AMY (XBLA): "A Stealth Horror-Survival Game"

I followed the progress of "AMY" through trailers on Youtube long before it was released. It was a game that looked very promising to me. In fact I wanted to review it so bad that I sent in my review request early. I had kind of lost hope that I would get a response from 'VectorCell/Lexis Numerique (the developer)' after not hearing from them for an extended period of time. Fortunately I finally got the response I was looking for a day before the game was scheduled to be released. I was truly excited to be honest. After downloading the 1.55 GB game I began my attempt to complete the game, but as it sometimes happens I was unable to do so due to various factors concerning the game's gameplay mechanics. In the end I made it to chapter/level 2, and was unable to complete it. In the following paragraphs I will give you the basic story behind the game as well as the faults I encountered while attempting my playthrough ...

AMY is a horror-survival game that utilizes stealth, and combat gameplay. The story revolves around a mysterious young girl named 'Amy' who has special abilities. These special abilities aren't made apparent initially, but become more recognizable as the game's story unfolds. The game itself begins with a train ride in which 'Lana (Amy's caretaker)' is desperately trying to get Amy away from a facility in which she was being held. Her goal is to get Amy the help she needs through a female contact she knows. Unfortunately for Lana, and Amy the train ride comes to a sudden and unexpected end as they crash into a security facility that is overrun with infected people and creatures. When Lana awakes from the concussion she received she finds that Amy is missing. She immediately begins her search for the lost child among the train wreckage, and ultimately throughout the location she finds herself in. Lana ends up finding out that she is not alone in her search for Amy, and that there's a more sinister evil out to get her. The apocalyptic tale is told through Lana's perspective as she tries her best to save Amy from those who would use her for evil purposes.

The gameplay in "AMY" is one point where the game truly falls apart. To start off with the game's controls are overly complicated, and feel awkward at times. Movement in the game feels clumsy, and sneaking past certain areas in the game can become a chore. The stealth, and survival aspects of the game were both poorly executed. I ended up having to repeat certain areas in the game simply, because I was unsure how to complete them. Often times I found myself wandering aimlessly trying to figure out where to go, and what to do next. The only navigation system in the game involved finding the correct DNA scanner sequences, and it was totally unreliable for the most part. In chapter two I made it close to the end, but spent about an hour trying to find the correct DNA sequence to open a security door. It was at that point I gave up on any hope of completing the game.

The graphics in "AMY" were definitely not what I had expected. When I watched the youtube trailers the game had seemed very polished, and everything about it looked like something Capcom would have created. When I watched the initial train sequence I was thinking to myself this should have been done in a widescreen ratio similar to that of "Resident Evil 4". The characters seemed to be elongated in the intro sequence, and the interactions themselves were overshadowed by poor visuals. The voice acting was horrible in the game, and the character's mouths and facial features didn't really go with what was being said. On top of that the entire sequence had glitches, and lags. I did not see this in any of the trailers I'd watched on youtube. Throughout the game there were points where the graphics looked as if they were of "Playstation 2" quality. It kind of reminded me of some of the older "Silent Hill" games. I also found that some of the enemies/characters in the game looked terrible. Especially that giant troll-like creature you had to hide from at one point in the second chapter. Overall the game was a disaster when it came to graphics.

At this point in my review you're probably wondering why I should bother with a conclusion paragraph. I feel that my review pretty much speaks for itself, but it's best you read it from me personally ... In the end I found "AMY" to be a major disappointment. It let me down in more ways than any other game I have played. After watching the numerous youtube trailers I had expected great things from "AMY". Unfortunately games don't always go the way we hope they would. The main issues I had with "AMY" were the lack of a good navigation system, the complicated/awkward controls, and the overall graphics in the game. I wish the game would have been as good as it looked in the trailers, but that just wasn't the case. In doing this review I hope my words don't seem harsh, and that the developer doesn't take it in that context. As far as my suggestion goes I'd have to say skip this game.