Sanitarium

Not much is known about Max Laughton at first, but it is clear that he is conducting a particularly important research and is close to reaching his goal. Eager to share the good news with his family, Max hurries home in his car. However, somebody has evidently tampered with the vehicle; failing to control it, Max gets in a serious accident and loses his conscience. When he wakes up, he finds himself in a strange tower resembling an asylum, surrounded by insane people, the shrill sound of alarm driving him mad. Max cannot remember anything from his past and is feverishly trying to escape this place. But just when he thinks he has succeeded, he is taken on delusional, horrifying trips through his subconsciousness, unable to distinguish between reality and hallucinations.

Sanitarium is a point-and-click adventure game, best described as a psychological thriller. The game is divided into nine chapters, each taking place in a different location and having its own distinct atmosphere. It is not always clear if something is happening on the grounds of the sanitarium or in the delusional mind of the protagonist. In most chapters the player controls Max himself, though in the more surreal areas drawn from his memories the role of the protagonist is given to other characters, real or fictional.

Both movement of Max and picking up items are done with the mouse. Puzzles are mostly inventory-related, with a few machine and lever puzzles. There are also a few action sequences, but even when the player dies, the game can be continued without any penalty. Talking to various NPCs will teach the player about their bizarre surroundings. The plot unfolds as Max's memories are gradually restored and the player finds out more about his past and the nature of the research he was dedicating his life to.

Added March 8, 2020
Published By ASC Games
DotEmu
Developed By DreamForge Intertainment
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Header Image (Windows) from Steam
IGDB Cover from igdb.com
Title screen (Windows) from mobygames.com
Opening screen (Windows) from mobygames.com
Main menu. Note the ominous eyes following you everywhere... (Windows) from mobygames.com
Intro. Max is excited to share his discoveries... but something goes horribly wrong (Windows) from mobygames.com
The game begins in the asylum (Windows) from mobygames.com
Inside a tower, still in the first (introductory) chapter (Windows) from mobygames.com
Chapter 2 is the highlight of horror. You are standing in front of this sweet-looking elementary school... (Windows) from mobygames.com
...only to have a conversation with deformed children a few minutes later... (Windows) from mobygames.com
Town hall and church (Windows) from mobygames.com
Near the statue in the park (Windows) from mobygames.com
The pumpkin patch (Windows) from mobygames.com
Electrocution (Windows) from mobygames.com
Chapter 3, in the courtyard. Talking to a madman. The dialogues display character portraits (Windows) from mobygames.com
The chapel (Windows) from mobygames.com
Chapter 4 begins with Max's sister appearing at those deceptively cozy and colorful docks (Windows) from mobygames.com
Sad looking circus (Windows) from mobygames.com
Choosing conversation topics (Windows) from mobygames.com
Choosing inventory items (Windows) from mobygames.com
Yes, you can get killed in this game. You'll have to restart from where the segment began (Windows) from mobygames.com
My mother is a ghost?.. (Windows) from mobygames.com
Genetic experiments (Windows) from mobygames.com
Weird perspective - something is very spooky in this sepia recreation of the protagonist's childhood memories... (Windows) from mobygames.com
It rains, it rains... The lonely Max is outside... but where is he?.. (Windows) from mobygames.com
Interacting with some objects will trigger memories presented as movies (Windows) from mobygames.com
Room interiors are detailed - but the isometric view makes everything look small... (Windows) from mobygames.com
One of the game's mechanical puzzles (Windows) from mobygames.com
Chapter 7 casts Max as a comic book hero. The first thing he has to do is bypass this security... (Windows) from mobygames.com
An interesting fall if I miss the corner (Windows) from mobygames.com
Insects are throwing cyclops into the lava... (Windows) from mobygames.com
Piece by piece, the story of the game is unraveled through such cutscenes (Windows) from mobygames.com
I'm alive! (Windows) from mobygames.com
How demented am I? (Windows) from mobygames.com
A graveyard shift? (Windows) from mobygames.com
Animation in progress: Max breaks a wall (Windows) from mobygames.com
One of the later chapters puts you in the role of a mighty Mesoamerican deity (Windows) from mobygames.com
Massacred warriors, Jaguar temples... oh my... (Windows) from mobygames.com
Talking to the spirits of fallen warriors. Lots of dialogue topics here (Windows) from mobygames.com
The fearsome deity is getting electrocuted by purple energy in this maze... (Windows) from mobygames.com
Nearing the end of the game. In this most bizarre place, visual characteristics of all the previous stages are combined (Windows) from mobygames.com
Do you like clowns? (Windows) from mobygames.com
You can choose between those three incarnations of Max in the final chapter (Windows) from mobygames.com
A meeting in a dark place... (Windows) from mobygames.com
Official Screenshot (Windows) from Steam
Official Screenshot (Windows) from Steam
Official Screenshot (Windows) from Steam
Official Screenshot (Windows) from Steam
Official Screenshot (Windows) from Steam
Trailer

Year of Release:
1998

Platform(s):

Genre(s):
Traditional

Graphic Style:
3D

Camera View:
Third-Person

Control Type:
Point and Click

Setting/Theme:
Horror Thriller

Other Tags:
Speech

Available From: