In any self-respecting survival horror, it's a bit of a struggle to bring home the skin. However, in Agony especially the opening lines, it will not be easy to survive at all. The demons we will encounter on our path are many indeed, often not even easily distinguishable from other damned souls; moreover, our status as a simple "damned soul" will make us particularly weak and exposed to practically any kind of danger. Precisely for this reason, this guide was born with the aim of providing a whole range of advice and solutions to the most common problems that you will face in the game, including perhaps the most obvious one: survive.
Agony How to survive in a circle of hell?
One of the very first advice we have to give you is to "keep your head down", in the sense of always keeping a low profile, making as little noise as possible and always paying close attention to your surroundings. Remember that you are in Hell and that, for this very reason, there will be demons on every street corner. According to what is now written, you must move with extreme caution, especially when you arrive at "intersections" and when you come across niches and recesses: always check that there are no "unpleasant surprises". Always keep in mind that, very often, demons will not be easily distinguishable from the damned you will meet, except when you are very close.
Never forget to thoroughly explore everything around you: this is the only way you'll find item of vital importance, such as apples, which we'll go into later, and save points. It Agony doesn't offer an automatic save function, so in order to avoid having to start all over again, you'll have to find Soul Mirrors. These items will present themselves as a set of human arms that develop around a painting. Interact with this grotesque item and save your progress in the game.
However, remember to interact with the various collectible items only when you're sure not to attract "unwelcome attention", as death is really just around the corner.
Always try to get the various collectible items
As said before, there Agony will be many collectible items, from paintings to cartoons, passing through statues of the various demons and demonic gods present in the game. Dwelling for a moment on the statues, to them is connected the trophy "Let yourself be looked at", which requires the discovery of all these items. Some statues will require you to perform certain actions as a requirement to unlock them in the game; as soon as you see one, come closer and collect it.
Secondly, a further category of collectible items is golden apples. In the course of your adventure Agony you will come across trees that give off a particularly intense light, especially when compared to the darkness that characterizes almost the entire gaming experience. If you stop to analyze these plants, you will find golden apples that, if you eat them, will give you an experience point, which can be used to develop the skills of our unfortunate protagonist.
How to develop the protagonist's skills
Immediately after completing the first missions Agony , we will meet the trees mentioned above, from which we will be able to pick the "forbidden fruit", the golden apples we have already talked about. Each of them will give us an experience point, which we may decide to spend to develop one of the skills in the possession of our protagonist. Our damned soul will be able to choose between four different skills, which provide, in simple terms: the possession of the Martyrs that we will meet during the game, less noise emitted when we make the possession of a martyr, the ability to hold your breath longer, and the ability to resist weak attacks.
Each of the skills now mentioned can be developed in three levels. Our advice is to prefer, before any other skill, the one related to the possession of martyrs. The reason for this is very early on: in the early stages of the game, it will be very easy for you to be killed by demons. Precisely for this reason, to avoid an untimely death, you will have to find another body to possess, and this skill will allow you to continue playing. Secondly, do not forget to also develop resistance to attacks, as it will be the only way to survive and escape, with a little luck, to the demonic creatures that we will meet on our way.
How to avoid demons and possess Martyrs
The first thing you'll have to learn, in Agony , is how to survive a "close encounter" with a demon. As mentioned at the beginning, these creatures are pretty much everywhere, and it won't always be easy to tell them apart. However, if you are convinced that there is a demon nearby, there are some stratagems you can follow to bring home the skin. First, throw yourself on the ground and hold your breath: this way you will pretend to be dead, and the demons nearby won't notice you. Secondly, if there are niches nearby, you can always use them as a hiding place; this way you will be sure not to be discovered by your executioners. Finally, if you have a torch, you can always decide to throw it away so that the demon is momentarily distracted and you can continue on your way.
However, always keep in mind that, in Agony , death is practically inevitable. For this very reason, you must always have a "plan B" at your disposal. In our case, plan B consists in possessing the Martyrs we will meet in the course of the game. As soon as a demon has killed us, we will have about a minute to find a new body that can host us. The more time passes, the more we will see symbols on the screen; the more they become frequent, the closer we are to death. To possess the martyrs we must be in possession of the corresponding ability; as soon as we take possession of the martyr in question, we will be able to continue playing, keeping our progress in the game and not being forced to start again from the last save point.
