This 2012 Horror Flop Deserves Remaster Therapy

We have all bought games on our shelf that we haven’t had the chance to play yet — I particularly had a foul behavior as an adolescent of shopping for video games I needed to play after which by no means getting round to it. Reduce to me now, over a decade later, booting up my outdated PlayStation 3 that I’ve had without end; the basic Resident Evil and Silent Hill video games are on that system, and contemplating my obsession with Silent Hill f, I needed to dive again into the primary sport to get much more hype for the remake.

Among the many different video games I had are different survival horror titles from the early 2010s: I Am Alive, a demo of Telltale’s The Strolling Lifeless, and AMY, which had slipped below my radar up till now. Intrigued by the haunting melody from the sport launch, I made a decision now was the time to provide it a attempt.

I believe I purchased it for like $2 again then, and I bear in mind pondering that it was a steal. Now that I performed it some, nearly 15 years later, I would like my $2 again.

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Severely, everybody needs to speak about how Resident Evil 6 was, however man, AMY actually beat it for the worst horror sport (or truthfully, simply straight up worst sport) of 2012. What began with a strong hook shortly devolved right into a scorching mess.

As dangerous because it was, although, I could not assist myself sitting there and questioning: “How totally different, and the way way more satisfying, would this be if we bought a remaster as a substitute?”

Why was AMY Unanimously Hated?

In AMY, you play as a girl named Lana tasked with taking good care of a nonverbal, autistic baby named Amy, who additionally has particular psychic skills and an immunity to the latest plague that is infecting everybody and turning them into zombie-like monsters. It is an escort mission, nevertheless it has a novel premise with Amy herself and the way some mechanics are approached. For instance, you possibly can maintain Amy’s hand and information her round, however holding her hand can even heal you in a pinch.

So, what was so unsuitable with AMY that it was maybe the worst-rated, most unanimously hated survival horror sport of 2012, left to be fully forgotten by time? The reply is definitely so easy, it is painful: horrible controls.

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Severely, that is the one factor holding this sport again. The dangerous controls and horrible, sluggish gameplay could have you raging, which is a disappointment, since all the pieces else is truthfully positive.

The appearing had a little bit of camp, however there was a allure just like the basic Resident Evil video games. The puzzles had been convoluted, however I really like even Silent Hill’s most obtuse puzzles, so I do not actually care there, both. The story was strong, however completely shattered by the gameplay. It isn’t simply with the motion and fight, both; some issues within the code simply clearly weren’t thought via.

For instance, if you get hit by an enemy, Lana staggers backwards … together with if she’s hit from behind, inflicting her to stumble proper into an enemy’s grasp, and it makes issues worse from there. That is not even together with the amount of enemies thrown at you, even within the first correct stage.

To not point out, the digicam is heavy and unruly, the optimization is so horrible that operating lower than 20 FPS is the usual (which, too-low framerates give me complications, in order that wasn’t enjoyable), and the stealth does not even work half of the time (neither do your weapons). Principally, the sport is borderline unplayable and fully unfinished, stuffed with empty guarantees and rushed, half-baked concepts.

I used to be fortunate that I used to be capable of play it after builders launched a single patch so as to add extra autosave factors; in any other case, if I performed it upon launch, it will be actually unattainable to progress. I wish to suppose I am first rate at video video games; I do not usually die in tutorial areas/first ranges, however I struggled to get out of the prepare station a lot that I ended up simply turning the sport off. Even worse, once I bought again on, it began me proper on the very starting of the chapter, so the autosave did not even work.

Think about my disappointment upon looking the web for options, solely to seek out that that is the typical expertise for anybody enjoying the sport. The controls made it so tough that almost all gamers did not even make it 1 / 4 of the way in which via.

And contemplating how the sport truly has a very strong premise and neat concepts, I would wish to see the group attempt once more and convey their true imaginative and prescient to life.

Strong Premise, Shaky Execution

As talked about prior, this sport focuses on defending a nonverbal, autistic baby — and contemplating how this sport got here out in 2012, when there wasn’t numerous consciousness round disabilities (or something progressive in all honesty), it instantly stood out. Even now, you do not actually get numerous video games that carry incapacity to the limelight like this, whereas additionally making the characters not be fully helpless.

As an escort mission, Amy truly is not horrible. We have talked about how she’ll heal Lana when holding her hand, however different distinctive mechanics embody her with the ability to use telepathy to maneuver issues, create cones of silence, and shield us from our an infection, so she’s not ineffective within the slightest (many gamers complain that if you let go of her hand, she tends to wander away, and I get it — however as a trainer, I additionally perceive she’s a toddler and that’s age-appropriate habits).

If we stray from Amy for too lengthy, Lana will truly succumb to her an infection, so it is an incentive to maintain this little lady hooked up to your hip. Plus, she’s programmed to be curious in regards to the world, eager to discover with you, and drawing your consideration to something you missed.

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Certain, components of this dynamic are complicated (equivalent to Amy additionally with the ability to full-on hack doorways whereas we simply stand there, and the way it’s a must to ship her to sure areas that solely she will be able to squeeze via, however Lana clearly may also match), however the core of Lana and Amy’s relationship was sufficient to spark curiosity.

The sport truly has a very strong premise and neat concepts

So far as the precise plot and its characters go, it is not horrible. Not the clearest, however I like piecing collectively lore, the extra sophisticated the higher — and AMY’s story appeared like an honest basis. I used to be fairly intrigued once I first began, able to ignore the 15 FPS for the sake of a strong story and even good sound design, however as we all know, no quantity of excellent story might save the sport from its personal gameplay.

Due to Amy’s particular skills, she’s being hunted by a authorities group (referred to as the Phoenix Basis) that it’s a must to shield her from, since they plan to abduct her to take advantage of her powers. Admittedly, since I did not end it, I needed to lookup the remainder of the plot… and that is about it. The occasions of the sport are basically centered round this (nonetheless neat) premise.

As a lot as I used to be within the story, there was no incentive for me to make it to the tip — and that was totally due to the horrible management scheme and potato optimization. I might have liked to expertise this story correctly and to play the sport with the total richness that builders supposed, however that ship has lengthy sailed.

If gameplay is the one factor holding it again, the Remaster Resolution begins to look apparent if you consider it.

Horror Deserves to Shine

We’re within the Silver Age of Horror Gaming, with numerous remakes and remasters completely capturing the magic of our favorite video games, all whereas new and progressive titles proceed to blow us away. Now’s nearly as good a time as ever for AMY to get a remaster. It does not need to be a full-blown remake.

Mass Impact, for instance, had not solely a graphical overhaul within the Mass Impact Legendary Version (which is a remaster, not a remake), however a major gameplay replace as properly. The Mako was notorious for being bouncy and laborious to manage, however within the remastered model of the sport, it is as clean as butter. It isn’t even a remake, and but, any Mass Impact fan would let you know that the Legendary Version is one of the simplest ways to expertise the entire trilogy.

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All AMY wants is one thing related, some further TLC to nudge it in the best course. If this sport had been to be correctly remastered, with an entire overhaul of the controls and a push for higher optimization, I can see AMY truly being an extremely in style sport.

The story, characters, and every other survival horror staples can lastly be correctly appreciated, reasonably than being overshadowed by horrible gameplay — and even higher, it will truly be enjoyable to play via. The distinctive mechanics AMY options are begging to be seen and appreciated, and if there have been even a delicate refresh, they completely could be.

Apart from, what’s a greater redemption arc for a sport like this? It is both go down in historical past as one of many worst horror video games of all time, forgotten by the very style it desperately clung to love a toddler, or just attempt once more and probably come again stronger than ever. For AMY’s sake, I hope it is the latter.