“In your more standard horror game, say the first Amnesia, the focus is to have players survive in a scary environment,” said Grip. “The intent is to evoke a very primal sense of fear. In Ontos, the focus is more cerebral. It is about encountering strange, often very disturbing, situations where the player is tasked with figuring out the best approach. So, where your typical Amnesia-like game has you encountering a stalking monster, Ontos puts you face to face with a man trapped inside a computer made out of rats.”

He went on to note that the design intention behind Ontos isn’t to make it “a stressful or scary game in the traditional sense.” Ontos isn’t going to simply be about survival. Instead, Grip described it as a more “hands-on experience” that will focus more on providing players with “heavy and thought-provoking themes. The goal is to evoke this deep existential terror that stays long after you finish playing.”

When it comes to puzzles—a staple of many survival horror games—Grip explained that the bigger ones will largely revolve around “interactive story scenes”, with smaller-scale standard puzzles spread out over the course of the game. Solutions to these puzzles will also be entirely up to the player to figure out, and there will be “a wide range of options on how to complete” them. It is also possible to “screw it all up” when it comes to puzzle solving, and Ontos will feature narrative consequences for these failures.

Grip has described these bigger puzzles, dubbed Experiments, as being the game’s highlights, and he went on to compare them to a typical boss fight from PS2-era classic Shadow of the Colossus. These larger sequences will often involve players simply participating in “extended preparation for the Experiments,” which will also have them test their tools and play around with the various interactions available.

“In a way, one can liken it to something like Shadow of the Colossus, where the boss fights are the core of the experience,” he explained. “Many sequences and areas of the game are basically just extended preparations for the Experiments. Testing tools, discovering ways of interacting, saving up resources, understanding the stakes and overall just collecting enough information to be able to overcome these complex and layered scenarios. […] Much of the game is built around the looming excitement and dread of what the next big Experiment will be like.”

Ontos was unveiled just last month with a trailer showing off some of its creepy visuals. The title is slated for release later this year on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, and features Stellan Skarsgård of Andor fame in a starring role.

“Since the release of Soma ten years ago, we’ve been hard at work trying to take that experience and bring it to the next level,” wrote Grip. “Something that pushes our gameplay, design scope, and philosophical themes further than we’ve ever gone before, and we’re finally able to show a little more for you today.”

Ontos will have players take on the role of Aditi, who has travelled to moon base Samsara after getting a message from her father that promises to explain the mysteries surrounding their past. Samsara itself has been described by Grip as being a shadow of its former glory, where every single inch is filled with mystery.

“We wanted it to feel lived-in and like a place players will want to explore every detail of,” he explained. “Every door can be opened, and every corner of the station has secrets that can lead to a deeper understanding of the story, clues on how to solve the next puzzle, and details revealing the truth of what happened there.”

Aditi will have to deal with plenty of strange things during her time at Samsara, including “complex Experiments” that she will have to partake in that will also make players question their own morality. According to Grip, Frictional Games has tried its best to ensure that these set piece Experiments are “nuanced and complex,” and players will get to experience “many potential outcomes and solutions”.

Grip also explained that Ontos isn’t really a traditional horror game. While it will have plenty of horrifying scenes, players don’t have to worry about being chased around by unkillable monsters like in the Amnesia series.

“Our game is complex and layered, and we want the tension to be more personal and cerebral rather than imminent danger from monsters – making players think ‘am I making the right decisions here? And if I’m not, what will the consequences be?’ That’s our goal with Ontos,” he wrote.

He also noted that quite a bit of Ontos came about thanks to lingering ideas that the studio had left over after having wrapped up its work on Soma. He also confirmed that the upcoming horror game – slated for release in 2026 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S – has been developed using a new proprietary game engine dubbed HPL4. Among other things, the engine helped the studio with creating big spaces with interconnectivity between its various stages. Grip described it as saying that “we wanted it to feel like ‘if you can see something from a window – you can go there.’”

Coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC in 2026, it stars Stellan Skarsgård of Andor fame and takes place in a repurposed hotel on the Moon. It’s not clear what’s going on, but there’s plenty of body horror mixed with cyberpunk and gruesomeness. And you thought the first trailer for Larian Studios’ Divinity was disturbing.

Stay tuned for more details on Ontos soon. In the meantime, you can check out our review for Amnesia: The Bunker, where players must survive in a World War 1 bunker while chased by a horrendous creature. It’s pretty free-form as you can experiment and outsmart the monster to survive (or die repeatedly and brute force your way through).

Frictional Games has released the first trailer for SOMA’s upcoming Switch release, which showcases brief glimpses of gameplay and sets the stage for the dive into PATHOS-II, the terrifying and desolate underwater research facility that serves as the stage for SOMA’s horrific tale. 

Frictional Games says port developer Abylight Studios has ensured that SOMA remains “a full, faithful adaptation” on the Switch. According to the developer, the port will tout “optimized performance, stunning visuals, and immersive sound design.”

A release date hasn’t been announced for SOMA’s Switch port. Frictional Games says it will be “compatible with the Switch 2” but a native version hasn’t been released. Meanwhile, Frictional Games and Abylight Studios are also working on Switch versions of Amnesia: Rebirth and Amnesia: The Bunker. 

There’s currently no word on when the three titles will be available for the platform, but Abylight has confirmed they will get both physical and digital releases. Additionally, the company will bring Amnesia Collection physically to the Nintendo Switch. The collection includes Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Amnesia: A Machine for Bigs, both of which have been individually available on the Switch since 2019. 

Amnesia: Rebirth, Amnesia: The Bunker, and SOMA are all available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The former two titles are also available on Xbox Series X/S and playable on PS5 via backward compatibility. Check out our review for the studio’s latest title, Amnesia: The Bunker.

There’s also a toggle mode for leaning and a Very Large font size for subtitles. Also, when selecting Reduced Camera Motion, camera shake is disabled, making for a smoother experience. Other improvements include better readability and aesthetics for some photos, fixing an issue that caused the “Toot Sweet” Achievement to not unlock at 120 FPS, and another that could lock players to the torch.

Check out the full patch notes below. Though the patch addresses several issues, Frictional encourages those facing any problems to send feedback here.

Amnesia: The Bunker is available for PS4, Xbox One, PC and Xbox Series X/S. Check out our review, where we awarded it an 8 out of 10.

Patch Log – Amnesia: The Bunker (Version 1.31)

• Added a new ‘Very Easy’ difficulty preset.
• Implemented a toggle mode for leaning.
• Increased the ‘Very Large’ subtitle font size.
• Disabled camera shake when ‘Reduced Camera Motion’ is enabled.
• Improved the aesthetics and readability of some of the photos.
• Resolved an issue where the player could get locked inside the torch state when the use item toggle mode was enabled.
• Fixed a bug where the fuse interact icon would appear when aiming a fuse at certain entities in the Officer Hub.
• Sorted out an issue that made it difficult to earn the ‘Toot Sweet’ achievement when playing on 120 FPS.

You can toggle rats to be passive and enable various modes for checking health, charging the flashlight and sprinting. The patch also offers fixes for issues like one that caused sluggish physics interactions at 120 FPS and localization-related problems with the inventory. Some quality-of-life improvements have also been added, like a subtitle preview and an option to hide the default crosshair.

Check out some of the patch notes below and full details here (though beware of spoilers). Amnesia: The Bunker is available for PS4, Xbox One, PC and Xbox Series X/S. Check out our review here. If you’re keen on upping the difficulty, the last update added Shell Shock Mode, which reduces the number of hiding places and a randomizer for items and hazards.

Patch Log – Amnesia: The Bunker | Accessibility Patch

Implemented various accessibility settings, including:

• Closed Captions
• Subtitle Directional Indicators
• Reduced Camera Motion
• Aim Assist
• Reduced Weapon Sway
• Reduced Enemy Perception
• Non-Aggressive Rats
• Lock Code Quick Access
• Physics Interaction Mode
• Sprint Mode
• Aim/Use Item Mode
• Reload Weapon Mode
• Charge Flashlight Mode
• Check Health Mode

Misc:

• Added a preview of subtitles in the subtitle options menu.
• Fixed various minor navigation and UI-related issues in the main and pause menus.
• Fixed a bug preventing the triggering of the “Toot Sweet” achievement.
• Resolved an issue causing physics interaction to feel sluggish at 120 FPS.
• Fixed multiple localization-related UI issues in the inventory.
• Added an option to the main menu to hide the default crosshair.
• Added an option to the main menu to use simple interact icons instead of the default, detailed ones.
• Fixed a bug where the left hand could be out of view when the inventory was open.
• Resolved an issue where the player could get stuck near the stairs in the Arena.
• Enabled the ability to equip/unequip the lantern while aiming the revolver.
• Fixed a visual bug with the water in the Flooded Storage on certain platforms.
• Improved leaning mechanics while aiming the shotgun.

The update was originally announced back in September, and is headlined by the addition of a new difficulty mode. Dubbed Shell Shock Mode, the game’s difficulty gets kicked up by quite a bit, since it reduces the number of space places for players to hide in. This includes the Admin Office, which is less secure owing to its doors now being made of wood.

Shell Shock Mode also brings with it a randomiser, shuffling up the locations of various items and hazards in the game. The update allows players to start a new playthrough of the horror game without even the basic handgun.

Amnesia: The Bunker was released back in June, and is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. For more details, check out our review.

Amnesia: The Bunker Halloween Update Patch Notes

General

• Added two new game modes, Shell Shock Mode and Custom Mode. They include the following new features:
• New Stalker behaviors that increases unpredictability
• A sublevel fuse system
• Hardcore version of the health system
• Randomized corpses and dog tags
• Randomized locker locations
• Revolver located in one of the lockers and not available from start
• Reduced safe room
• Fuel Storage door locked with a code lock
• Game not paused while in inventory
• New achievements for completing the game on the new game modes
• New save systems (saving costs fuel, no saving)
• Over 30+ settings to tailor your gameplay experience to your liking
• Added the Training Grounds, a new map accessible from the main menu after completing the game once.
• Added support for 120 FPS on PC.

Gameplay Improvements

• Improved resource and prop randomization.
• Enhanced the challenge of the Shotgunner encounter.
• Randomized the Shotgunner’s starting position on consecutive playthroughs.
• Wooden containers like crates and barrels can now spawn random resources when broken.
• Added a dog tag by the corpse in the cell in the Prison.
• The rats in the Hub are now active from the start on consecutive playthroughs.
• Traps in the Hub are now randomized on consecutive playthroughs.
• Removed the scripted rat trap event in Maintenance on consecutive playthroughs.
• Disabled player fall damage.
• Increased crawling speed when injured.
• Increased gas damage on Hard Mode.

Misc Fixes

• Fixed a bug where save slots could disappear.
• Added a Particle Quality setting that affects flare, gas, fire, and grenade entities/particles.
• Fixed an issue where the player could get stuck behind the generator.
• Fixed an issue where the torch was missing a flame on certain platforms.
• Fixed an issue where you could get locked inside the charge lantern state when moving between maps.
• Fixed an issue where the player’s hands could become misaligned after a cutscene animation played.
• The item highlight effect now works properly on meat items.
• Fixed an issue with player blood trails not spawning properly.
• Fixed an issue where the gun cylinder rotation would be incorrect.
• Fixed an issue where a hint on how to use fuel would appear when it shouldn’t.
• Resolved an issue where an item held in your right hand would move across the screen after charging the lantern.
• When disarming traps, the camera no longer rotates to random spots.
• Fixed missing letters in some names in the end credits.
• Fixed a culling issue inside the Warden’s Office in Prison.
• Reduced the Stalker’s collider size when inside the hurt state, to prevent it from blocking the player’s path.
• The moon should no longer be missing in No Man’s Land on some platforms.
• Fixed some instances of floating pickup items.
• Fixed a culling issue in the corridor outside the Break Room in Soldier Quarters.
• Fixed a hole in the geometry in Maintenance.
• Jumping up on the table in Administration no longer causes the room’s props to disappear.
• Resolved an issue where the left hand had a strange pose when certain items were equipped.
• The lighter animations have been properly synchronized when using a fuel bomb or a torch.
• The painting tripod in Delisle’s room now has proper collision.
• The big crates in Tunnels now use the correct texture.
• Fixed the strange-looking billboard by the sign leading into the Officer Quarters.
• Fixed a few instances where the Stalker could get stuck.
• Activating a root power switch now retains its state when leaving and returning to a map.
• Added a message when trying to use a medkit and bandage when your health is full.
• Fixed a rendering issue with the wood shot impact particles.
• The large wooden crate with rope handles can now be broken properly.
• Grenade explosions can now affect more entities.
• Fixed an issue where the crate blocking access to the Tunnels could get stuck.
• Removed an invisible obstacle when entering the Arena.
• Improved the Stalker’s animation when grabbing the player on the ladder.
• Improved the lockbox texture. They should now be easier to spot.
• Fixed an issue where the Stalker could start stalking the player from inside the holes before it should be able to do so.
• Equipping a fuel canister from the inventory no longer causes it to appear in the middle of the screen for a frame.
• Fixed an issue where shotgun ammo in the inventory didn’t register when trying to load the shotgun.
• Fixed a couple of issues where text would be rendered outside of the screen on certain aspect ratios.
• Fixed inconsistent behavior when breaking smaller crates.
• Large crates and wooden doors can no longer be broken with the revolver.

Shown off by creative lead Fredrick Olsson on social media platform X, Amnesia: The Bunker will be getting a new Shellshocked mode, which significantly reduces the number of space places for the player to hide in. The difficulty mode also brings other changes, like the game not pausing when you open up its menus.

The Admin Office location will also be less secure in Shellshocked mode, since its doors will now be made of wood, making them breakable. The mode also randomises the locations of its items and hazards, and provides players with the option to start a fresh game without their trusty pistol.

Amnesia: The Bunker was released on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S back in June. The game puts players into the trenches of World War 1, as protagonist Henri Clement finds himself trapped in an underground bunker where a vicious monster is on the hunt. For more details, check out our review.

Halloween Feature #1
Vacations are over, and we're working on a bunch of cool stuff for the upcoming "Halloween update" of Amnesia: The Bunker!
Here, showcasing a feature where some of the lockers in Mission Storage have been randomly placed out in the sub-levels. pic.twitter.com/gKqXBiOlaQ

— Fredrik Olsson (@LosFreddos) August 16, 2023

Halloween Update – Feature #2
Uh oh, in dire need of some important resources?! With this upcoming feature, you might just want to risk making some noise, as breaking certain boxes might reveal some sweet rewards! pic.twitter.com/4lvRxUo5py

— Fredrik Olsson (@LosFreddos) August 18, 2023

https://twitter.com/LosFreddos/status/1696538204395159593

Halloween Update – Feature #4
The upcoming Halloween patch will be switching things up even more with this feature that introduces new and randomized locations of corpses, dog tags and bunker rats. pic.twitter.com/xywTWFDYVi

— Fredrik Olsson (@LosFreddos) September 6, 2023

Halloween Update – Feature #5
Don't mess with my safe room!
Expect wooden doors in the Admin office when playing the new "Shell shocked difficulty" in the upcoming October update of Amnesia: The Bunker. pic.twitter.com/2WGyN8OYWz

— Fredrik Olsson (@LosFreddos) September 12, 2023

https://twitter.com/LosFreddos/status/1702330639561965882

“While all of our games have been horror in some way, what we really try to do is to get a kind of playable immersion,” said Frictional Games creative director Thomas Grip said. “We want to give the player some sort of immersive fantasy, be that being a [World War 1] soldier trapped in a bunker or a robot stuck at the bottom of the ocean.

“Horror games naturally are where emotions are front and centre. Games really excel at this. However, we are also exploring themes outside of making things spooky.”

Frictional Games is well-known for its horror games, which includes Amnesia: The Dark Descent, SOMA, and more recently, Amnesia: The Bunker. Grip states that the studio wants to explore other emotions as well, rather than taking core ideas and using them in a horror game, like it did with, for example, the concept of consciousness in SOMA.

“For future projects, I think we will cut back a bit on the horror aspects in order to give greater focus on other emotional qualities,” said Grip. “I am confident that these games will still feel like Frictional ones. The immersion, the personal journey, and a holistic vision are what I see as defining traits of a Frictional game — not just horror as such.”

The most recent release by Frictional Games, Amnesia: The Bunker, was released back in June. In our review of the game, we found it to be the best entry in the Amnesia series since Amnesia: The Dark Descent, thanks to its use of environmental design and mechanics, and its use of darkness.

Amnesia: The Bunker is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.