PC REVIEW | Sanatorium – A Mental Asylum Simulator

Welcome to the Sanatorium, a place where you’ve arrived seeking professional psychiatric care… at least in theory. Because this time, you might be unlucky enough to have me as your “doctor.” And I use that term loosely. I didn’t exactly earn my medical licence. I faked it to investigate a mystery inside the asylum and, well… things escalated. So if your condition worsens under my supervision, let’s just agree nobody needs to know there was an imposter in a lab coat.

The premise of Sanatorium – A Mental Asylum Simulator is one of the more unusual concepts I’ve encountered. Solving a mystery by experimenting with other people’s mental health is equal parts intriguing and morally uncomfortable. As I played, I couldn’t help but question the ethics of what I was doing. Learning critical psychiatric skills on the job may suit the protagonist, but it’s not something I’d advise outside the safety of a digital world. Fortunately, in a game where suspension of disbelief is part of the admission fee, the idea works surprisingly well and makes for an engaging experience.

But how engaging is it? Let’s step inside the reviewer’s mind and examine what worked… and what should perhaps remain under observation.

Things I liked!

• Gameplay mechanics | Sanatorium is, at its heart, a deck-building game where you have to gain more powerful cards to defeat enemies, or in this case, find more powerful treatments and consistent remedies to treat mental health issues. I quite enjoyed this aspect of the gameplay and would have liked to have seen it implemented a little more smoothly than it was, but for the most part, I didn’t have too much trouble understanding the gameplay mechanics and had a blast trying to determine what was ailing my poor patients in order to keep my subterfuge intact. There was also an element of exploration to the game, as you could wander the grounds of the asylum in search of clues and items to assist in solving the overall mystery. There were people to talk to and hidden secrets to find, and all the while you had your ‘job’ to attend to. This might sound like a lot, but it never felt overwhelming; in fact, it was actually quite an easy-going game.

• Art style | The art style of Sanatorium leans nicely into its 1920s setting with an art deco feel that makes each scene look like it could be from a painting in that era. Even the cards look like they could have just been painted by Tamara de Lempicka. I enjoy a game that can lean into the era it’s trying to imitate. I always appreciate when developers commit to the period they’re evoking rather than offering a vague aesthetic nod. Here, the research shows extremely well.
  
• Story | There is a deeper mystery underneath the deck-building gameplay of Sanatorium, and while not overly complex, it does give you something to look forward to solving the more you play. A lot of deck builders out there rely solely on the mechanics and progression of the game rather than the story itself. Although there are a few out there with fascinating tales to be told amid the carnage, this game relies not only on the mysteries of the asylum but also on the patients you attend throughout your time working there. There is a neat tapestry of mysteries to sink your teeth into, but it doesn’t feel too heavy; instead, it’s more like a lot of light, enjoyable novelettes to keep you occupied between the gameplay elements.

Mixed & disliked!

• Repetitiveness | Unfortunately, Sanatorium suffers from the curse of a lot of deck builders out there, and that is repetitiveness. It’s an unfortunate side effect of the game style, and if you do end up getting caught and fired from the job, you will have to repeat whole sections of the game. Sometimes that’s not too bad of an issue, but sometimes, when you are close to discovering another piece of the puzzle being put back, it just puts a damper on things somewhat. I would have liked to have seen more than just the deck-builder mechanic put into play, perhaps an assortment of psychiatry-based mini-games you could play with the patients in order to further explore the cause of their psychosis. But it is what it is.

• Lack of Save | This might be a bit nitpicky on my part, but the game only has an auto-save function, where if you fail at a scenario, you either jump back to the start of the scenario or the beginning of the day. Now I realise that doesn’t sound too bad, but if you may have missed something the previous day in either your treatment of a patient or your failure to pick up an item that is needed for the next ward, you might have to start from scratch. Perhaps an option to revisit previous days might be a welcome addition, but other than that, my suggestion is to search everywhere and double-check everything before sleeping each night.

How long did I play the review before publishing? 8 hours
How long to beat the story? 4 – 5 hours
How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? There are no achievements
You’ll love this game if you like these | Field Hospital: Dr. Taylor’s Story, Orwell: Ignorance is Strength

CONCLUSION

Score: 68 /100

Overall, Sanatorium – A Mental Asylum Simulator is a game that has something to offer if you enjoy a mystery and have a little patience when it comes to deck-building-style games. The artwork is awesome, and the gameplay can be fun if you take your time and make sure you take in everything that is happening with both the patients and your surroundings. For me, the repetitiveness is what lets it down and the fact that you cannot manually save. I think a few additions of some mini-games or even a more fair save system would actually elevate this game and make it something that I would love to go back to time and again; as it stands, however, I think I’ll just enjoy what I have played and move on to the next job. I don’t think I was cut out to be a doctor. To be honest.