Reviewed On: Xbox 360
Available For: PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
Publisher: Lexis Numérique
Developer: VectorCell
Genre: Survival Horror
Age: 16 (PEGI)
It’s January and as always, many are feeling the pinch of an expensive festive season. We’ve all spent our money on socks and pants – but not for ourselves – for others. So along comes AMY, a cheap game with expensive promise.
Amy is a girl shrouded in a vale of darkness and misery, a mute whose problems run deeper than that of any normal child. The reason for her being on the train accompanied by Lana is unclear; it’s also unclear as to why she has to see a doctor. One can only assume it’s for reasons of a psychological nature. She’s a special girl with special powers, immune to the virus outbreak and a harbourer of special abilities. She even immunises those that come in contact with her. It’s because of this reason that Lana needs to stay so close, and the very reason why some of the puzzles require the two to split-up for a short while.
Although combat has its place in AMY, it’s not at the heart of this dark and pitiful adventure, there’s more of an emphasis on hiding and using your wits to get round enemies. There’s a deep-rooted sense of fear when you know you can’t burst into a situation like a modern day cowboy at a zombie infested O.K. Corral. Patience and cunning are both needed in plentiful supply.
Graphically, things aren’t fabulous, but for the budget price of 800 MP (around £6.86), it’s not too bad at all. What does however let the package down is the often niggly control system. When an object of interaction is approached, you want to be able to utilise it quickly and easily, but it’s often far too temperamental. The same goes with the interactions with Amy, she often lets go of Lana’s hand for no reason and even gets trapped behind closed doors.
Checkpoints are far and few between, and with difficulty spikes ranging from slightly tricky to totally absurd, the replaying of parts can become an arduous and exasperating task. Prepare to die, prepare to replay.
Measuring in at somewhere between 5 and 8 hours of puzzling gameplay depending on difficulty, there’s a large amount of content for such a small price. The ideas and concepts are genuinely unique and mind-blowing; the execution however doesn’t quite cut the mustard. It’s enough of a challenge to be fun, but it’s also buggy enough to be frustrating.
SCORE: 5 / 10
PROS: Genuinely scary in parts, fantastic price, quite lengthy.
CONS: Object interactions are slugggish, checkpoints are scarce, controlling Amy can be a nightmare.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here