Pros: Multiple worlds to explore, an interesting and evolving albeit short
storyline
Cons: Will make you question your sanity, short, doesn't really stand out, not enough interactivity
The Bottom Line: If you are an adventure-game fan then get this game. Be forewarned that you won't play it for long but you will love this game when you do.
Before I begin, let me tell you that Sanitarium is an honest to goodness adventure. I would say that it is a great adventure but it is nothing new. If you hated hated adventure games, this title will not make you change your mind. On the other hand, fans of the adventure genre like myself will find a lot to enjoy in this game. Here's why:
Sound
I think that this game has great sound. When you are in the sanitarium, you can actually hear the people wailing. This really gets you into into the game.
Graphics
For some reason, I expected better graphics from this product. The game is shown to you in a top-down isometric view. This makes all the people and objects small but you can get used to it. This game comes on 3 Cd's. You would think that this would make the game longer but it doesn't. Most of this space is taken up by movies. Now, while I think the movies are great and add a lot to the storyline, I don't like when you put in movies in exchange for less gameplay.
Gameplay
This is the section that can make or break a game. First of all, let's talk about the story. The story has to be seen to be believed. It has all kinds of twists and turns. You even get to take control of different characters throughout the story so that you are never bored.
The main objective of adventure games is interactivity and I think that Sanitarium does not have a lot of it. Some of the puzzles consist of just picking all of the dialog options with a certain character. Some of the object based puzzles include objects that are very hard to see. There are also some machine puzzles but they act as a nice diversion from the gameplay. The one thing that I really liked were the action segments. You get a weapon and then you have to kill a bad guy. Those were fun. I just wish that there were a little more of them.
In conclusion, you are getting an above average game with an excellent storyline. The only reason that I can't give it a 5 is that it is way too short and the fact that it brings nothing new to the table.
Divided into a set of chapters, Sanitarium is an adult game of psychological complexity. You play the role of an amnesia patent, a girl named Sarah, a...More at eBay
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