Video Games
Frictional Games: ‘Amnesia: Rebirth’ a “Different Kind of Horror”; Will Explore a “Deeper Horror Experience”
Frictional Games are still releasing clues via Twitter for their upcoming Amnesia: Rebirth. But even then, we still don’t know much about the game, or just what kind of horror experience will be in store for players. And while they’re still staying mum about the details, in an interview with Gamespot, Frictional Games creative director Thomas Grip talks about how Amnesia: Rebirth will explore a “different kind of horror”.
For starters, the team didn’t expect the whole Let’s Play phenomenon to take hold and turn what was supposed to be an introspective game into a “let’s watch people react to scary stuff” sort of experience. As a result, the team is hoping to convey a deeper horror experience this time around.
“We could have just gone, ‘Oh, let’s take this let’s play thing that started with Amnesia and run with that,'” says Grip. “But that doesn’t feel like what we wanted to do. There are a bunch of things that we thought that people liked with [Amnesia: The Dark Descent] and then there’s a bunch of stuff that we felt we could do better and there’s a bunch of stuff that we learned from SOMA and we also felt like we wanted to put all of that together.”
“So we wanted to give that another shot,” Grip said. “Not the exact same subject matter, but make something where horror is not just on this very short-term time scale of just seeing a monster and being scared, but something that grows over time.” As a result, Amnesia: Rebirth will take a similar storytelling approach to SOMA. “The strongest connection between Rebirth and SOMA is that we try to put players into a persona, into a situation, and we spend a lot of time just convincing them that [they] should take this situation that [they’re] in seriously,” he said.
The interview delves further into Rebirth‘s other themes, such as survival, as well as the narrative differences between it and its predecessor. Changes that Grip hopes is remembered for being more than “your typical jump scare, spook-fest.” Definitely do check it out.
Amnesia: Rebirth is expected to be out later this year on Steam and PlayStation 4. And, as mentioned, here’s another one of those teasers.
For those keen on following up on our mid-year best-of list for video games, iam8bit and Yacht Club Games are teaming up in a new collection for Mina the Hollower, which not only brings the game’s iconic soundtrack by Jake Kaufman and Yuzo Koshiro to vinyl, but also offers fans some cool merchandise.
Available for pre-order now at iam8bit, the Mina the Hollower Collection includes the soundtrack on 3xLP ($64.99), a notebook ($19.99) and a Keychain Blind Box ($14.99). Those fans looking to have it all can pick up the entire collection in a vinyl bundle with the Mina the Hollower: Bone Up Bundle Edition. All products are available for pre-order today through August 17, with plans to ship in Q4 2026.
The Mina the Hollower vinyl soundtrack is pressed on rich Velvet Purple Splatter Vinyl, and features retro-inspired zoetrope artwork designed by Nimit Malava. The soundtrack also comes with a pair of special 3D glasses that enhances the cover art, paying homage to the retro nostalgia of the old-school, chip-tastic tracks composed by Yacht Club Games’ Jake Kaufman and Yuzo Koshiro.
iam8bit also offers up a series of collectible keychains as part of a Blind Box set. Those who purchase will receive one of six randomized Mina designs rendered in high-quality, squishy PVC rubber, with a Secret Chase Rare in the mix for some lucky buyers. Keychains are available to purchase individually or bundled in a set of three, and purchasing the bundle guarantees three unique keychains.
Lastly, there’s the Mina the Hollower Notebook, a 240-page notebook that replicates Mina’s in-game journal and is brought to life in a forest green faux-leather, with beautiful gold embellishments on its cover.
As mentioned, for completionists, you can grab the entire collection in the Mina the Hollower: Bone Up Bundle Edition, ($89.99). The bundle comes with the soundtrack, one Keychain Blind Box and Notebook.
And if you haven’t jumped into Mina the Hollower, you can find the game on PC via Steam and GOG, PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch 2.
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