Soma dev reveals "unscripted" WW1 horror Amnesia: The Bunker

Frictional Games, the studio behind masterful sci-fi horror Soma, has announced a new entry in its acclaimed Amnesia series. It's called Amnesia: The Bunker and is heading to Xbox, PlayStation, and PC in March next year.

The Bunker - which will be the fourth Amnesia game, following on from The Dark Descent, A Machine for Pigs, and last year's Rebirth - promises to be something a little bit different, favouring "unscripted" semi-open-world horror over its predecessors' more linear scares.

"For the first time, players are equipped with high levels of freedom to impact gameplay, choosing their playstyle as they explore at will," Frictional explains in its announcement. "With hardly any scripted events, and constant tension brought about by an ever-present threat, it is up to each player to finesse their approach to survival."

Frictional calls The Bunker a "pivotal point" for the Amnesia series, and says it'll incorporate emergent gameplay and sandbox elements as players - in the role of a French soldier hunted by an "adaptive" otherworldly creature - explore a dimly lit World War 1 bunker armed with a revolver and noisy dynamo flashlight. Its dingy corridors will likely trigger a few nightmarish flashbacks for fans of Frictional's pre-Amnesia Penumbra games.

Frictional says The Bunker's sandbox set-up encourages players to "explore and experiment, using wits and whatever tools are at their disposal" to overcome the game's various challenges, all of which have multiple solutions and approaches. Additionally, its unscripted nature means objects, threats, and resources will change on each play through, and players' decisions will affect how the game responds.

And if that has you intrigued, Frictional says it'll be sharing more on The Bunker "soon".