The sinister 2D “Edge of Sanity” game wields all the elements of a great psychological horror game. An organization testing horrific experiments, nightmarish creatures, and stressful scenarios where the lines are blurred between reality and slipping sanity. Discover the haunting and horrible truth behind the laboratory PRISM while playing as Carter, a former worker of PRISM, trying to manage your resources and camp of fellow survivors within the isolated mountains of Alaska. Comic horror lies within the terrain and creatures you come across.

The game modes for “Edge of Sanity” include ”Normal’ and ‘Ironman,’ designed for players looking for a real challenge where the game only saves at the start of every new day. 

A Slippery Slope into Madness

In the immersive survival horror game, players traverse icy Alaska, detached from the rest of the world, and must make critical survival decisions to survive each day. As you navigate through eerie environments, the essential goal is to keep your party alive amidst threats and the creeping decay of Carter’s sanity. Making crucial dialogue options and judgment calls determines who remains in your camp. 

Exploration is key, with players choosing locations on a map to uncover other survivors or essential resources. As the camp expands, assign party members to gather food or scavenge. Managing health and stress is crucial, especially since injuries persist daily. The game’s ambiance adds to the tension, with unsettling sounds and occasional creature screams setting a haunting backdrop for this survival adventure.

A standout feature that feels essential to a game inspired by the Cthulhu-Mythos is the ‘Traumas’ mechanic. ‘Traumas’ adds depth to the gameplay with its psychological twists. The style seamlessly blends cartoony and spooky illustrations. The game will play tricks on you by twisting the world around you into something uncanny and sinister. 

Verdict

As a big fan of anything Lovecraftian and horrific, I enjoyed the ambiance of “Edge of Sanity” a lot. Publishers, Daedalic Entertainment encompasses the sensation of sanity decreasing so well; the illustrations and visuals were unsettling but very cool.

I appreciated the simplicity of maneuvering through the stages and found the challenging sections adequate to the play style. I recognize the replay value in returning to areas to explore alternative decisions. Such as opting to save a sick individual who might jeopardize your group’s security, instead of prioritizing safety and dealing with the burden of guilt that lingers until the following day.

Will you survive, or will the abyss claim you? Lovecraftian fans should not miss out on this one!

Available Now on Steam!

Reviewed on Steam. Review code provided by the publisher.