ASYLUM - Scarier than the upcoming Amnesia? [New horror game found]

[RawkBandMan]

tl;dr

This makes sense. From what I understand, Senscape is a rather small team. It would take a lot of man power to make it fully 3D, as you said.

Still patiently waiting for the release, and I ESPECIALLY can't wait for the playable demo/teaser thing.

[Googolplex]

Hey, i got a message from the developer of Asylum.
I asked them why there is no 3D free movement instead of point & click.
So I got this answer:

"Thank you so much for your comments. I understand how you feel about the interface and movements, and I think that perhaps you're expecting the wrong kind of game. Let me assure you that, quite the contrary, the design decisions in Asylum are there to *enhance* the experience, not detract from it.

Perhaps Asylum won't provide the same "environmental" immersion as Amnesia, but we're making sure it offers a one of a kind experience with a serious horror story that players won't ever forget. There's no room for physical horror in the game: it's purely psychological."


Yeah, that seems to be a little different horror game from what we expected.

But in anyway it will be fantastic. it is point & click, but I think we need to accept that.

I mean, we even know from Dear Esther how good a "walking simulator" could be.

So I'm looking forward to that project and maybe it will be the first point & click horror game for me!

[Damascus Rose]

It makes me think of Botanicula. Except when you click on the things, a jack in the box pops out.

[Traggey]

What do you mean different from what we expected? What did you expect?

I for one am super glad they're taking it the route they are!

[Sexbad]

It makes me think of Botanicula. Except when you click on the things, a jack in the box pops out.

Have you played a point-and-click adventure game before (other than Botanicula)? Pointing and clicking are pretty standard things!

[Damascus Rose]

It makes me think of Botanicula. Except when you click on the things, a jack in the box pops out.

Have you played a point-and-click adventure game before (other than Botanicula)? Pointing and clicking are pretty standard things!

Yes I have, but I don't like the idea of a horror game being only point & click, with no other controls. What I said was just a pessimistic prediction of what it will be like. I'm interested to see how this will work.

[Sexbad]

It makes me think of Botanicula. Except when you click on the things, a jack in the box pops out.

Have you played a point-and-click adventure game before (other than Botanicula)? Pointing and clicking are pretty standard things!

Yes I have, but I don't like the idea of a horror game being only point & click, with no other controls. What I said was just a pessimistic prediction of what it will be like. I'm interested to see how this will work.

It shouldn't be a problem so long as the story and puzzles back up the environments. Overture had physical horror that focused around its stealth, but I think it was the psychological stuff--logs of various characters detailing the mine's history, giving more questions than immediate answers--that really made the game a haunting experience for me.

Good adventure games have always been about provoking emotions that are almost never even tapped in other genres. If it's got an atmosphere with a deep world and characters to back it up, I've no doubt it'll manage to unsettle you, especially since the gameplay reinforces the fact that you're just a common person.

In the meantime, I've been meaning to play Scratches and Darkness Within. Apparently they're both pretty good examples of horror that employs very passive gameplay.

[Damascus Rose]

It makes me think of Botanicula. Except when you click on the things, a jack in the box pops out.

Have you played a point-and-click adventure game before (other than Botanicula)? Pointing and clicking are pretty standard things!

Yes I have, but I don't like the idea of a horror game being only point & click, with no other controls. What I said was just a pessimistic prediction of what it will be like. I'm interested to see how this will work.

Spoiler below!

It shouldn't be a problem so long as the story and puzzles back up the environments. Overture had physical horror that focused around its stealth, but I think it was the psychological stuff--logs of various characters detailing the mine's history, giving more questions than immediate answers--that really made the game a haunting experience for me.

Good adventure games have always been about provoking emotions that are almost never even tapped in other genres. If it's got an atmosphere with a deep world and characters to back it up, I've no doubt it'll manage to unsettle you, especially since the gameplay reinforces the fact that you're just a common person.

In the meantime, I've been meaning to play Scratches and Darkness Within. Apparently they're both pretty good examples of horror that employs very passive gameplay.

That's right about the psychological stuff, that's what I think this new game will be entirely focusing on. The only thing that bothers me though, is how can you get a feeling of danger and fear of dying when you can't even control the movement and actions of your character? I worry it will feel more like a movie than a game.

Also, never played either of those games, heard they were good too. Please post back about them!

[Sexbad]

It makes me think of Botanicula. Except when you click on the things, a jack in the box pops out.

Have you played a point-and-click adventure game before (other than Botanicula)? Pointing and clicking are pretty standard things!

Yes I have, but I don't like the idea of a horror game being only point & click, with no other controls. What I said was just a pessimistic prediction of what it will be like. I'm interested to see how this will work.

Spoiler below!

It shouldn't be a problem so long as the story and puzzles back up the environments. Overture had physical horror that focused around its stealth, but I think it was the psychological stuff--logs of various characters detailing the mine's history, giving more questions than immediate answers--that really made the game a haunting experience for me.

Good adventure games have always been about provoking emotions that are almost never even tapped in other genres. If it's got an atmosphere with a deep world and characters to back it up, I've no doubt it'll manage to unsettle you, especially since the gameplay reinforces the fact that you're just a common person.

In the meantime, I've been meaning to play Scratches and Darkness Within. Apparently they're both pretty good examples of horror that employs very passive gameplay.

That's right about the psychological stuff, that's what I think this new game will be entirely focusing on. The only thing that bothers me though, is how can you get a feeling of danger and fear of dying when you can't even control the movement and actions of your character? I worry it will feel more like a movie than a game.

Also, never played either of those games, heard they were good too. Please post back about them!

Well, it won't focus on the fear of dying. That's predicated by the developers' objective to make the horror completely psychological rather than physical. There are other perfectly valid feelings for the game to feed off of, like the fear of the unknown, the feeling of being watched, reaction to distant noises, etc...

[HateSolstice]

Hey, i got a message from the developer of Asylum.
I asked them why there is no 3D free movement instead of point & click.
So I got this answer:

"Thank you so much for your comments. I understand how you feel about the interface and movements, and I think that perhaps you're expecting the wrong kind of game. Let me assure you that, quite the contrary, the design decisions in Asylum are there to *enhance* the experience, not detract from it.

Perhaps Asylum won't provide the same "environmental" immersion as Amnesia, but we're making sure it offers a one of a kind experience with a serious horror story that players won't ever forget. There's no room for physical horror in the game: it's purely psychological."

Yeah, that seems to be a little different horror game from what we expected.

But in anyway it will be fantastic. it is point & click, but I think we need to accept that.

I mean, we even know from Dear Esther how good a "walking simulator" could be.

So I'm looking forward to that project and maybe it will be the first point & click horror game for me!

I really think what you expect and what you are looking for from video games is vastly different from what the majority of the rest of us here are looking for. I'm starting to think you don't really understand what horror even is, and your comment certainly proves you don't know what Dear Esther is intended to be.