The point-and-click adventure game genre is one of the most immersive around. It typically doesn't seek to draw you in with over-the-top action sequences. Instead, you're drawn in by the sheer amount of attention and focus you must give to each detail as you click on every corner of the screen. When something freaks you out, part of the fear comes from just how hard you've been staring.
Sanitarium is one such game from nearly two decades ago. Released in 1998, the PC horror game sucked players into the mind of an amnesiac in a world teetering on the edge of madness. Critics and gamers alike walked away from the experience feeling genuinely creeped out.
These days you can download a version of Sanitarium to a Windows PC from Steam for $10, but DotEmu is also working on letting you take the title on the go. It has a mobile adaptation in the works that is slated for release on Android and iOS October 29th.
Though DotEmu intends for this to be a faithful port, there are some changes in place that should cater the experience to touchscreens. Players will be able to choose between a touch mode and a pad mode, and there will be an automatic save system to accommodate the on-and-off play inherent in mobile gaming. Newcomers will have the option to toggle on a hint system so that they don't bang their heads against the wall for too long playing through a game made in a time when gamers didn't expect their hands held quite so tightly. There will be twenty achievements to unlock, and a new inventory system. Players will have the choice to listen to voices and read text in three languages: English, French, and German.
Expect more information at the end of next month.