Being in darkness too long, witnessing unsettling events, or staring at monsters will reduce Daniel's sanity, causing visual and auditory hallucinations and drawing the attention of monsters.
In addition to a health indicator, Daniel's sanity must be managed. This gives the player stealth, allowing them to peek out a barely-opened door or open it slowly to sneak away, but also adds to the player's sense of helplessness, as it is now entirely possible to attempt to push open a 'pull' door whilst danger approaches from behind. Few in-game objects are operated by toggle to open a door, for instance, the player must hold down a mouse button and then push (or pull)
The game retains the physical object interaction used in the Penumbra series, allowing for physics-based puzzles and interactions such as opening doors and fixing machinery. In a similar vein to the developer's previous games, Amnesia: The Dark Descent is an adventure game played from a first-person perspective.
