Do what you were contracted to, and slay the Fog.
Shrouded in Sanity
Developer: Steve Gal
Price: $7.99
Platform: PC
Shrouded in Sanity describes itself as “a survival horror game inspired by Resident Evil 1, Dark Souls, and Eternal Darkness.”
Of these three, the comparisons to Dark Souls are the most immediately apparent. Shrouded in Sanity has minimalist storytelling, with pieces of the story revealed through scattered NPC dialogue, items, and observations. An unnatural Fog has surrounded the Berelai Manor and its servants have gone mad. Veimar signs a contract with a mysterious man called Waltham, and enters the manor in order to defeat the monsters inside and banish the Fog. Both the story and monster design have clear Lovecraftian influences.
A substance called vitae can be harvested from defeated enemies, and when you die, your vitae remains where you fell for you to collect it. However, vitae is not used directly to upgrade your stats. Instead vitae can be traded for additional bullets, more Yth stones (at a high price), and a blessing with an unspecified purpose.
You upgrade Veimar by trading Yth stones with NPCs in the manor. Yth stones are rare items dropped by certain enemies. Enemies also drop bullets, health injections, and batteries for your lamp.
The lamp not only makes it easier for you to navigate the darkest sections of the manor, but it also signals when an enemy is open for a pistol parry. Parrying is a key part of combat.
Veimar has two weapons: an Iato sword and a pistol. You can parry enemy attacks directly with your sword, or shoot them when they’re vulnerable. Either type of parry allows you to get in a powerful strike against the enemy.
Combat feels a little rough at times, particularly since you can only attack in two directions. However, it becomes quite manageable once you learn the proper timing. The real concern is the keyboard controls, which are cumbersome compared to using a controller. Due to the game’s difficulty and sense of challenge, mastering the controls is a necessity.
As you explore the manor, encounter the powerful bosses, and open up new shortcuts, your sanity will degrade. This is inevitable—it happens both if you die frequently and if you play well.
Low sanity makes the manor much more dangerous. More enemies spawn, and the basic enemies you encounter early on will be replaced with horrific abominations. However, it also has benefits. Some areas are only accessible once your sanity drops enough.
Shrouded in Sanity has four different endings, depending on the decisions you make about the bosses. While the story might be too vague for some, it captures a Lovecraftian tone quite nicely and should leave you interested in its resolution.
A recent update added free DLC that lets you play as the bosses once you defeat them. Tired of dying to the manor’s numerous enemies? Now you can get your revenge.
The Final Word
Though it could use a little more polish, Shrouded in Sanity is an intriguing and challenging experience that should appeal to fans of Souls games and H.P. Lovecraft.
– MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
