Sanitarium

I came across Sanitarium by accident a few years ago when browsing through my collection of old computer games magazines. As a fan of all horror/thriller/bizarre games I decided to give it a try and I can say today that it was an excellent decision as it’s one of the best point’n’click games I’ve played.

The game starts of with a car accident and right after that it puts you in the shoes of a bandage-wrapped man suffering from amnesia, struggling to find his identity. You wake up in a burning asylum with madmen all around and… But I won’t go on. Don’t want to spoil the excellent plot of the game. It’s enough for you to know that you have nine chapters of horror, grotesque and psychological thriller waiting - some of which tell a story of the main protagonist and some that journey into his mind. The story is well written and features a distinctive set of characters as well as some strong emotional movements and plot twists.

The graphics are sharp with a lot of small details in the backgrounds and are presented from an isometric view. The visual style is characteristic and differs a bit from chapter to chapter (there is even one where everything is presented in sepia making it look like an old photograph). The sound is creepy to further enhance the mood, but the voice acting could have been better. Sanitarium spans over three CDs as it features quite a few FMV cut-scenes that present the game’s more important moments.

The gameplay itself is a classical point’n’click adventure game with a few minor action sequences and thankfully it doesn’t try to be anything else - puzzles are logical for the most part, but may be a bit too easy for veterans of the genre. In the end though, the game is really fun to play as you try to unwrap the mystery behind our hero’s tragedy and traverse the different levels of consciousness.
This game should satisfy fans of adventure games as well as those who enjoy “scary” stories.
You should definitely check this game out.