Game: Shrouded in Sanity
Platform: PC, Switch
Genre: action, Souls-like
Style: heavy Lovecraft influences
Verdict: Recommended
Buy: Steam | Steam (free version) | eShop
Gameplay-wise, Shrouded in Sanity was inspired by the Souls games, and that becomes apparent right away. It is a challenging game that forces you to watch your enemies’ movements carefully, both to avoid their attacks and to parry when the time is right. It’s very easy to die, and you’ll die often.
When you die, you’ll drop any vitae you collected from fallen enemies, but you can retrieve it if you return to the spot where you died without dying again. Vitae is sort of a currency, and you’ll need both vitae and the rare Yth stones to upgrade your capabilities and grow stronger.
Also like a Souls game, it has a minimalist storytelling style… but its story oozes Lovecraftian influences.
It takes place in an ancient manor surrounded by a sinister Fog, and the servants have all gone mad. As you fight the twisted monsters to overcome the Fog, you gradually learn more details about how the incident occurred. But the longer you fight, the more you start to lose your own sanity.
Shrouded in Sanity isn’t a game for everyone, because you need to be prepared for brutal combat and a somewhat-ambiguous story. However, if you like both the Souls gameplay style and Lovecraft, it’s worth looking into.
Buy: Steam | Steam (free version)