Like the best games of the genre, Sanitarium contains the one element essential to adventure gaming: the ability to make you want to find out what happens next, to peek around that next corner. Despite the minor flaws, one being that the game is somewhat short (but worthwhile) even though it ships on 3 CD's, another being puzzles which are probably on the easy side for experienced gamers, the experience is rewarding. Sanitarium is a solid game, made so through the strength of the writing, artwork and story.
The well-produced video cut scenes are an integral part of the game and keep things moving forward to build a tapestry of memories for your character. Unfortunately, this can result in getting "stuck" when you've done everything and talked to everyone, but there is always a way out, so keep searching. This can be forgiven as it tends to ensure the game remains well-paced and, in fact, there is a logical progression required to make the wildly entertaining story unfold in a meaningful manner. Sanitarium is very linear and you'll feel at times as if you're being led through the game by the nose. The interface is point and click and can be annoying. Your character (and possibly you) will experience an emotional joyride while working through the various scenes due in part to the storyline itself as well as the exquisite atmospheric artwork and musical interludes associated with each segment. The episodes are as distinct and separate from each other as they could possibly be and it's through exploration and discovery within each of these levels that the surprising central theme is pieced (and held) together, bit by bit. There are nine major episodes (plus four sub-chapters) to work your way through and each of them is beautifully drawn and captures the essence of the important backdrop to each segment. Using a photo-realistic, 3D rendered environment, Sanitarium is an inspired piece of eye-candy. Fortunately, there is enough gameplay and plot development to overcome this shortcoming. It seems to improve as the game evolves and occasionally lapses into fairly talented and inspired voices but unfortunately not often and that's a shame since dialogue (which is well written) is one of the most important aspects of the game (only the artwork and plot compare in importance). For the most part, the voice acting in Sanitarium is not particularly good. The really bad news is easy to dispense with early. Your quest for truth and identity becomes paramount to survival and your journey of discovery will open up fantastic realms. Grotesque, unstable and freakish people surround you and your immediate concern is to escape this loony bin and get some answers. As you look around, you realize your nightmare is just beginning. Don't know why you're here, what your name is or even what you look like. Sanitarium is a dark story revolving around your character who wakes up in an insane asylum with serious memory losses.
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