Sanitarium

Ok, lets get one thing straight. I'm not big into the Horror Genre, mostly due to the over reliance on shock factor as opposed to creep factor for too many movies/games. Sanitarium relies on the creep factor (though it has a couple straight up shock moments) and keeps you nervous and uncomfortable up until the finale. Even the final puzzle is creepy in its own way. So, if you're looking for something that leaves you disturbed while you're playing it, then this is a great game to play. There were puzzles that left me feeling like I needed a good comedy to unwind with afterwards. About the only downside to it is the fact that some of the puzzles were a bit on the confusing side, but other than that, it was a great game to play and enjoy right up until the end. Would I pull it out and play it again after all these years? I'd say I probably would if I was in the mood for a good creep fest.

Not that familiar with adventure games, but this one was a good bit of fun and had a very nice variety of environments.

This game has a really interesting plot and premise, and is, frankly, twisted. It is enjoyable, but there are some annoying gameplay issues that make the game slightly less fun and a bit tedious at times. 1. Movement is really clunky and imprecise (the interface is isometric, which is not a problem, but the movement is harder than it should be due to game design). You will have a hard time with one quest area in particular (the maze) because your character won't quite walk in the right direction at the right time when timing is critical. Also, walking up and down stairs is an all-or-nothing movement (it is more of an animation than an actual movement on your part), so your character can't actually stop going up steps midway through if you didn't want to use the steps, which is annoying given how long it takes to go up and down. Your character is pretty slow moving. 2. You'll get stuck in areas and probably need a walkthrough. Some next steps are not intuitive at all, and it could be something as simple as missing clicking on a tiny object you didn't notice (I kid you not, I didn't click on a small rock I overlooked and I was stuck for awhile because of this). This will lead to A LOT of clicking everywhere to try not to miss things, but you still will miss clues. Or sometimes you need to throw something, but you didn't know you should. Just confusing. Some puzzles are also not intuitive. I wish there had been a bit more of a linear kind of progression and clue system embedded or make the character point out when he's near something important (or highlight it on the screen)? There are a lot of objects that you can't click on, so it's hard to know what will be important. These problems aside, the game had a compelling (and sad/twisted) storyline, and was worth playing once through, but I wouldn't play it again.

One of the best of the genre, the story is interesting though confusing due to the theme of broken mind but for me that was another excuse for wanting to unravel more of it. The gameplay is on par of other point and click games, though not having the ability to run could test your patience, there is also pixel hunting for objects but that is a standard of a genre that is not for all people. Overall a good experience with the charm of diferent times and messed up themes. One complain i have it's that there are more languages translated texts in the original that you have to search and download for yourself here and i wished that gog would add it.

I played this for the first time almost 25 years after it was released and was incredibly impressed with it. The gameplay and story are intriguing and the puzzles are interesting. It's a bit dated in parts but overall is an excellent experience.