You'll be forgiven for forgetting about the supernatural horror adventure ASYLUM, a game that was crowdfunded on Kickstarter way back in February of 2013 but it's really actually getting close to release now.
Refresher: "From the creators of cult sleeper hit Scratches and the haunting Serena, comes a chilling journey into the darkest depths of your mind. ASYLUM is an ambitious and intricate horror adventure casting you into the hallucinatory setting of the Hanwell Mental Institute, a silent witness to unimaginable atrocities that transpired between its endless corridors."
Developer Senscape put up a fresh announcement on January 1st, 2024 mentioning the Beta milestone, with people outside their development team being able to play it through to the end for the first time. Sounds like it will give around 12 - 15 hours play time, and they have full controller support implemented along with "Steam Deck compatibility coming up".
As for their next steps? Going through all the feedback. Developer Agustín Cordes mentioned:
We have more work to do. This first round of fresh feedback we received has been invaluable, but so far it presents a crucial milestone: the biggest worry for me has been the game might be too intricate, obtuse, or difficult to digest. Yet what I’m hearing is that, while further tweaks are required, ASYLUM is fun to play, the story is engaging, and keeps your interest until the end. Good exploration is hard to pull off: there’s a fine balance between giving the audience plenty of freedom and things to investigate while retaining a sense of direction and goals, to ensure the experience does not become frustrating. And it feels like we’re on the right track when one of the primary compliments I hear is that the Hanwell Mental Institute is a joy to explore. This is an accomplishment on a personal level, as the ability to explore at leisure has been the #1 thing I enjoy in games since I played King’s Quest for the first time many, many, many years ago.
It's a little older now but I did a preview of the demo some time ago:
Direct Link
You can follow ASYLUM on GOG and Steam if you're interested.
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