Collins English Dictionary defines ‘asylum’ as a noun meaning ‘shelter; refuge’. It’s unlikely you’re going to find either in the upcoming Senscape title Asylum, which is set in a mental institute (a mental asylum, as it was known in times past). A classic setting for spooky stories, so-called ‘lunatic asylums’ have featured in everything from campfire tales to horror films to… adventure games that want to give you a proper startle and scare.
Stepping into the Asylum
You play as an ex-patient of the Hanwell Mental Institute, who has been suffering disturbing visions and goes back to the mental institute to figure out its twisted history. As the story progresses, they’ll come to ‘shocking conclusions’ (and more than a few scares, we think).
The intricate layout of the Hanwell Mental Institute is described as lifelike, and with good reason – according to designer Agustín Cordes, the in-game asylum is based on actual, vintage asylum blueprints.
Exploring this asylum won’t be a breezy affair though, as you’ll find yourself contending with puzzles alongside an atmosphere of decrepitude and rot all around. Developer Senscape recommends keeping heart medication handy in the game’s system requirements, ‘just in case’. Perhaps that’s for the best, as Asylum does not shy away from tossing in ‘a frightening handful’ of jump scares in its puzzle adventure.
Scratching off 15 Years of Development
Argentinian developer Senscape is headed by Agustín Cordes, who created the 2006 title Scratches (Steam) as part of Nucleosys. Scratches maintains the distinction for being the first commercial adventure game developed in Argentina.
Following Nucleosys’ closure, Cordes went on to found Senscape and announced Asylum in 2010, complete with a viral marketing campaign (remember those?). The project went on Kickstarter in 2013, where it raised more than its very metal target of $100,666 US Dollars.
Along the way, the team switched to using Unreal Engine, and according to our interview with Cordes, the team ‘matured along the way’. All of this came without the cost of changing how the game was always intended to play: a pseudo-3D puzzle adventure in the same vein as Cordes’ first commercial game, Scratches. Don’t expect any survival or action elements here, as the game will be focused on having you unravel its story through exploration and intellect.
Now, Asylum is just about ready after some 15 years of development. Although its release was originally scheduled for March 6 this year, it has been pushed back by a week to re-do the main character’s voice acting (all in one week!).
Fear the Old Gods… of Horror
We typically ask developers for their inspirations for the games they make, but Senscape wears its inspirations on its metaphorical sleeves. H P Lovecraft, Hammer films, Euro horror films from the 80s, Peter Cushing, Lucio Fulci, and John Carpenter all find mention on the game’s Steam page.
Nevertheless, we polled Cordes on what works he would recommend players to experience in preparation for Asylum. Here’s what he suggests:
“I recommend the movie Session 9, which is arguably the best horror film set in a mental institution. Cronenberg has been an influence too, any of his movies during the 80s is great, but I also highly recommend eXistenZ. It’s a must for fans of videogames.
“When it comes to Lovecraft, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is always an easy recommendation, which has inspired much of my work. It’s a wonderful story, full of mystery and well researched, with plenty of gruesome moments.”
When and where to play Asylum
Asylum is expected to be about 10 hours long for one playthrough, and it releases on March 13, 2025 across PC, Mac, and Linux.
Apart from English, the game will be localized in French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and Ukrainian, although the game’s voice acting is only available in English.
For more information on the game, such as its system requirements, check out the game’s Steam page. You might also want to check out Senscape’s short debut game Serena, especially given that it’s free through and through.
Thank you for reading this preview of Asylum on Into Indie Games! For more interesting articles on all things indie games, check out the links below!
