Amygdala - a whole new way to experience horror

When I think of emotions - I wonder where exactly they come from, from a scientific standpoint they come from the part of our brain called the amygdala. With that point that brings us to our game of this week - AMYGDALA by Antonino Truisi it was released on March 15th 2024 and is currently retails for $9.99 and has around 2-3 hours of playtime. 

Amygdala is an atmosphere rich, realistic horror experience that takes us to uncharted realms. The visuals of this game are by far the most breathtaking I have seen in a horror game. The atmosphere created by this developer was not one of blood curdling horror, but allowed us as the player to really appreciate the beauty that lies in horror and even the perfection in it. The levels we move through are some of the most detailed I have experienced. Stunning setting aside, we need to talk about the creatures - They are some of the most unique character designs i have seen. They were ultra realistic, the blood oozing from them glistened and their skin looked grey and dead. The use of blood, organs and viscera was gratuitous and I was 100% okay with that! The sound design was another point of perfection, it wasn't filled with too much ambient sounds that I felt like I was in a typical horror game, there was an eloquent silence in some moments of the game, melodic music in others. The sounds of the creatures, the sounds of dripping blood all added to the pure breathtaking grandeur I experienced when playing this game. It truly added to the overall experience - I am blown away because this game was created by this dev in 4 months. FOUR MONTHS!! That is absolutely insane! The talent of the dev really shines through, as I was playing I honestly though this took YEARS to complete. 

So the thing that I feel is confusing to most of the community is the story. It's unique and it is not cut and dry like most horror story now a days. Forgive me if I elaborate more in this part as I feel seeing the story through another set of eyes can help - We play as un named nightmare seeker that has been thrust into the gothic realm of Amygdala that seems to be ruled by a Great Monolith and under the direction and care of the Absolute Judge who bequeaths 3 quests to recover the Eyes of the Nightmare's of the Big head, Insatiable Knowledge, Beauty. These 3 rules of their respective nightmare's have lost control and we must take their eyes back to the AJ. I am assuming a nightmare seeker is almost like a police or enforcer. Through the lore thatvis built we understand there is a delicate balance im the Amygdala that if thrown off can set the whole realm into choas. Without completely spoiling Amygdala's story we quest through each nightmare realm searching for mouths to feed - heads to capture and hearts to steal. In the end we are given 2 choices become a God in our own nightmare realm or hold the all encompassing power of the Amygdala as the new Absolute Judge. Its up to you to decide your fate.

The game play and controls were not revolutionary and I am appreciative for that. The gameplay was smooth for the most part and I experienced little to no bugs while on my playthrough. The controls were also fairly easy to master, minus me having a few moments where i couldn't figure out how to interact with certain things. But luckily inhad Antionio there for moral support. He was super sweet and interacted with my community, answering questions, helping me advance the story if i got stuck and being a wonderfuly genunie human. He wven filled me in on some tips for a fun mini game all I will say about it is ( ASDFG - this is the only hint you get.)

SOUND DESIGN & VISUALS:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐ 9/10

GAMEPLAY: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐ 8/10

CONTROLS:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 7/10

STORY:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 8/10 

CHARACTER DESIGN:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐10/10

Overall Score:  8.4/ 10


FINAL THOUGHTS: 

Amygdala is a true horror experience - not in the way we are accustomed but in a way that forces us to know and understand the beauty in horror. Antonio is extremely talented who has created a new way to experience horror and I really want you to consider something if you played it on day 1 and left a negative review - REPLAY the game I promise you that your original views will change. Antonio has been super responsive to all the feedback he's given given, both good and bad and had handled it all with speed and reverence for this creation and community! I highly recommend this game and I recommend taking your time to really appreciate the visuals around you.

👇👇Pick up Amygdala here 👇👇

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2453920/Amygdala/

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