Title: Edge of Sanity
Developer: Vixa Games
Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment
Available On: September 13th 2024
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch
Reviewed On: PC

Introduction

Edge of Sanity is a 2D style survival horror adventure. It follows the main character as he falls into madness as he battles monsters that have been popping up all over the frozen wastes. Try and uncover the corporate agenda as you delve into the darkness.

Synopsis

Survive the bitter Alaskan wilderness during the height of the Cold War, but you are not alone so survival is not just against the harsh elements of the north. Monsters have been showing up for some reason and you must rescue others as you pursue the cause behind the madness.

Analysis

Look for food and supplies in an Alaskan mountain valley as you battle to survive from the cold, cultists, and monsters. With the notes left behind, you must uncover the truth and find out what happened to a group of missing scientists. What is the strange Thurul Stone?

The gameplay

Edge of Sanity is an intense dive into a world inspired by H.P. Love craft, mixing the unique 2D Art style, with a cold Alaskan atmosphere, survival horror elements, and an ambitious narrative. Find and scavenge what you can to survive the dark things that loom in the snowy terrain.

At the start of the game you play Carter, who is out in the Alaskan wilderness, but doesn’t remember how he got there, but proceeds to head back to base. He meets up with Frank, a fellow worker. After a short discussion about the lack of communication from PRISM, the corporation that employs them, Carter heads for his pillow. This is when his desired restful sleep turns into an encounter with a nightmare monster. After a confusing interaction Carter wakes up in search of Frank and a quest to fix the electrical problem plaguing the station.

With the help of a lantern that requires fuel to see in the cold dark, you find Frank who hurt his leg. Help patch him up and search for a nearby camp. This is when the gameplay starts to come through. Day 1 begins, and you are instructed by Frank to go scavenge for supplies. You get locked inside and must fix the radio where you get bits and pieces of an evacuation, to run, and a mysterious stone which has fallen from the stars and plays an important role in the games story. You then search for the building, gathering items that you can use to craft items to use. On your way back to camp you must check to see if the mine is open leading you into an introduction to monsters.

As you traverse around the paths you come across monsters. You learn that Monsters vary in strength, so you can try and sneak past them, trap them, or stun them with a rock. Whatever method you choose it will require stealth and patience. As you explore you find a person who is chained up, he tells you a wild story of being forced to drink something and being used as a test subject. He asks you to find a key; after doing so, you try to rescue him only to find he has transformed into a monster. What is going on?

From here on out it is all about scavenging, building, fighting, and surviving another day. Some items have a durability factor and can be used over a short period of time like your axe. Other items have a period in which they are effective. You also have a traumas bar, which is a representation of Carters metal state and psychological damages to him. This bar fills that unlocks new conditions such as phantom sight that describes the things you see may or may not be real. Also, there are plenty of things to find and collect such as journal entries by finding figure sets to expand the story and lore of the game.

You will also encounter other survivors who will rescue and bring back to base camp. Each person will have a backstory with some specialty skills. You can check their status, give them food or water, provide an item to use, and check on morale. Assign the survivors to a job to continue the efforts of survival success. This adds in another layer of strategy in this survival horror game. The camp itself also has a storage area, food and water station, a workbench, and a few other amenities. I enjoyed the downtime between missions, and the quote Frank said, “Better rest in camp than resting in pieces.” Where will all this survival lead you?

Final Score

Edge of Sanity for me combined some interesting elements such as the cold Alaskan wilderness, abandoned sites, exploration and scavenging, fusing a survival horror dreamscape. This created a hauntingly beautiful landscape that had me contemplating what could be next. The mood created within the world fits perfectly with the Lovecraftian tones it emits, ultimately submerging the player into the mindset of Carter. This creates a great base to form the story and give the player a unique performance, but with every performance there can be some issues as well.

The biggest issue I felt was the pacing or overall cadence of the game as you continued your journey. It felt repetitive as you went further into the game, giving it at times a bit of stale chore feeling. I felt invested in the game early on and I enjoyed it overall, but something lacked in variety as you continued to play. The game has solid gameplay, just needs a little bit of spice throughout the levels.

Scavenging and managing items you find to survive in this game was fun. I thoroughly enjoyed the environment, gameplay, and art choice. What the game may have lacked in my perspective does not outweigh the elements that worked so well here. If you are a fan of survival horror, inventory management, and/or Lovecraftian settings you will most likely enjoy this Alaskan setting.

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Shane Kelley is a Senior writer for Boss Rush Network, as well as a writer for Another Zelda Podcast. His favorite game is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. You can find him on X or Bluesky to talk video games, Marvel, cribbage, and axe throwing.

Images: taken by author