Liked the first Penumbra and that’s about it.
10/02/2012 at 23:15 thebigJ_A says:
Amnesia didn’t have nightvision…
11/02/2012 at 00:07 dethtoll says:
Pretty distinctly recall that it did, but I could just be smoking crack.
That said my other points stand. Insanity effects are bullshit and they really need to stop cribbing from Lovecraft wholesale. There’s any number of ways to do cosmic horror, so why do they keep completely aping Howard?
14/02/2012 at 21:03 Lezander says:
Your character’s eyes could adjust to darkness a LITTLE but not much. Also, the engine they built is called the HPLC (H.P. Lovecraft) engine, so cut them some slack.
On an unrelated note the site sends me to a google maps view of Boreray Island in the U.K. Instead of China. Anyone else hoping for an ARG?
10/02/2012 at 23:19 thebigJ_A says:
What is this…? I just decided to launch Amnesia up for the first time in ages, and it’s got a novella in the launcher! It’s on the opposite side from Justine. Has that always been there, or is it new?
Hmm, I guess I’m reading instead of playing a vidja game tonight.
11/02/2012 at 04:15 SupberUber says:
“and exposing myself to the mild uncomfortableness of IE 6″
*face turns white in fear*
11/02/2012 at 14:15 T4ffer says:
Before amnesia there was a really difficult puzzle on that site. I hope they’ll come up with another puzzle.
13/02/2012 at 09:50 Enso says:
I can wait. I still haven’t completed Amnesia because I do a little poo in me pantaloons every time I try and play it.