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Sanitarium (videogame)
Encyclopedia
Sanitarium is a point-and-click
adventure game
released in 1998 by ASC Games
. Sanitarium tells the story of Max Laughton, a man who suffers from amnesia
after getting in an car accident and awakening in an asylum
. As the story progresses, Max frantically tries to unveil the details of his institutionalization and the search for his own identity.
The game was re-released in 2002 with Windows XP
compatibility.
perspective and a non-tiled 2D navigational system. Each world and setting carries a distinct atmosphere that presents either the real world, the imaginary world, or a mix of both of the main protagonist. In many cases, it is unclear to the player if the world the character is currently in is real or a product of Max's own imagination. This indistinction underlines much of the horror portrayed in the game.
The game is separated into different levels or "chapters" with each having a different style and atmosphere. The player must find clues, solve puzzles and interact with other characters to reach a final challenge where the player must reach the end of a path while avoiding obstacles. If the player fails to do so (by, for instance, getting killed) then the player is transported back to the beginning of the path without losing progress, thus a Game Over
in this game is non-existent. When the player reaches the end of the path, a cinematic is played and the game proceeds to the next chapter.
, and Computer Games Magazine
gave the game overwhelmingly positive reviews for the game's atmosphere and horror aspect, even go as far as calling it as "the scariest, creepiest videogame". Other publications such as IGN
, Adventure Gamers
, and PC Zone
acclaimed the game's story and creepiness, but gave the game low scores for gameplay flaws such as easy puzzles and demanding controls.
:
The Offspring
's song "Bad Habit" contains the lyric "stupid dumbshit goddamn motherfucker".
s in the game contain the names of people associated with the game's development. Clicking on the stones will trigger a narration of a name and a funny epitaph
. These graves can be distinguished from other headstones by the last name
s being abbreviated to a single letter
exist in the title. The second chapter features a hut with a large paint impression of a red herring on the roof, the character states his disappointment of the fact it contains no useful items or objects. The third chapter features a man with a large red fish in the asylum courtyard, who will begin dancing when a certain record is put on, but otherwise offers no real help or aid to gameplay. The last instance of a red herring exists in the eighth chapter or "The Lost Village" and is found inside the water temple. Olmec (the character the player controls) verbally mentions its importance due to its "blood-like coloring" and when given to the fisherman's wife inside the hut she replies she "has not much use for it" and that her husband claims that they're just "useless things that simply take up space".
External links
Point-and-click
Point-and-click is the action of a computer user moving a cursor to a certain location on a screen and then pressing a mouse button, usually the left button , or other pointing device...
adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
released in 1998 by ASC Games
ASC Games
ASC is an abbreviation of American Softworks Corporation, a computer and video game publishing company that was founded in 1992 and soon became a major publisher for games on the NES, SNES and Sega Genesis.ASC was also the publisher of :...
. Sanitarium tells the story of Max Laughton, a man who suffers from amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
after getting in an car accident and awakening in an asylum
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
. As the story progresses, Max frantically tries to unveil the details of his institutionalization and the search for his own identity.
The game was re-released in 2002 with Windows XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
compatibility.
Gameplay
The game uses a bird's-eye viewBird's-eye view
A bird's-eye view is an elevated view of an object from above, with a perspective as though the observer were a bird, often used in the making of blueprints, floor plans and maps.It can be an aerial photograph, but also a drawing...
perspective and a non-tiled 2D navigational system. Each world and setting carries a distinct atmosphere that presents either the real world, the imaginary world, or a mix of both of the main protagonist. In many cases, it is unclear to the player if the world the character is currently in is real or a product of Max's own imagination. This indistinction underlines much of the horror portrayed in the game.
The game is separated into different levels or "chapters" with each having a different style and atmosphere. The player must find clues, solve puzzles and interact with other characters to reach a final challenge where the player must reach the end of a path while avoiding obstacles. If the player fails to do so (by, for instance, getting killed) then the player is transported back to the beginning of the path without losing progress, thus a Game Over
Game over
Game Over is a message in video games which signals that the game has ended, often due to a negative outcome - although the phrase sometimes follows the end credits after successful completion of a game...
in this game is non-existent. When the player reaches the end of the path, a cinematic is played and the game proceeds to the next chapter.
Reception
Sanitarium received mixed reviews upon its release. Gaming publications like Just Adventure, GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
, and Computer Games Magazine
Computer Games Magazine
Computer Games Magazine was a computer gaming print magazine. It was formerly Computer Games Strategy Plus, and before that, Strategy Plus, which had been founded as Games International in the UK in 1988. While its initial focus was on strategy games, it covered a wide range of game genres...
gave the game overwhelmingly positive reviews for the game's atmosphere and horror aspect, even go as far as calling it as "the scariest, creepiest videogame". Other publications such as IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, Adventure Gamers
Adventure Gamers
Adventure Gamers is a computer game website created in 1998 dedicated to the genre of adventure games. It publishes reviews and previews of adventure games, as well as opinion articles and interviews with game designers....
, and PC Zone
PC Zone
PC Zone was the first magazine dedicated to games for IBM-compatible personal computers to be published in the United Kingdom. Earlier PC magazines such as PC Leisure, PC Format and PC Plus had covered games but only as part of a wider remit. PC Zone was founded in 1993.The magazine was published...
acclaimed the game's story and creepiness, but gave the game low scores for gameplay flaws such as easy puzzles and demanding controls.
Mad programmer outburst
Inside the main program file, sntrm.exe, on the XS (pre-patched) version of the game there exists an outburst as a possible error code, on what would be line 774 if the file were interpreted as text, when searched by the utility grepGrep
grep is a command-line text-search utility originally written for Unix. The name comes from the ed command g/re/p...
:
c:\sntrm_k.txt ERROR: Invalid NPC ID --> All resources 0 Stupid Dumbshit Goddamn Motherfucker! Unable to find encounter keyword %d '%s' in encounter %d No portrait for this encounter. Goodbye.The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
's song "Bad Habit" contains the lyric "stupid dumbshit goddamn motherfucker".
Developer's graves
Some headstoneHeadstone
A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. In most cases they have the deceased's name, date of birth, and date of death inscribed on them, along with a personal message, or prayer.- Use :...
s in the game contain the names of people associated with the game's development. Clicking on the stones will trigger a narration of a name and a funny epitaph
Epitaph
An epitaph is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial...
. These graves can be distinguished from other headstones by the last name
Last Name
"Last Name" is the title of a song composed by country singer Carrie Underwood, Hillary Lindsey and Luke Laird. It is the third single from Underwood's second studio album, Carnival Ride. It was released in the United States on April 7, 2008, by which point the song had already charted...
s being abbreviated to a single letter
Red herrings
Three literal examples of red herringsRed herring (plot device)
Red herring is an idiomatic expression referring to the rhetorical or literary tactic of diverting attention away from an item of significance...
exist in the title. The second chapter features a hut with a large paint impression of a red herring on the roof, the character states his disappointment of the fact it contains no useful items or objects. The third chapter features a man with a large red fish in the asylum courtyard, who will begin dancing when a certain record is put on, but otherwise offers no real help or aid to gameplay. The last instance of a red herring exists in the eighth chapter or "The Lost Village" and is found inside the water temple. Olmec (the character the player controls) verbally mentions its importance due to its "blood-like coloring" and when given to the fisherman's wife inside the hut she replies she "has not much use for it" and that her husband claims that they're just "useless things that simply take up space".
Dialogues remix
Inside the file RES.001 (entry #40) there is a music remix which is only played during the credits after the game is completed. It won't be played if the credits are viewed from the main menu. This remix is composed of various NPC dialogues.External links
- Sanitarium review, Adventure Classic Gaming
- Postmortem: DreamForge's Sanitarium, Gamasutra
- Inferno's Adventures (Windows XP setup and technical issues)
- Adventure Gamers Forum - Hints for starting Sanitarium with Windows XP
- Open Source, Asylum Engine, An attempt to create the sanitarium engine from scratch, supporting multiple platforms.