One cult horror developer is working on a spiritual successor to the game that launched their career nearly two decades ago.
Agustin Cordes transformed into a well-known name in horror video games, primarily due to his 2006 release Scratches, which was a chilling, methodical mystery that drew inspiration from Myst, delivering some unforgettable frights. It was also notable as the first commercially successful game developed in Argentina.
After 19 years, he has at last released another point-and-click horror adventure with Asylum, which has experienced its own turbulent journey along the way.
Asylum was initially announced in 2010 as a sort of sequel to Scratches. It remained a horror game, still a point-and-click adventure that provided full 360-degree camera control. It was intended to deliver those engaging mystery elements. A 2013 Kickstarter campaign successfully helped developer Senscape raise nearly $120,000, so what caused the lengthy delay in finalizing its development?
In a Kickstarter FAQ, the developer clarifies that Asylum was produced “on a minimal budget, using funds from our personal savings,” and the small team has been primarily working part-time jobs, complicating their schedules. Furthermore, Asylum is set to be three times larger than Scratches “and significantly more intricate,” featuring over 100 explorable rooms and an expansive layout that is as “architecturally accurate as possible.”
“As if all of this chaos wasn’t enough, we’ve been building our own game engine,” the FAQ states. “From scratch. Ever heard when developers prefer to stick with existing engines instead of creating their own? Well, there’s a good reason for that.” One frequent question was apparently “Are you out of your mind?” to which the developer replied, “Just a little bit.”
On Steam, Senscape describes the game as “inspired