Justine

Once more unto the breach.

Amnesia: Justine is a free DLC released by Frictional Games. What can I say, I'm a sucker for punishment. Prepare the fresh underwear, it's time to dive back into madness.

Epilogue

Amnesia was certainly an experience.

It's odd trying to find a balance while switching between 3rd person and 1st person in terms of writing. It was Daniel's journey yet at the same time I WAS Daniel, so you can notice I interchange the two perspectives from time to time as I write.

In fact, I switch more and more frequently as the blog goes on. This may be due to the fact that, as the game progressed the the story became deeper, I identified more and more with the protagonist. I felt fear where he should feel it, and disgust when discovering his (my?) past.

Whether it's a testament to the quality of Frictional's work or my inadequacy in writing this style (trying to convey the story of someone else is difficult) is entirely up to you. The world I was drawn into was fantastic, if not a bit underdeveloped. I had too many unfulfilled questions by the end, and too many frayed threads remained blowing in the wind of horrific mystery. Where did The Orbs come from? Exactly WHAT was Alexander? The ending too was a bit of a let down. Well, scratch that; the ending was a fucking atrocity. All that build up for a 5 minute scene where nothing is explained and almost nothing happens. After crawling through the depths of insanity, I'd expected a bit more for my troubles.

Regardless, I had fun and was scared shitless. So much so that I feel lonely without it; the adrenaline that came with the fear, the nervous discovery of the unknown, the realization that I'm a fucking lunatic - all of it can only be offered by horror games. Amnesia delivered it in spades, more so than any other title I've played. That's why I'm now setting my sights on Penumbra (the series Frictional Games developed before). It plays the same and apparently offers excellent fear as well (with a great story to boot).

Yeah, I probably need help. Then again if you read this whole thing, so do you.

SOME NOTES:

• I originally posted a couple videos, but stopped. I was having problems with FRAPS and everything came out too dark and too compressed. I'm still figuring it out, but if I do anything for my Penumbra playthrough I might just use Hypercam.
• You may notice the pictures I took become very bright half way through the blog. That's because half way through, I discovered I could adjust the brightness of the photos. I did so in order to give you (readers) a better look at the world of Scare-the-Pants-Off-You-Nesia. What I didn't account for was my shitty old monitor. It changes brightness depending on where you view it from. I sit slightly below the screen so while I see the changes images as being perfect, I eventually learned that to most readers they look like pixilated shit. Again, live and learn.
• The game too me exactly 9 hours to beat, and I did so on January 19th, 2011. I wrote up the last couple blog entries at work on a midnight shift. I'll probably roll through them again in order to edit them.
• The Prison was the climax of the game in terms of fright.

Beyond the Infinite

The finale of Daniel’s adventure was approaching. Though he’d re-learned much of what he had chosen to forget, Daniel was a new man now. It was unlikely he could ever obtain salvation – The Shadow would no doubt kill him. But as long as Alexander came along for the ride, it would all be worth it.

Then there was the matter of my favourite head-in-a-bag, Agrippa. He requested I wait until the gate was open, and then send his head through it. I’m no master of the paranormal or occult, so I figured I’d let the talking head do the thinking.

Descending a narrow passageway brought me to the gate of the Inner Sanctum – closed. This area was very different from the rest of the castle, seemingly ancient. This had to be the start of it all – the entire structure existed to serve and shield this one place. In order to progress any further, a sacrifice was required. Alexander had set up safe-guards it seems; even at this late stage, more was required. I had to give an offering of body and mind. With no other volunteers, I gave my own.

My blood drained into strange symbols and my sanity decreased. I gave all I could and sure enough, the giant door opened. I wasn’t even crawling but instead dragging myself, inch by painful inch, towards the goal. My vision was blurred, stained with blood. Noises came from nowhere and everywhere, shapes and faces materialized out of thin air. None of it could stop me, stop Daniel, from reaching the Baron. After what seemed an eternity I passed the door to my goal. After everything that had happened, all the dangers I’d faced, all the horror I’d witnessed, I was finally here: The Inner Sanctum.

Daniel’s strength regained almost instantly, the magic in the air revitalized him. Three Orbs surrounded a pedestal, electrifying the object on it. Giant rocks floated above, gravitated by the power of The Orbs. At the other side of the room controlling it all was Baron Alexander. At long last, we met for the first time since Daniel was reborn.

He mocked Daniel for drinking the potion, for his short-sight. He asked if I was so sure he was evil, that Agrippa was good. The bastard was forming the portal, the gate, directly before my eyes.

He apologized, stating I couldn’t come, and that The Shadow would consume me. He was right about that, I was sure. There was no escape from the Guardian of the Orb, not anymore. But Alexander wasn’t going anywhere either. I had the option to let him go – I could have just let him leave. I also could have stopped it all – destroyed the pillars holding the Orbs. Deny Alexander his greatest wish and fulfil Daniel’s need for revenge. But I had made a promise and found a purpose beyond human vengeance. Helping Agrippa, a prisoner of centuries, pass through the gate himself would be the only worthwhile thing Daniel had ever done. I decided there that what little time Daniel had left in his new life wouldn’t be dictated or remembered as simple bloodlust. As the portal opened I retrieved Agrippa’s head and placed it inside. Alexander screamed, enraged, stating I had ruined us both. Everything the Baron was had been placed into this ritual, into the orbs. As the gate closed with its new occupant, Alexander screamed and was wiped from existence. He left behind no body, no trace. In a single instant Daniel’s former friend, mentor, corrupter, and deceiver vanished into the nether. Centuries of murder, torment, and lies were avenged in that singular act.

 

Yet the victory was short lived. Before I could even contemplate it being all over the room exploded in fury. The Shadow had finally arrived and it was time to pay it its due. With one attack the little strength Daniel had left in his legs gave out. His vision turned to black and he fell from life. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Or was he? Out of the blackness of death came light – distant at first, then moving past. Like the stars passing by, this strange vision continued as Daniel heard Agrippa’s voice. He spoke to his pupil, Weyer, pointing Daniel out to him. He states that Daniel deserves much more than this after all he did to help him. Whether he received it or not is beyond me, as the stars continued moving faster and faster past him. The screen slowly faded, and Daniel’s spirit travelled through infinity. 

And whatever lay beyond.

Storming the Beach

In turns out that I wasn’t that far from my destination. The small prison I had been kept in wasn’t located near the actual Prison as I’d feared. It seems it was the temporary jail for those brought through the sewers from the actual Prison in preparation for the “Warding Ritual”.

I had returned to the top of the well where I had made another escape (from The Brute, if you recall). The door I emerged from had previously been locked; I was only a single haunted staircase away from Agrippa.

The Shadow though, had already made quite a mess.

The once smooth walls were covered in the infection, it was seeping out of the well. I moved away and down the staircase, itself covered in growth, to the chamber above Agrippa. The Shadow’s filth had one positive effect it seemed – the laboratory was broken open. With great haste, I began my career as a junior chemist.

Mixing the ingredients together created a disgusting potion, its taste most likely only rivaled by Buckley’s. With curiosity, I realized I actually had no idea what it was supposed to do. I only knew that it would help Agrippa to escape from his bonds. Most likely, it would restore some vitality to the dead husk he was confined in, allowing him to journey with me to our mutual oppressor. A little company wouldn’t be half bad right about now, even if it was a crazy centuries old occultist.

I brought the mystery drink down to him, much to his delight. The potion, apparently, would preserve his life in such a way that I would be able to take him with me to the finish.

 He stated, very matter-of-factly, that if he drank it I would be able to cut his head off without killing him, and then carry it to the gate. It had to be the stupidest, craziest, most horrific plan I’d ever heard in my entire life.

Naturally I went along with it.

With a bone saw I tore through the alchemist’s neck. If Agrippa was in any pain he certainly didn’t show it or voice any disapproval at my decapitation skills. Armed with my latest (and weirdest) item, I moved on. Finally, I was ready to desecrate the Inner Sanctum.

Carefully moving to the bridge, I surveyed the area to make sure I wasn’t going to be rushed by five Gatherers again. Once I was positive I was alone I returned to the electrified hallway and reassembled The Orb. It was larger than I imagined but it emanated the ethereal blue I had expected. The mystic object drained the power from the defence and in a few seconds the way was clear.

Finally, after everything he’d been through, Daniel returned to the place where it all began and where this entire fucking mess would end.

Into a Corner

Nothing returned to terrible reality as Daniel awoke.

I come for the conversation.

A Gatherer starred at the Englishman across rusted bars. I hadn’t been killed, but rather imprisoned. Alexander’s voice invaded my mind as I stood, shaking with each movement. He explained that to kill Daniel so close to the Inner Sanctum would serve only to anger The Guardian of the Orb, leaving Alexander himself vulnerable. Instead I was to rot in this cell and wait for The Shadow to come and rip me limb from limb, devouring my very soul and satiating its bloodlust.

Obviously, I had no intention of letting that happen. If I was going to die, I was going to make sure that manipulative son of a whore went down with me.

The Gatherers possessed limited intelligence, and as neglected to strip Daniel of any possessions. Not that it mattered much in a cesspool such as this. The area seemed well lit, but enough none of my items could force the lock. I examined the room, searching for some weakness in the structure as the prison warden wandered out of the holding cell area. I was alone, and seemed to have plenty of time to engineer my escape.

Figures I'd speak too fucking soon.

As I methodically turned over the cell looking for escape a familiar noise surrounded me. A feral scream, far away yet close enough to touch. As it reverberated off of the cobblestone the walls and floors began to change into a bloody, flesh-like growth. The Shadow had wasted no time in hunting The Orb's thief. I had maybe a minute before it destroyed me.

Panicking I found a section of the wall that was loose yet I couldn’t pry it open by hand. I forced a small, rusted piece of the prison bars loose to use as leverage. Even as I did the Guardian spread itself, consuming more and more of the cell. It attacked me, lacerating Daniel’s skin as I frantically attempted to open up my only avenue of escape. After what seemed at eternity a hole had formed and I crawled through, barely escaping death. 

Conversation sucked.

I emerged from the neighbour cell and began working on the door out of the area. It didn’t matter if the Gatherer was directly outside – the Shadow was spreading. The other cells were filling, the growth spreading out. Never before had I seen it contaminate a room so quickly. I had to escape before it consumed Daniel too. After locating the key I hurried out, further enraging The Guardian. It was angry, furious, and violent. I had been right there! It had me within its teeth, a mere moment from slamming down and crushing me whole. But once again, some lone human had managed to evade it.

This time, it wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

As I left the room it howled in rage and I knew I had to run. Even before the door I’d just closed exploded in anger I began sprinting. Daniel moved as fast as I could make him. The walls shook with The Shadow’s hatred and the growth infected everything. I turned corners, ran through water and slammed doors in its path with only one goal – escape. Slowly it gained, destroying everything in its path. Daniel came across yet another door and in terror tried opening it several times before I realized debris was blocking it. I began picking up stones and planks and throwing them away, catching a glimpse of the corner down the hall as it exploded into utter chaos. The Shadow was almost upon me – I unblocked my escape and dared one look back before throwing myself into its. It’s hard to describe seeing something that technically isn’t there but the way the air moved, the sounds, the very feel told me I had only seconds before I was dead. Wasting no more time I slammed the door shut and threw myself into the next room.

It seemed as though I had escaped – The Shadow could not stretch itself any further in such a short time. Again it screamed, having failed to kill the mortal who stole its charge, its Orb. I had only just made it out, but I knew it was only a temporary setback for the hunter. It was spreading faster and faster and soon there would be only one place left to go.

Between Alexander, Daniel, Agrippa, and The Shadow, the Inner Sanctum was about to become a very busy place.

The Final Pieces

The Transcept was to be the penultimate destination in my journey. I still had no idea how I was going to open the lab in order to concoct the potion Agrippa requested – but I’d figure out something. Regardless, the last ingredient of the elixir – vitae, wouldn’t be hard to acquire. If there was one thing these torture rooms provided plenty of, it was blood; blood, and a guilty conscience.

Returning to the Nave and quickly visiting with Agrippa, I moved forward to the last of the torture chambers. The Transcept itself was a beautifully designed area – cathedral like, with gothic architecture. Stained glass windows let soft blue light flood the area (though how much of the light was real and how much supernatural I couldn’t guess). The openness worried me at first as any creature that came in would be able to gaze upon my unobstructed. 

Regardless I pressed on to each of the cells. 

With each one I found yet another piece of the orb and more of Daniel’s memories returned. The screams of the tormented flooded the ears of their tormentor and Daniel’s sanity wavered. Yet despite this I moved on and soon was done. The pieces were collected and I’d filled a pot up with fresh blood collected from a gutter beneath one of the contraptions. It was ghoulish, but the only way I could obtain the vitae necessary. After, all that remained in the Transcept was a circular staircase leading up. Curious I ascended, discovering a small study belonging to Alexander with supplies and information. 

Our enemy had been alive a very long time indeed, having a presence in Illuminati-type groups and connections to various ancient governments. Or at least, he did. His time in our world was drawing to a close and incidents involving Napoleon’s defeat had forced him to retreat to his castle. I knew that the Baron must be preparing the portal in the Inner Sanctum right now, back to wherever he originated. Time was running short, and I still had no idea how to get into the lab. My only choice was to breach the Inner Sanctum, and hope the answer lie within.

There was also the matter of Alexander’s threat, that he couldn’t let me progress any farther. Despite these words I had obtained the rest of the orb without issue. It seemed I would have to wait until we met in person to learn what he had planned.

Moving out of the Transcept I was set upon by a vision, a memory. It startled me and sent me away – away from the castle, to a small farm on the outskirts. I’ve mentioned before that the local countryside could only have had so many prisoners for Alexander to use. It wasn’t enough – all the bodies offered to The Orb had run out. Daniel was going to be killed before Alexander was done with him, so they came up with an alternative. They begin kidnapping innocent villagers.

It was the final piece of the puzzle, the last memory needed to truly understand why Daniel had drank the amnesia potion. He’d become so corrupted by darkness that in his attempt to escape The Shadow and preserve himself, he’d become something even worse. He’d become his own monster, slaughtering the innocent for his own gain. He’d become Alexander. But once the Baron denied Daniel, locked him out of the Inner Sanctum, Daniel thirsted for revenge. He realized he’d been used; he’d been twisted and perverted into something terrible. Alexander had dangled the carrot of freedom in front of him, and our friend marched along blind to his own changes.

I left the Transcept ready to face the Baron and end the darkness. I was filled up with supplies – good health, lots of tinder and plenty of oil. I had the pieces of the orb ready to reassemble on the pedestal. I also had the ingredients for the magician, Agrippa, my fellow only ally. I returned to the bridge leading towards the Inner Sanctum, ready and able to stop the Baron.

The Baron though, had other designs for me.

Oh shit!

OH SHIT!

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

 Everything returned to nothing as shock and pain carried Daniel away…

Paranormal Tesla

The next stone in my path was the Transcept. Before I continued on my journey through Daniel's heart of darkness however, I decided to pay a visit to the outskirts of that most revered of locations - The Inner Sanctum.

The entrance was obvious enough. A path from my friend Agrippa led to a very large, open chamber. Four separate walkways connected the central structure, each leading to a different area. A single Gatherer patrolled at the far end - a mere annoyance at this point.

TRADITIONAL FIRE

This chamber seemed different from the rest of the castle, older. As if the entire structure I'd come to fear - The Wine Cellar, Study, Storage, Prison, Morgue, Sewers, and Choir had all been built around this one venue. It was as if this place had been the start of all the misery that surrounded Baron Alexander. The flames of the torches burned an unnatural blue, illuminating the surrounding darkness in such a way that everything seemed to be larger than it was. This was an abode of the occult, of mysticism and magicks. I pressed on past the bridge, forward to the destiny that ultimately awaited Daniel.

With great trepidation, I introduced myself to the room that would play host to the beginning of the end. Agrippa certainly wasn't kidding about the barrier.

I quit.

Between the opening of the passage and the end lay a large, circular hallway filled with electricity. This was the defense Agrippa spoke of, the one I needed the Orb to penetrate. If I was right, Alexander possessed multiple Orbs on the other side of this damnable machine. I needed only one to grant me access to my vengeance. Beside me was the very pedestal that I would place my Orb into, granting the audience I'd so long desired.

Who lights all these things?

With no way to proceed forward, I left this hallowed ground and returned to the Nave. On the way back Alexander contacted me telepathically and he wasn't pleased. After seeking his help and using his abilities, I had the nerve to try and stop him, to bring The Shadow into the Inner Sanctum. He was right. He had helped Daniel, given him shelter. If it hadn't been for Alexander, Daniel would have died a brutal death in London.

You kind of sent monsters after me.

But despite all this I knew the truth. Alexander has used our protagonist, took him in with the goal of stealing his Orb and using it for himself. He taught Daniel how to extract the vitae, then became surprised as evil started to creep into his heart. An immortal being he may be, but Alexander is no master of the human mind. He considered himself better than Daniel and yet from my viewpoint he was worse - a master teaching an apprentice how to butcher, then throwing the apprentice away once he'd done all the work.

Again telepathically the Baron apologized, stating Daniel had come too far. He had something in store for our British friend, something in the near future. Unfazed, I moved on.

With only three pieces to go, I entered the Transcept to finish re-assembling the Orb, rediscover Daniel's past, and put a stop to the monster in human skin known as Baron Alexander.