Insanity

[Natural]

What exactly does insanity do? From what I can tell, it doesn't really do anything except make the screen shake, make strange noises, and make you see things. Can you actually die from insanity? I never have. Wouldn't it be safer to simply not light any of the lights so that it's easier to hide from the monsters?

I am also interested in level development, so knowing the exact mechanics of insanity would also be helpful for me. (where can I learn more about this?)

You can't die from it, however if your sanity level reaches critical you will pass out for a second. When you get up your sanity will return to the "hands shaking" level.

On my playthrough I used less light to make hiding and escaping easier. I think I finished with 40+ tinder and 7 oil. I didn't really see the point in using tinder at all once I figured out that chilling in the light didn't actually restore sanity. Progress seems to do a lot more for restoring it. Once I passed a certain portion of the game I found there was barely a need for light.