Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is a survival horror video game developed by The Chinese Room and produced and published by Frictional Games. The game is an indirect sequel to Amnesia: The Dark Descent, developed and produced by Frictional Games. While set in the same universe as the previous game, it features an entirely new cast of characters and time setting. The game became available to pre-order on 16 August 2013, and was released on 10 September 2013.
Plot
The game features several interlocking story lines. Some take place in the past, some in the present, and some are overtly real while some may be imagined. Set in London on New Year's Eve, 1899, Oswald Mandus, a wealthy industrialist and butcher, awakens from a fever that's unknowingly lasted for several months, after returning from a "disastrous" expedition to Mexico. Throughout the game, he hears the voices of his twin children, Edwin and Enoch, calling for him as they lead him through the different areas.
Mandus receives a call on the telephone from "the Engineer," who tells Mandus that Edwin and Enoch have been trapped far below them, in the "Machine." During his descent through the massive factory, Mandus comes into contact with the Manpigs, deformed swine-like monstrosities that patrol the depths he descends through. Further calls from the phones guide him, saying that his children are in imminent danger from the rising floodwaters of the sabotage.
Mandus eventually reactivates the Machine, but is betrayed by the Engineer, who reasserts control of it, unleashing Manpigs out into the streets of London to round up unsuspecting victims to feed itself with. After he returned from his Mexican expedition, Mandus was consumed with obsession over a vision of the future from "the egg," hinted to be an Orb, in which both of his children are killed at the Battle of the Somme. Driven mad by the vision, Mandus decided that he could not allow it to come to pass, and he built the Machine to create a godlike being via mass ritual human sacrifice to save humanity from its own carnage. He then killed Edwin and Enoch himself to spare their fate at the Somme.
Mandus vows to finish what he started by descending once again into the heart of the Machine to destroy it. After destroying crucial parts of it, the Engineer tries to reason with Mandus and says that the world would be better off if the Machine is allowed to consume all of London and then the rest of the populace. Having recently discovered that the Engineer is a split personality, Mandus enters the inner chamber and activates a part of the Machine to sacrifice himself so that the horror can stop.
Characters
Oswald Mandus — The main protagonist of the game. A wealthy British industrialist and explorer, Mandus is portrayed as someone who is obsessed with his work and the industry that surrounds it at the turn of the century. Although Oswald Mandus appears to be an Elitist, he seems very generous towards people, and he even helped the poor children at a local orphanage. Mandus began an expedition to Mexico to discover Aztec ruins. Deep within the ruins, Mandus found an Orb, which cracked into two pieces and eventually rendered him unstable. He returns from his expedition in Mexico in the year 1899 after contracting a fever and loses all memory of the events of the last few months. The calls of his children and rumble of great engines draw him deep into the depths under his house to discover what he has done. Mandus is voiced by Toby Longworth.
Edwin & Enoch — Twin boys who are Mandus' children. Their mother, Lilibeth, died giving birth to them and the two of them were often looked after by a nanny rather than their father, who was too busy with his work. Despite this, Mandus loves them dearly, though part of him blames them for their mother's death. The pair of them are often seen throughout the game in brief glimpses, drawing Mandus further into the darkness where their fate is eventually revealed. Both Edwin & Enoch are voiced by Zak Craig.
The Professor — An associate and worker for the Ministry, the Professor met with Mandus to discuss his plans for the Machine under the guise of it being a meat processing facility that provided food for the poor populace of London. Led into the darkness under false pretenses, Mandus promptly kills him and likely makes him a victim of the Machine. The Professor is voiced by Mark Roper.
The Engineer — A fraction of Mandus' soul, implied to have been given a voice and autonomous power by the Egg (similar in description to The Dark Descent's Orb), the Engineer embodies Mandus' madness and wish to prevent his horrible vision of the 20th century to come to pass. Ruthless in his enacting of taking victims, the Engineer is manipulative to Mandus in order to get what he wants. The Engineer is also voiced by Mark Roper.
The Machine — The titular device, given consciousness by the Engineer. Though its exact function is left to speculation, most notes in the game hint that it takes the bodies of both humans and pigs and combines them into the monsters of the game, whilst also functioning as a meat processing facility. Although the Machine is designed with offices, catwalks, and plenty of small machinery, it seems that the Machine is able to run on its own, requiring the Manpigs for small repairs or menial labours only. The Machine is powered by using the Orb's shards and the heart of Mandus' sons attached to its core.
Manpigs — The monsters of the game. Serving a similar function to the Servant Grunts and Brutes from The Dark Descent, the Manpigs come in a multitude of forms. They cannot be killed and will often hunt for Mandus ruthlessly when he encounters them. Due to the process of their creation, they cause nearby lights to flicker – including Mandus' lantern – and will be drawn to the light if Mandus looks directly at them. The Manpigs come in three variants: Wretch, Engineer, and Tesla.
TeslaPigs — These pig-like creatures were experimented with so much Compound X, which caused them to flicker in and out of reality, and are much more powerful than the Manpigs. They act as a sort of mini-boss.
The Kaernk — The Kaernk returns under the name "Failed Experiments" in this game, behaving like they did in the first game. The only differences here are that they emit electrical sparks, and are much faster than in their previous appearance. It is implied that this version of Kaernk is a result of early experiments in creating the Manpigs (note dated August 1, 1899).
Gameplay
The game is a survival horror game played from a first-person perspective. Players explore the environments using a lantern, with diary entries and notes providing information on the lost memory of the title character. Some elements of The Dark Descent have been removed, while new elements have been added.[ One of the reasons for this is to provide a fresh gameplay experience to veteran players of The Dark Descent. The inventory has been removed, along with the oil and tinderboxes. Most of the puzzles that occur in the game are based on physically interacting with the environment because of this change. The sanity mechanic of the first game has been removed as well, meaning that the darkness and looking at the creatures no longer causes any drawbacks. Health regenerates whenever a player is damaged after a certain period of time.
The game's level design has been touted as "significantly different" from that of The Dark Descent, with larger areas and outdoor environments included. AI was also adjusted to ensure players are unable to predict enemy behavior based on their experiences with the original game. However, the core of the game remains the same as in The Dark Descent, so as not to disappoint fans who want more of what they loved in the original.