Getting scared has become one of the great thrills in
modern entertainment and probably produces the most intense
and overwhelming feelings within us. When these qualities are
brought by a computer game I have always dived at the
chance to play it, so as soon as Sanitarium came along I
couldn't wait to try it out. Sanitarium is an adventure game
along the lines of dark games such as Beneath a Steel Sky and
Dark Earth: it delves into the depths of human fear and sanity
(or rather, insanity). While this may sound very ominous, it is
also very compelling and if you are at all like myself you will
be drawn to this game. So has the preamble intrigued you? If
not, read on anyway.
Let me begin with what is usually on all gamers'
minds these days: graphics. The graphics of Sanitarium are in
the same style as Diablo and Alien Earth, while being the most
crisp of the lot. Sanitarium uses dramatic lighting effects
intensely and superbly to create an atmosphere unlike
anything I have experienced in an adventure game before.
One example of such great effects is in the second chapter
where, when you enter an abandoned church, the light
streams through the stained glass windows emulating real
stained glass lighting very well and in full color. Fortunately,
Sanitarium does not only rely on its great lighting, but it also
has some very unique and stylish animations to accompany it.
Streaming water shimmers and sparkles leaving a feeling of
awe after looking at it while crazy institutionalized people hit
their heads against the wall showing quite a bit of detail. Not
only are these in game graphics great, but cinematics and
dialogue graphics are some of the best I've ever seen, in any
game. Characters have amazingly atmospheric drawings of
their faces adding a great deal to the atmosphere. It is this kind
of effort that allows me to say that artwork in computer games
still far surpasses anything that digital photography can
produce, especially for character portraits. The cinematics are
more professional than many movies, which is no small feat,
and they portray the story very well, even without speech,
using only subtitles. The movies consist of faded pictures to
represent the hazy past, black screens with only talking
emulates near unconciousness very well and truly makes you
feel like the character. The only complaint I have about
Sanitarium's graphics is the lack of animation frames for the
main character, as his movements seem to get just a bit too
repetitive.
Sound and music are, in my opinion, crucial to any
game, but to an adventure game such as this they are
required. It is whether they are done well or not that truly
differentiates between the good and the ugly. Again,
Sanitarium shows itself as a superior title in its dynamic and
creative use of sound and music and their integration in the
game. If you don't have sound in this game, you are missing
quite a lot. Footsteps are emulated nicely and change
dynamically according to the surface upon which you are
walking. Additionally, ambient sounds and noises truly freak
you out, especially at night when you are alone. Crows
cawing, people murmuring, water flowing, a rusty swing
screeching and doors creaking are just some of the sounds that
you will hear. However, its not just the presence of these
sounds that is nice; it is the fact that they are integrated so well
and have such good quality that you don't consciously pay
attention to them, which is exactly what ambient sound should
be like. Sanitarium's music is good. The music is not loud and
is probably the most spine-chilling thing in the game. The fact
that it's not loud is very important because in such an intense
and dark game music should act like ambient sound to
increase the atmosphere and mood, but not to intrude. This is
exactly what Sanitarium's music does. Again there was one
small item that annoyed me: some of the voice acting was just
plain bad. Fortunately, not much of it is and most of the worst
parts can be shut off as they are used as side comments when
an action can't be performed.
Gameplay is, simply put, compelling. The puzzles
that one must solve to continue range from easy to damn
difficult, but they are always mixed together well so the player
feels like he is getting somewhere at any point in the game.
One example is in the second chapter where you have to find
five kids that are playing hide and seek. Finally, after a few
minutes, you find them all so you think you've won the game
(hide and seek), but there is a catch: a secret weapon, another
hiding child, and this one you have not seen before and, well,
she is very hard to find without some lateral thinking. This is a
near perfect mix of adventure and is downright classy.
Dialogue is performed with simple dialogue trees that serve
their purpose, however they could have been a little better as
only being able to choose from key words limits the realism of
the game and the immersion of you as your character. Despite
this, the game is just fun as hell to play, addictive and never so
frustrating so as to make you bored of repetitive actions. That's
a damn fine combination if you ask me.
Now we come to the worst aspect of the game, and
the most frustrating: the control. To move your character you
must hold down the right mouse button and point a golden
arrow to where you want him to move, however he often gets
stuck in corners or on small bumps that he just shouldn't get
stuck on. At least there is no clipping. The left mouse button is
used for action, either look, talk or use. The problem is that
sometimes things just don't make sense. For example, I was
behind a kid and tried to talk to him and the game said that I
was too far away. The only solution was to walk to the other
side of the character and talk to him: that's not very realistic.
The inventory is seen by clicking on your character with the left
mouse button. Icons of the items he is carrying are then shown
around his person. This is an okay way of doing inventory and
could have been improved. I know that if you could have only
one wish you would wish that the developers could have
designed a better control interface. Oh well I guess you'll have
to suffer because I wasted my wish on that infinite wealth and
power thing.
Replay is non-existent, and there isn't much more to
say about it than that. Adventure games usually don't have any
replay, unless they have multiple endings, but personally I find
that that method is usually not well done. Multiplayer is also
non-existent. I didn't expect multiplay from an adventure game
and neither should you.
In summary, Sanitarium shines in every area except
control, which is what unfortunately brings it below 90. It is
hard to get everything perfect, but it would have been so nice.
Graphics, sound, music and gameplay are the most important
aspects and they were done very well. The atmosphere is
unlike anything I have seen in an adventure game before (no, I
did not find Phantasmagoria fun or scary) as it not only delves
into human fear, but into the realm of insanity as well -- very
cool. This game is perfect for anyone who enjoys adventure
titles and doesn't mind adventuring in dark and unknown
places. This reviewer loved it, and so should you.
Reviewed On: P200MMX, 64mb RAM, #9 Motion 771 (2mb),
Monster 3d
Finally, a good game to really dig your teeth into. Sanitarium
is a very stylish, very cool and dark adventure game, where
you are trying to find your identity and figure out the mystery of
the world you are thrust into. This game is highly addicting
and the plot evolves very nicely.
Graphically, this game is quite impressive, combining stunning
pre-rendered backgrounds with well-animated and large
characters. All the environments are very atmospheric and
conducive to the gameplay. The framerate is decent, however
there is a slight "load" at certain areas of the environment
where the camera moves towards the center of the new area.
The video is very well done, they look like a movie, and help
the story line quite a bit. The whole look is very smooth, and
you will find it draws you into the game. Very well done.
The sound is also great, especially the speech. The voice
acting is unusually professional and well done, taking a feature
that is usually laughable in most games (Resident Evil etc) and
turning it into a valuable tool. The quality is comparable to
that of Monkey Island 3. The sound FX are nice, there aren't
very many, but the ones that are there are of high quality. The
music is also quite atmospheric, and nicely subdued. As with
the graphics, the entire sound package seems very polished,
and carefully planned to suit the atmosphere.
The plot of this game is quite interesting, and it is for that
reason you are motivated to keep on going, to see how things
progress. You wake up in a sanitarium, with absolutely no
recollection of who you are. The quest for identity is not a
unique one, but when combined with the other elements and
mysteries of the world, makes for a very interesting and
captivating game. The puzzles start out quite easily, and for
the most part knowing what to do is not too big a problem. For
instance, there is a collapsed bridge. When you click it, it says
"This bridge is collapsed. You need a stone of some sort to
place across it." This gives a very nice difficulty curve, with the
puzzles getting more difficult progressively. I doubt many
gamers will get frustrated with obscure clues and items to find,
which is a definite bonus. The game has a lot of atmosphere,
the whole game oozes mystery and a constant uneasiness.
One of the few problems I have is the slow pace that the main
guy walks at; it takes quite a while to walk from one end of an
area to another, and for impatient gamers like me, it seems
like an eternity. If there is a run command, I haven't found it
yet. As well, the way you use items isn't immediately obvious,
the item usage interface takes a _little_ time to get used to, but
once you figure out it's no problem. The game is long, and a
blast to play. Obviously there is little replay value, but that's a
problem with adventure games, not this game itself.
Overall this game is a welcome addition to any adventure
game fan's library; the slick graphics and sound, coupled with
an absorbing story line, makes for a great gaming experience.
By: 