Yesterday, the first gameplay of Friction's 1930s horror adventure "Amnesia: Rebirth" was unveiled for the first time. Today, Friction's Creative Director Thomas Gripp revealed some of the ways the studio has updated "Amnesia: The Dark Descent" to make it feel like a "fresh experience."

The action in the gameplay trailer released yesterday is very Amnesian, with too much darkness, frightening things hiding, and doors not opening immediately. However, the small changes to the gameplay bring "many benefits" to the overall experience, Grip wrote on the PlayStation Blog.

For example, instead of using a tinderbox to light torches, players will use matches. Matches can also be used as an additional source of light in a pinch, for a short time. But that opens the door to all sorts of interesting and entertaining (well, "fun") new innovations.

"For example, when in a dark tunnel," says Grip, "the player must choose whether to use the precious matches to help find the way or save them for a light source further on.

"Also, moving quickly will cause the matches to deplete faster, forcing the player to think slowly about what to do next.

"The timing of when the matches disappear may also be just when the menacing footsteps are approaching. It is also possible to simulate, without scripting, a player lighting a match and coming face to face with a terrifying creature. It's a moment straight out of a Poe story, but all built through dynamic gameplay.

The Dark Descent's sanity system will be updated to be "more reactive" and change the impact on the player: instead of simply fainting and falling to the ground, heightened fear will intensify the symptoms of a mysterious disease that the protagonist, Tashi Trianon, suffers from. Gripp said this approach draws on lessons learned from the slow-burn horror of "Soma": the worsening of Trianon's illness builds on a "core narrative motive," the details of which are of course never revealed.

Her condition is also related to "amnesia": the "failure system" in Rebirth determines what happens when a player is vanquished by a monster; in The Dark Descent, players teleport back a few levels, the environment is slightly changed and the action resumed. This eliminated frustrating repetition, but it also broke down to some extent once the player realized how it worked, or more specifically, that they could just power through it.

In Rebirth, failure is tied to a system of fear. Says Grip, "When Tasi is too frightened, her distress takes a harsh turn for the worse." 'There will be a visible change in her appearance, and worse, it will be of great narrative significance. If her affliction goes too far, it will threaten not only her own life but also the lives of her loved ones."

Vaguely, Friction was also cautious about Soma for obvious reasons, and it worked beautifully. I'm still not sure I want to actually play "Amnesia: Rebirth" on Steam on October 20; it will be available on Steam, Epic, and GOG on October 20; and I'm not sure I want to actually play "Amnesia: Rebirth" on Steam, Epic, and GOG on October 20.