Shrouded In Sanity - A 2D Bloodbourne, but Lovecraftian right from the start!

[Zaravan]

[IMG]http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/444590/header.jpg?t=146471066[/IMG]

[B]The fuck is this?[/B]

Shrouded In Sanity is a survival horror set in an Alternate 1897, in the 'Angelic Empire of Britannia' taking place inside and on the immediate grounds of; the Berelai Manor.

An unnatural fog has enveloped the Manor itself, and it also seems that time itself is rather boned as well around the Manor.

You are one of what is known as the 'Veimar' a servant who has been raised from an unmarked grave in order to fulfill a Contract.

Said contract involves finding the source of the Fog, and slaying it.

[B]'Survival Horror?'[/B]

The 'Survival' part comes from fighting the inhabitants of the Manor, that is to say, the servants of the house and lord.

These servants, range from Maids with cleavers, seamstresses with massive scissors that might invoke memories of Clock Tower, and Groundskeepers who are spattered with blood, and wield heavy axes.

It seems that the Fog itself has driven these servants into irrefutable batshit insanity, and letting your guard down or getting careless [I]will[/I] lead to you getting your shit slapped.

The 'Horror' part comes not from silly jumpscares, but from the 'Cosmic Horror' nature of the story, as well as sound design, such as constant, faint scratching you can hear on the ground floor.

Bloody sheets covering what might be corpses will, at random, whimper or cry.

And tougher, twisted, mutated variants of common enemies will appear to kick you in the dick.

[B]What about exploration?[/B]

Like Dark Souls, the Manor is sprawling, yet interconnected. Getting to know the layout over time will greatly cut down on the possibility of getting lost or turned around.

However, certain areas need keys to enter. Said keys can be found on Butlers, who are scattered thought the Manor.

Butlers are, in this matter, Semi-Unique. Besides keys, they can also commonly carry Yth stones.

[B]Yth Stones?[/B]

Yth Stones, yes. For every three Yth stones you carry, the Veimar can upgrade his stats, such as Health, Damage, Stamina, and how many Healing Injections you can carry.

However, take heed, for every time you upgrade a stat, your Sanity decreases. This gives way for tougher, eldritch versions of enemies to appear more often, and otherworldly obsticles will also appear to attempt to slow you.

But, if your sanity decreases enough, you may be able to access certain areas that could hide secrets.

[B]Injections? What, is our long haired prettyboy of a Protag a druggie?[/B]

No, they're simply health restorations. However! Injections not only restore your health, but also raise your stamina at lightning speed, if only for a few precious seconds.

[B]So what do i get to beat crazies to death with?[/B]

Well, you've a cane sword, and a Pistol.

Your sword is pretty basic, light and heavy attacks, parrying, blocking and all that.

Your Pistol is as in Bloodbourne, you can kite enemies at long range with bullets, and shooting them at the right time will stagger them. Which will open the way for a critical blow.

You don't have to reload, as long as you physically have bullets on your person. You only have a few at the start, but after beating one Boss, you can upgrade how many bullets you can carry max for Vitae.

[B]Vitae?[/B]

Yup. Vitae is this game's currency, which can be exchanged for several things depending on which NPC you talk to.

However, Collecting Vitae is not as easy as collecting Souls.

To collect Vitae, the Veimar must murder the shit out of an enemy, then walk up to the corpse and press the 'use' key.

He will then take a special needle, shove it in the fresh body, and forcefully suck the life fluid into the vial attached to said needle.

[B]Sounds clumsy.[/B]

A little, but enemies give fair amounts, and whatever you need to use Vitae to buy with aren't terribly expensive.

[B]How's the movement?[/B]

The Veimar can walk, run, and dodge roll. [I][B]You are invincible while rolling.[/B][/I] The Veimar cannot jump, however.

[B]The combat hard?[/B]

Only if you get careless, a Veteran Souls player should have little problem once they've gotten the hang of the controls.

[B]Is it long?[/B]

I've clocked in around five or six hours, not counting deaths.

[B]How much is this shit?[/B]

7.99 American moolah.

In conclusion i'd personally recommend it, especially seeing as it's a one-man game, not counting the music. And the Dev is already getting started on his next project, which seems that it might be set after this game.

[B]Images:[/B]

[IMG]http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/444590/ss_bda987ed7749c640f753ac4bde0e5516a05d2c73.1920x1080.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://megagames.com/sites/default/files/game-images/Shrouded%20in%20Sanity%204.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://megagames.com/sites/default/files/game-images/Shrouded%20in%20Sanity%202.jpg[/IMG]

[B]You can get it at:[/B]

[url]http://store.steampowered.com/app/444590[/url]

[Anderan]

Should probably link the steam page [url]http://store.steampowered.com/app/444590[/url]

[Zaravan]

[QUOTE=Anderan;50524884]Should probably link the steam page [url]http://store.steampowered.com/app/444590[/url][/QUOTE]

Shit, i'd planned to add that but i'd forgotten, thanks.

[Keychain]

I saw SuperBunnyHop talk about this game. Was thinking of picking it up soon.

[Zaravan]

[QUOTE=Keychain;50524985]I saw SuperBunnyHop talk about this game. Was thinking of picking it up soon.[/QUOTE]

Personally i enjoyed it, though i am a sucker for gothic horror. So if you like Lovecraft and shit you might like it.

Another point is that like Dark Souls, the story isn't force fed to you, but unlike Souls' mess of a lore; it's pretty easy to put the pieces together the more you explore the Manor.

For example, there are hints and cues that point to a huge Ball being held by the Lord of the house, and around the same time, the Fog descended not long after.

But that's strange, for on the first floor, (Or the second floor if you count the ground floor as the first) One can hear the sounds of a party behind the door to the Dance Hall. The same door that is layered with chains and locks.

So who's behind there?