Frictional Confirms Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs

[Andy Chalk]

Frictional Confirms Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs

Frictional Games and thechineseroom have confirmed their collaboration on Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs, the Victorian-era sequel to the horror hit Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

A Machine For Pigs first Amnesia: The Dark Descent [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/115931-Amnesia-Follow-Up-Outed-as-A-Machine-For-Pigs] - "possible" because as far as titles go, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. But that is in fact the name of the new game, and the oddness is fully intentional, according to Dan Pinchbeck of Dear Esther studio thechineseroom. Pinchbeck is lead writer and designer on the project, which is being developed by thechineserom, while Frictional takes on a "production role."

The new Amnesia game will not be directly connected to the old one, but will be set in the same "universe," 60 years later. This time around, players will enjoy the "full-on Victoriana" of 1899 London as wealthy industrialist Oswald Mandus, who suffers feverish visions of a "mysterious, dark machine" before falling into a months-long coma.

A Machine For Pigs will be a first-person horror game but the gameplay itself will differ from that of its predecessor. "People going in will not know what to expect," Frictional's Thompas Grip said in an interview with Joystiq [http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/22/building-a-machine-for-pigs-and-expanding-the-universe-of-amnesi/]. "We tried looking at protecting the sense of it being an Amnesia game and really belonging to the design template that was set up [by the original]. But it's doing quite a few things that mean players won't be able to play it like Amnesia [The Dark Descent]," Pinchbeck added.

As for the ARG that started the ball rolling, Frictional hadn't touched the site at nextfrictionalgame.com [http://www.nextfrictionalgame.com] in two years and originally tossed up the first blurred promo image just for kicks. "We just wanted to see if anyone would notice it," Grip said. "Then we saw it was popular and decided, 'Okay, let's make it less blurry.'" Excited speculation about the meaning of the image convinced Frictional and thechineseroom to put together the ARG that ultimately led up to the reveal.

No release date for A Machine For Pigs has been set, but the team hopes to have it out by Halloween of this year.


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[RaikuFA]

Oh great another game that no ones gonna be able to play except computer experts /sarcasm.

 

[imnot]

HAI GUYS IM TO KOOL TO BE SCARED BY AMNESIA I WAN TA FRIKKEN MEDAL HERP DERP

OT:I am very happy about this, I loved Amnesia, although watching a playthrough before I played it somewhat ruiend it.

 

[Wolfram23]

I wonder what they're going to do differently. Probably has to do with enemies. In Penumbra and Amnesia there wasn't really a lot of enemies, and those that there were mostly just patrolled around and were somewhat easy to avoid. Scary as hell, but really not difficult. Except that one time... oh god... *shivers*

Maybe they'll add a weapon to the game, or at least a defence mechanism other than "Run away and hide in dark corner"

 

[Albino Boo]

Damn its not going to be apathy: the beige slope. Oh well I will just have to make do with interesting sounding alternative to all the run and gun games. Needs zombie space marines though.

 

[kouriichi]

I feel like a giddy cheerleader about prom. Nervous and excited at the same time.

I know the minute i start playing it, my arms are going to turn to noodles and im going to completely freak and lose all hope of sleeping for a month.... But i still look forward to it.

At the moment, Friction is one of my favorite companies. They've released nothing but gold ((covered in rotting flesh, demon faces and soiled undies)), and i hope they keep it up.

 

[The Wykydtron]

No chance of a console port i suppose? No? Thought so.

Guess i'll watch the fifty billion LPs that are sure to come out at launch instead...

/sadface

 

[GaltarDude1138]

Ohohohoho...oh Frictional, you guys just want me to poo my pants again, huh? Well it won't work! IT WON'T WORK! I'M not going back! You can't make me go back! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Runrunrunrunrun Oh GOD leave me alone! What is that sound in my ears?!? Make it stop! Make it stop...*sob*

*Ahem* Seriously though, take my money. I can't wait to let Frictional let my imagination make me pee myself with terror.

 

[saintdane05]

OMG THEY AM MAKING A SEQUAL THEY ARE SELLIGN OUT TEY ARE GOING TO Ruing AMNESIA FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111!!!!!1!!!!!!!!!!

 

[KILGAZOR]

No release date for A Machine For Pigs has been set, but the team hopes to have it out by Halloween of this year.

http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/50283_173219270817_7489143_n.jpg
Let's Play a game.

I was thinking the same thing. Ever since Justine came out and took all the supernatural elements out of Amnesia and replaced it with a psychopath and her victims, I began to think that the writers had been watching too many torture movies. And then we hear this new title, that gruesome but strictly non-supernatural concept art, and that quote from the ARG ("the world is a machine for pigs, blah blah blah misanthropy blah blah blah nihilism"), I'm pretty sure this game is gonna force us to chop off somebody's bodily appendages. Whether we do this as a sacrifice to Cthulhu or not is yet to be determined.

 

[antipunt]

Anyone else getting the feeling that this has 'PETA potential' on it?

 

[V8 Ninja]

Anyone else getting the feeling that this has 'PETA potential' on it?

I think all of our trousers are too soiled just thinking about the idea of Amnesia getting a sequel to worry about PETA throwing a fit. And besides, Frictional Games isn't much of a target compared to things like...well...every other company in existence?

OT: It'll be interesting to see if TheChineseRoom can perform horror on the same level as Frictional Games. Either way, my money has already been put on the table.

 

[LavaLampBamboo]

OH LOOK HIS NAME IS OSWALD MANDUS I WONDER IF THAT MIGHT HAVE ANY RELATION TO THE DIRECTION THE PLOT IS GOING IN.

If you don't see it, just shorten the first name. And think Watchmen =)

 

[Pinkamena]

And this years "Freakiest game title" goes to... A machine for pigs!

But really, that title is creepy enough to get me anticipated.

 

[antipunt]

Anyone else getting the feeling that this has 'PETA potential' on it?

I think all of our trousers are too soiled just thinking about the idea of Amnesia getting a sequel to worry about PETA throwing a fit. And besides, Frictional Games isn't much of a target compared to things like...well...every other company in existence?

OT: It'll be interesting to see if TheChineseRoom can perform horror on the same level as Frictional Games. Either way, my money has already been put on the table.

I was thinking more along the lines of :

PETA: "see guys. This is the HORROR that pigs go through when they are killed for pork!"

 

[A Raging Emo]

HORROR that pigs go through when they are killed for pork!"

You may not be far off there, it does look like a steampunk-esque Abattoir.

Very interested in this game!

 

[Kotaro]

Given that Penumbra was totally awesome, and Amnesia was one of the few games ever to successfully terrify me, I am definitely going to watch this like a hawk.

 

[Cogwheel]

OT: It'll be interesting to see if TheChineseRoom can perform horror on the same level as Frictional Games. Either way, my money has already been put on the table.

If you judge them by Dear Esther, no. On the other hand, everyone seems to be forgetting Korsakovia. Awful level design, brilliant writing, incredibly unsettling.

Wake up, Christopher.

 

[AlternatePFG]

I'm interesting to see how this ties in with Amnesia, and I'm certainly getting it, even if it isn't made by Frictional. I wonder what Frictional themselves will be working on next, hopefully not the same type of game that Penumbra/Amnesia were. Don't get me wrong, I really liked those games, but I'd like to see them try something else.