A psychological horror adventure inspired by H. P. Lovecraft and set in a massive, decaying mental institute.
Having watched this video, you may have caught some details about about Asylumthat are rather distinct. The game has been in development for some time and there IS a playable demo for Linux, Windows, and Mac available now. In fact, it’s been available for a while. Just sayin’.
Oddly enough, this is obviously not the first time I caught sight of Asylum. Having emailed Agustin Cordes back in August of 2012 to gather further insight. I know, strangely ironic, yes?
Anyhow, back then we discussed Asylum, the general consensus of making a native Linux game and just when the game might be available, which I’m sure you know by now (December 2013).
Other things, like the retail price, which will likely be $30 (or more) also had my attention. So catching the bare minimun pledge of $15 is quite a low price for a copy of the game that also appears to give you access to all three platforms.
It is also important to note that Dagon, the games engine will likely be developed as open source.
Meaning, not only does the community have another creepy horror game, we also have another engine to add to the list of native supporters. Rather impressive, don’t you think?
So, having played the demo and also taken note to the fact that Senscape are finally making their epic Kickstarter debut. I could go on and on about the aspects of Asylum and how well the team are progressing with no operating budget. But I will stop typing and let you read through the compaign…..
Okay, I lied. Watch the trailer…… to the end. 🙂
(Okay, if you watched to the end, kudos. You must have jumped or at least twitched, right? Admit it.)
Asylum is a point-and-click adventure game. It’s quite scary too. No, we’re not making this up: some people were terrified just by reading the script alone, and we’re striving to top it with the most immersive, oppressive, depressive, (and many other words ending with ‘ive’) atmosphere ever seen in an adventure. Don’t be fooled by our excitement or apparent silliness; we’re very serious about makingAsylum a disturbing and horrifying game that you won’t easily forget.
We’re deliberately keeping details of the story under wraps. We firmly believe that the less you know about the game, the more it will surprise you. There are plenty of inside looks available though: screenshots, promotional videos, trailer, the Interactive Teaser (or really short demo), and more.
You’ll have to take our word for it: the plot is very twisty and satisfying. The deeper you go and the more attention you pay to your surroundings, the more Hanwell Mental Institute will reveal about its true nature. Every room is bursting with detail, mood, and backstory. There is a lot to investigate and discover and, quite literally, an entire asylum available to explore. Close to 100 rooms, in fact.
Here’s a short but polished glimpse into what Asylum has to offer. You may download for Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux. To play, unzip and launch Dagon.
Please note that the teaser has mostly been tested on Ubuntu for Linux platforms.
“System requirements. OS: Windows XP and above / Mac OS X 10.6 and above. Processor: 1.6Ghz. Memory: 1GB. Video Card: 128MB and compatible with OpenGL 2.0. Note for Linux users: The game should run in any modern distro but we only have tested with Ubuntu. You are invited to try the teaser, but bear in mind you might have to download additional libraries.”
You can also watch the following videos featuring Bertrand (aka “Subject E14”) in a most uncomfortable situation. These were released anonymously and went viral before the game was announced: Session One, Session Two, Session Three, andLast Session.
Senscape is a young company based in Argentina but we have decades of combined experience. Agustín Cordes has been addicted to the adventure genre ever since he dwelt in the kingdom of Daventry at the tender age of 7. Over the years he has become an active member in the adventure gaming community, has written many reviews, and went on to design and develop Scratches, widely regarded as one of the best horror adventures ever made (he disagrees, but still…).Scratches became a cult sleeper hit and sold over 250,000 copies. Its soundtrack and chilling atmosphere were highly praised at the time but, most importantly, the game is still being actively discussed for its mysterious and gothic plot, equally influenced by H. P. Lovecraft and Hammer Horror films. Asylum aims to build upon that, with an even more immersive atmosphere and story that will haunt you for years to come.
Agustín, together with the rest of the Senscape team, also took part in one of the biggest game projects in Argentina, the educational adventure Risk Profile. While this humorous title was never translated to other languages, it was extremely well received in the country, with thousands of kids still clamoring for a sequel.
Your contribution, even if it’s one dollar, will help us tackle this final lap of development with a proper schedule and resources. Right now this is still a “garage game” with most team members dedicating time to the project as they can from their homes. If we reach the goal, we will lock ourselves inside an office for the remainder of the year until Asylum is complete. Being able to work together every day in the same room makes a huge difference, especially for such a large project. If you can’t contribute by actually pledging money, spreading the word is more than enough: tweeting, liking on Facebook, just talking about it will also help.