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| “ | Have you noticed how the rats have changed down here lately? Ever since they opened up those tunnels, I swear the rats have gotten uglier. Like they're disfigured or something. And they're definitely more aggressive. |
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| ~ Soldat Chanard's note about the changed nature of the rats. |
The Rats (also known as Dark World rats) are an enemy type in the 2023 horror survival game Amnesia: The Bunker. Much like the beast in the same game, and the harvesters/ghouls from Amnesia: Rebirth, they were originally normal brown rats that ingested water from another world, transforming them into mutated, hostile creatures with nothing short of torturous and murderous intent.
This transformation has given the rats a much stronger sense of being sentient, as well as being far more morally aware of their actions, given the nature of what the otherworldly water does to those who drink it. Their role in the game is to act as pestering obstacles, rather than fully-fledged enemies.
Biography[]
History[]
The game takes place during the first World War in 1916, along the Western Front in France, with the French fighting off the Germans. The game takes place in a French bunker, given the game's title, and was constructed around the same year as when the game takes place. The run-down, dirty state of the bunker has attracted many brown rats.
After the main protagonist - Henri Clément - has suffered a grave injury after attempting to save his best friend, Augustin Lambert. The injury has left Henri in a comatose state. During Henri's time in his coma, Augustin has transformed into a hideous, murderous creature that has systematically killed everyone in the bunker.
Sometime before or during Henri's coma, an excavation took place to dig into a Roman tunnel, and ever since then, the rats were discovered to have mutated into larger, more aggressive versions of themselves. This was because the mutating water was found in this area, which the rats were able to reach. By the time Henri wakes from his coma, the beast has left corpses lying around, dotting all areas of the bunker, with some of them being constantly fed on by the rats. There are no brown rats left alive in the game, meaning that they either starved out and/or were killed by the mutated rats.
Description[]
Unlike standard brown rats, which are smaller, harmless and would scurry at the sight of humans, the dark world rats are much more aggressive, territorial and utterly fearless of humans. The transformative water that the rats drank causes those who drink it to not only mutate, but are also given a specifically dark purpose: to torture and indulge in murderous acts. In one of Augustin Lambert's notes just prior to transforming, he said he was feeling an addiction to "sex, blood and flesh".
This is further evidenced by notes and flashbacks of people in Amnesia: Rebirth who drank the transformative water. They said that they felt a strong, never-ending hunger, and that they had a purpose to torture others. In that game, it was revealed that the water was meant to turn things into servants of the Other World, more specifically, Empress Tihana. Those who turn into harvesters are controlled by "Ankhari stones", which have the power to keep harvesters enslaved. Their purpose was to torture and kill others, then use the blood of the victim to sustain the Empress' life, using a substance in the blood known as "vitae", which is created when living things are under immense pain.
Given the strong urges of hunger that ghouls attain during transformation, the rats will endlessly feed on corpses. If Henri is close enough to a group of rats, they will shriek at him, but if he gets too close, they will bite him. Shrieking rats can be very dangerous, as they can attract the beast's attention. The rats are shown to be very agile and quick when biting, as even trying to jump over them will result in getting bit. The only way to permanently get them away from a corpse is to dump fuel on it, then burn it, as rats will not feed on burnt corpses. Some rat-infested corpses are blocking the path to some areas of the bunker, which means Henri must set them ablaze to make progress, or at least use temporary measures to force or lead the rats away.
Despite the rats' aggression, there are a few ways that rats can be scared off or led somewhere else: chunks of meat are an item in the game, and when thrown near rats, they will leave their respective corpse and eat the meat for a few seconds. Blowing up an entire group of rats or shooting them one by one will kill them, but this can be considered a waste of resources since more rats will eventually come back to a corpse. Despite the enhanced strength and healing properties of harvesters, the rats can still be killed. This may be due to their size. Gas grenades and flares can keep rats away for as long as they are active. Crafting a torch with cloth and a stick and waving it will also temporarily scare them away. The beast prowling around can also scare away rats if he is close enough to them.
If Henri's health is below 100%, he will start bleeding. The more damage he's taken, the more he will bleed. The blood will attract rats, which will follow him all around the bunker until Henri heals himself. Rats following a bleeding Henri are very dangerous, as they can shriek when they get close enough, attracting the beast's attention from anywhere. Following rats can also attack Henri, lowering his health further and attracting even more rats. Once Henri stops the bleeding, the rats lose interest and disperse. If playing the game in "Shell Shock mode", or "Custom mode" with the "hardcore health" option enabled, Henri will continuously lose health from a bleeding status effect, further assuring the presence of the rats. In easier difficulties, using a bandage or Medkit can heal a portion of health, or all of it, respectively. With the hardcore health mechanic, bandages will only stop bleeding, instead of healing. This means that only Medkits can heal with that mechanic.
There are countless amounts of holes in the walls, allowing rats easy access to and from anywhere in the bunker. It is through these holes that they can reach a corpse, or Henri if he is bleeding. Rats can also use the larger holes that the beast crawls in and out of. When the playing the game on custom difficulty, the player is able to customize the rats' aggressiveness and damage done by them, as well as the amount of rat-infested corpses dotted around the bunker.
Behavior[]
The dark world rats are somewhat fearless, fiercely aggressive and always in a state of hunger - traits that harvesters are programmed into having. This includes the addiction to blood and flesh, which is seen if Henri is bleeding. No matter how much time goes by, the rats will constantly follow Henri, as they will always have his scent for blood. Henri bandaging himself is the only way to stop this.
The beast is the only creature that the rats do not attack, and will scurry in fear when he's nearby. This is because both the beast and the rats have mutated into the same type of creature, and therefore do not have the scent of each other. This means that the beast is no more than a large obstacle for the rats. The beast reaching his arm out of a hole in a wall to feel what's there will also scare off the rats. The beast, in return, pays no mind to the rats, but will react negatively when hearing their screeching.
Aside from the beast, the rats fear fire, as an active flare will scare them off, as does waving a lit torch near them. However, if a rat is cornered while a torch is being waved in front of them, they will take the opportunity and bite Henri regardless. Although harvesters can heal faster than beings that are unaffected by the Other World's water, this does not seem to be the case for rats.
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Penumbra | ||