Nailing down the right length for a game can be tricky, to say the least, not least because the perfect length for an experience can vary wildly depending on what genre it falls in. Horror games, for instance, tend to be relatively shorter games, and that’s something that is going to be true of Frictional Games’ upcoming Amnesia: The Bunker as well.
Speaking in a recent interview with GamingBolt, Amnesia: The Bunker’s creative lead Frederik Olsson revealed that the horror title will be roughly 4-6 hours long on average, though he went on to add that depending on players’ decision making, as well as other factors such as the game’s dynamic and random nature and the player’s skill level, that length could vary quite a bit, especially when replays are taken into account. Olsson added that the primary focus in Amnesia: The Bunker is “not necessarily on its length but instead on the challenge of surviving.”
“For the average player, we estimate the playtime of a single playthrough to be around 4-6 hours, but it can vary quite a bit,” Olsson told GamingBolt. “The game’s focus is not necessarily on its length but instead on the challenge of surviving. So while some players may finish the game in as little as four hours, others may take their time to explore, think about their next move, experiment, and strategize. In the end, the duration of the game will be significantly influenced by the player’s skills and courage, as well as their preferred playstyle and decision-making. Also, the dynamic and random nature of the game will make each playthrough unique and different, so players can easily get more hours out of the game by replaying it.”
A runtime of 4-6 hours is, of course, shorter than previous Amnesia games developed by Frictional Games, with The Dark Descent and Rebirth both being roughly 8-10 hours long, though neither of those two had a semi-open world design or more dynamic and randomized gameplay elements like The Bunker will.
In the same interview, Olsson also spoke with us about Amnesia: The Bunker’s darkness and light mechanics and how its semi-open world map will be structured. Our full interview will be live soon, so stay tuned for that.
Amnesia: The Bunker launches on May 16 for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Check out the game’s most recent trailer through here for more gameplay and story details.
