Analogue horror can have a lasting impact on you because it feels real. It feels present, dragging you in and leaving you feeling like you shouldn’t be watching. Whether that’s found footage movies like Hell House LLC or Creep, or YouTube short films like The Mandela Catalogue or Backrooms, familiarity mixed with fear is a great formula. Amanda the Adventurer 3 ends the popular escape room horror with more creepiness. Watching those unnerving tapes with Amanda and her weird friends wraps the series off in familiar yet interesting ways.
MANGLEDmaw Games throws you into the story with aplomb. You continue to unravel the mysteries of Amanda and Hameln as Riley without having a chance to breathe. Returning players are getting similar style puzzles, albeit refined. The developers understand the landscape and while they follow similar ideas, they are executed with more clarity and focus. New players might feel lost as far as the story goes, but the concept of watching the VHS tapes, pausing, then trying to solve puzzles in the real world doesn’t take long to grasp.
There were times I struggled with some of the puzzles. However, observing every inch of your surroundings is key. Watching these analogue shorts of the uncanny valley kids tv show, then looking for answers in the real world is such a cool concept. Puzzles aren’t overtly difficult, but they do require you to pay attention to everything around you. If you’re coming into this with no prior knowledge, it’s imperative you realise the tapes hold all the answers. To pay attention is to succeed.
After solving each puzzle, you move to the next room, uncovering more of the story as you go. While I was never outright terrified, Amanda the Adventurer 3 is still creepy. Just watching the tapes is enough to leave you feeling uncomfortable. Some of the horrors within the cutscenes, background noises, and animations are just plain weird. Visually, it lacks polish. This might put off some gamers, but I believe it’s part of what makes the series loved by many people. It’s not pretty, but horror isn’t always supposed to be, is it?
For those fans who’ve stuck with the series from the beginning, it certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel. That’s not to say it won’t be enjoyable. It never tries to be something it’s not, rather take what made it popular and refine the experience. Horror is subjective. Who’s to say what one person finds scary isn’t what someone else finds silly. I think that’s why the analogue horror of it makes it so odd and uncomfortable. Having such layered and interesting puzzles keep players coming back, and now they feel more focused and engaging than they have done before.
Amanda the Adventurer 3 wraps the series off nicely. The puzzles have a nice mix of observation and experimentation. Answers are there, it just pays to keep your eyes peeled on all the little details. It’s not relying on the same tried and tested tropes of the genre. The horror comes from leaving an uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach. The tapes are creepy, the story is interesting, and the hunt for answers are what keeps you invested throughout the game.
