Sanitarium (video game)
| Sanitarium | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | DreamForge Intertainment[1] |
| Publisher(s) | ASC Games[1] |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows[1] |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Psychological horror,[1] Point-and-click adventure[1] |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Sanitarium is a psychological horror point-and-click adventure game that was released for Microsoft Windows, developed by DreamForge Intertainment and published by ASC Games.[2]
Plot
Sanitarium tells the story of Max Laughton, a man who suffers from amnesia after getting in a car accident and awakening in an asylum. As the story progresses, Max frantically tries to unveil the details of his institutionalization and the search for his own identity.
Gameplay
The game uses a bird's-eye view perspective and a non-tiled 2D navigational system. Each world and setting carries a distinct atmosphere that presents either the real world, the imaginary world, or a mix of both of the main protagonist. In many cases, it is unclear to the player if the world the character is currently in is real or a product of Max's own imagination. This indistinction underlines much of the horror portrayed in the game.
The game is separated into different levels or "chapters" with each having a different style and atmosphere. The player must find clues, solve puzzles and interact with other characters to reach a final challenge where the player must reach the end of a path while avoiding obstacles. If the player fails to do so (by, for instance, getting killed) then the player is transported back to the beginning of the path without losing progress, thus a Game Over in this game is non-existent. When the player reaches the end of the path, a cinematic is played and the game proceeds to the next chapter.
Reception
Sanitarium received mixed to good reviews upon its release. Gaming publications like Just Adventure, GameSpot, and Computer Games Magazine gave the game overwhelmingly positive reviews for the game's atmosphere and horror aspect, even go as far as calling it as "the scariest, creepiest videogame".[citation needed] Other publications such as IGN, Adventure Gamers, and PC Zone acclaimed the game's story and creepiness, but criticized for gameplay flaws such as easy puzzles and demanding controls.[3]
Legacy
In 2013, a programmer from the Sanitarium development team has announced a project on Kickstarter called Shades of Sanity that is touted as the spiritual successor to Sanitarium.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Sanitarium information at GameFAQs
- ↑ Pasetto, Chris (1998-12-04). "Postmortem: DreamForge's Sanitarium". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
- ↑ "The Press Says...". MobyGames. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ↑ "Shades of Sanity".
External links
- Sanitarium at MobyGames
- Sanitarium review, Adventure Classic Gaming
- Postmortem: DreamForge's Sanitarium, Gamasutra
- Inferno's Adventures (Windows XP setup and technical issues)
- Open Source, Asylum Engine, An attempt to create the sanitarium engine from scratch, supporting multiple platforms.