Looking for something to play with the lights out, the doors locked, and a spare pair of pants nearby? To prep for the launch of SOMA next week, Frictional’s giving away its previous horror game Amnesia: The Dark Descent free for 24 hours (until 10 a.m. Pacific on Wednesday). As in once you download it, it’s yours forever. You can also buy Frictional’s Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs and earlier series Penumbra for 80 percent off right now.
Even four years on from launch, The Dark Descent is still one of the best horror games ever made. It’s the game that launched a thousand YouTube stars to fame, thanks to the infamous “water level,” otherwise known as the Flooded Archives.
The graphics don’t hold up very well—they weren’t even spectacular at launch. But if you can get past that, you’ll find one of the most creative horror games since Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth and Eternal Darkness. With a focus on exploration and psychological horror, Amnesia‘s gone on to influence everything from Outlast to Alien: Isolation.
It’s worth playing, is what I’m saying.
Next week we’ll have a review for SOMA. Until then, take this. You might need it.