ASYLUM

Asylum is old-school point and click horror, plucked from the late 2000s and early 2010s. It's great within those genre of games with not too difficult of puzzles. The ending is one made for those ENDING EXPLAINED type of videos, and I will watch the Director's Commentary on Agustin YouTube channel which he'll inevitably make, like what he did with Scratches. I do wish Scratches could be made available again, as I've never played it myself, only seen playthroughs. I like the conversation system and there were much more that I apparently missed judging by the interviews section. Cons is that there's too many drawers to look through with pointless junk in them. I got tired of searching through those real quick. Also the amount of movement spaces could be trimmed a little bit. It's worth noting that the game always crashing for me when going to the second page of the interview section, and there's a consistent soft lock if you play the music box a second time in the cell.

I've been waiting for Asylum for what feels like an eternity, and I can confidently say—it was absolutely worth it! From the moment I stepped into the decaying corridors of the Hanwell Mental Institute, I knew I was in for something special. The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, dripping with tension and dread at every turn. The game masterfully blends psychological horror with exploration, making every step feel like a gamble. The level design is fantastic, capturing that eerie, oppressive feeling of being trapped in a place where unspeakable horrors have unfolded. The sound design? Top-notch! Every creak, whisper, and distant scream keeps you on edge. The story is gripping, slowly unraveling in a way that keeps you hooked. And the puzzles—challenging yet satisfying—fit seamlessly into the environment, making the experience even more engaging. For horror fans, Asylum is an absolute must-play. It delivers on every promise and then some. The long wait was painful, but now that it's finally here, I can say with certainty—it was worth every second. 10/10. Turn off the lights, put on your headphones, and get ready for one of the best horror experiences in gaming.

Asylum is an okay game, but for one that took 15 years to make, it's hard not to find it underwhelming. The game is about as atmospheric as Scratches and the voice acting is pretty good. The story isn't bad, but I expected the revelations to be more shocking than they were. Honestly, I found Scratches more unsettling than this game. Plus, there are documents all over the place, even in rooms where you wouldn't realistically expect to find them. The puzzles are fairly easy if you take care to examine the rooms properly. In fact, many rooms are almost empty except for a document or two. Worse, there is a part of the asylum (the female wing) that you never visit, not to mention plenty of doors that can't be opened. You'd think that, for a game that took so long to make, they'd let you explore every single room. In any case, the game definitely could have done with more puzzles. Finally, though the slow pace and dated point-and-click interface didn't bother me much, I can imagine it might annoy some people. Overall not a bad game, but that's about it.

The game is like coming home back to the goold old times full of mystery/creepy point and click games. It is a classical point and click game (first person) with a good and simple gameplay. It is not a walking simulation like many other and modern games, so you play mainly with your mouse. When you are used to modern horror games with jump scares and chasing sequences or hide and seek gameplay (e. g. Outlast, Alien Isolation etc.). It is more like "Darkness Within" or "Darkfall" or maybe like "Shivers" (my god, this is 30 years ago...). Take your notepad out, pour some good old red wine and enjoy - it is definitely worth the price!