Fixed a mistake in Steamworks settings that were preventing the Demo from running properly.

[ 2025-03-25 14:10:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

• Updated a library that was causing issues with startup on Windows.
• Minor fixes.

[ 2025-03-25 13:52:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

New

• Added a new mode: hard mode for the Doctor story. Press the new red alarm switch in the starting library in the Doctor story to enable it. Will you be able to survive this new challenge?
• Added a new modifier in the score board: you will get more points if you finish the game in hard mode!
• Added some new documents in the game.

Improvements

• Improved the visuals for when the player is hidden by a wall.
• Improved localization, adding some missing lines and improving others.
• Minor improvements to performances and the game itself.

Fixes

• Fixed a bug that was making the player stuck after beating a tutorial.
• Fixed a bug that was making the Portrait puzzle unsolvable in some cases.
• Fixed a bug that was making the Cypher puzzle unsolvable.
• Minor bug fixes in some rooms.

[ 2025-03-25 10:54:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

• Fixed some minor bugs and leftovers inside some rooms, including one that could cause problems during map generation.

[ 2025-03-08 12:31:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

• Fixed a bug that was causing some crashes on map generation.
• Fixed a bug that sometimes was causing a crash when interacting with a specific document.
• Fixed a bug in Brazilian localization that prevented the documents from being successfully loaded.
• Improved visual effect when the player sprite is behind a wall.
• Minor bug fixes and improvements.

[ 2025-03-06 13:51:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, Escapers! After a lot of hard work, were excited to introduce the latest update for Insane Escape: the Nurse Update! Why is this new version, 0.7, called that? Because among the many fixes and improvements to the games code, this updates main addition is a brand-new playable story: The Nurse. Some might remember her as the playable character in the Insane Escape demo released almost a year ago. Thats rightweve decided to improve that demo, update it to the latest version (with all the necessary tweaks and improvements), and make it available again. To celebrate, we are also re-releasing the Insane Escape demo! There are some differences between The Nurse story in the full game and the demomost notably, save data is unavailable in the demo. But thats not all! So, without further ado, heres everything new in this update:

New Features

• Added the new playable story, The Nurse. It can be selected from the Story Select menu in the main menu. Save data for this story will be separate from the Doctors, allowing you to switch stories without losing progress. Set just before The Doctors story, this acts as a small prologue to your main escape. During the chaos, youll play as a nurse whose goal is to find Dr. Javier and warn him about the disaster.
• Added a new corridor section in the Doctors story as a reference to the Nurses story.
• Added a new collectible document in the Doctors story.
• Added two new achievements.
• Added new sound effects in the [spoiler]dumbwaiter cutscene[/spoiler].

Improvements

• Improved map generation to accommodate different stories with different maps.
• Improved the games save system. Now, alongside the regular save file, there will be a backup file that will be used in case of loading issues. This should prevent any risk of data corruption.
• Added two new pop-ups in the main menu to notify players about save file incompatibility with the current game version and potential data loading issues. We realized players could be confused if their saves disappeared after a major update, so we added this small warning.
• Improved the interaction system with in-game objects. This should make the experience smoother while also preventing some crashes that occasionally occur when picking up items.
• Strengthened in-game threats by making their audio cues harder to hear. This also indirectly buffs some items and tokens.
• Improved one of the threats, [spoiler]Simon[/spoiler], particularly [spoiler]his minigame. Players will now receive better visual feedback when its their turn.[/spoiler]

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug in Brazilian Portuguese localization. A silly filename error prevented proper localization in this language. This issue should now be resolved.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the Ampoule Puzzle from closing properly once completed.
• Fixed a bug related to the Merchants spawn.
• Fixed several bugs in the code of some patients that occasionally caused crashes.
• Improved AI behavior for some patients.
• Fixed a bug preventing the proper spawning of the metal gate in the corridor.
• Adjusted the sounds of patient [spoiler]Gunther[/spoiler].
• Fixed a bug where patient [spoiler]Simon[/spoiler] would teleport out of the room instead of walking away properly.
• Fixed several navigation issues related to patient [spoiler]Hallway Guy[/spoiler].
• All pathfinding-related bugs in the game should now be resolved.
• Fixed issues with the functionality of a particular door.
• Fixed text-related bugs in some documents.
• Fixed a crash that occurred upon completing the Security Console puzzle.
• Fixed bugs in the code of some Tokens, which caused them to behave abnormally.
• Fixed a bug in some rooms with multiple doors, that could prevent the player from opening them correctly.

This new update should make your gameplay experience more complete, enjoyable, andmost importantlybug-free. As always, let us know if you encounter any issues or have any feedback by visiting the Insane Escape Community Hubs Discussions section. We wish you all a fun and thrilling escape! The Development Team

[ 2025-03-01 15:51:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

• Fixed a bug that made the item Amplifier work exactly the opposite as intended.
• Fixed a bug in the puzzle tutorials that was causing crashes when the player interacted with them.
• Fixed a bug preventing the players from interacting with some puzzle tutorials.
• Fixed a bug that occurred when the player closed the puzzle screen and was in some cases even making them unable to move.
• Minor bug fixes and performance improvements.

[ 2025-02-04 14:30:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

Here we are, with a new update. This latest version contains some bug fixes and changes that players will nicely welcome! I will add spoiler tags under each point in the list to explain more about what has changed without forcing you to know more than you want.

Changelog

Improvements

• Improved spawn logic of the Merchant. [spoiler]Before this new update the Merchant could spawn every time he wanted, even when the player had to react to a patient. In some circumstances, this could prevent the players from actually interacting with him as they were doing something else. From now on, when the Merchant wants to spawn he will check if there's an active patient and will only spawn if the player is safe. If a patient is trying to kill the player, he will try to spawn after a brief wait. He will repeat this process until he can spawn.[/spoiler]
• Slightly increased game difficulty. [spoiler]Whenever the player gets a keycode, the game becomes more difficult, making the patients more active. In addition to this, now the Merchant will also react to this increase in difficulty, becoming less active as the game progresses.[/spoiler]
• Added windows to the elevator rooms. [spoiler]This should make sure that there's at least one room per floor where the merchant can spawn.[/spoiler]

Fixes

• Reverted a change that was making a specific patient too active. [spoiler]If you had the feeling Still has been a little too aggressive is because we forgot to remove a line of code we added during debug that was causing him to always spawn on your floor. This meant that he was spawning way more frequently than intended.[/spoiler]
• Fixed windows spawn. [spoiler]There was a problem in the code that was preventing windows from spawning correctly inside the game. This was making the Merchant almost unable to spawn and should now be fixed.[/spoiler]
• Fixed a bug that was preventing the player from obtaining keycodes from puzzles. [spoiler]There was a minor mistake in the code that was preventing the puzzles to correctly give keycodes as a reward. This should now be fixed.[/spoiler]

This new version should improve the strategic aspect of our game and make it way more fun for players. Of course, the changes in version number and map generation will force you to restart your current run. We're sorry for the inconvenience, but we hope the fixes and the improvements will be worth it. - The Development Team

[ 2025-02-01 14:59:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

• Fixed some bugs in Tokens display (in both TokenMenu and Score Screen).
• Slightly nerfed the patient [spoiler]Still[/spoiler]. They will now span a little less frequently.
• Improved the BreathingBar to allow the player to [spoiler]survive Still in most circumstances[/spoiler] without managing the oxygen level too much.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the Security Console puzzle from closing properly.
• Fixed a bug that incorrectly displayed a specific item's name.
• Fixed some configuration mistakes that were causing random crashes while looting.
• Fixed a bug that was preventing the correct use of the item Amplifier.
• Fixed some minor bugs in some rooms.
• Fixed a bug that was causing crashes in rare circumstances when you used items.
• Fixed minor bugs in the generation of some puzzles.
• Fixed various bugs that were preventing some puzzles to work correctly [spoiler](Specifically: Computer, Security Console, Cypher, Portrait).[/spoiler]
• Fixed some Italian localization mistakes.

We didn't change the version name, but considering we fixed some stuff in map generation we would still advise you to restart your run to make sure you don't encounter problems while loading back your save.

[ 2025-01-28 14:47:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

• Fixed a bug preventing a patient from despawning correctly.
• Fixed a specific patient-related bug that could cause a game crash in some circumstances.

[ 2025-01-23 14:38:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

• Fixed some bugs related to a specific patient spawn that could cause a crash in some circumstances.
• Fixed a bug that prevented a specific patient from working correctly.
• Improved UI in [spoiler]map screen[/spoiler].

[ 2025-01-22 11:32:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

• Fixed some bugs with a specific patient that were causing random crashed.
• Fixed some bugs in said patient AI.
• Fixed some bugs in map generations that could have caused crashes in some circumstances.
• Reintroduced the option to return to the title screen in the settings menu.
• General fixes and improvements, specifically to performance and stability.

[ 2025-01-21 14:39:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

• Fixed some bugs in reproducing the newly added music tracks.
• Fixed some performance issues and hopefully improved stability.

[ 2025-01-20 11:02:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

After a lot of hard work, we are finally thrilled to present Insane Escape Update 0.5, packed with exciting new features!

New

• Added a new accessibility option to the game. You can now enable the "Readable Font" option in the settings to replace certain in-game fonts with a more legible version if you find the existing fonts difficult to read.
• Added new sound effects and music tracks to the game.
• Added new tutorials for puzzles. Now, after encountering a new puzzle for the first time, youll find a randomized version of it in the starting room. This allows you to calmly read the instructions and practice with the puzzle without worrying about being killed in the meantime.

Improvements

• Improved overall game lighting: it should now be easier to see both with and without the flashlight, as well as when turning on room lights. Weve worked to make the games lights more useful while still preserving the games atmosphere.
• Enhanced the code for Tokens: they will now be generated in a more logical, useful manner, consistent with their original design.
• Improved the Token selection menu, both in terms of general usability and backend code.
• Improved the AI and spawn mechanics of one of the patients.
• Enhanced localization across all currently supported languages.
• General performance improvements and updates to other aspects of the game.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug with certain patients that could occasionally cause crashes.
• Fixed a bug with the score screen that incorrectly awarded points to the player.
• Fixed a bug with the score screen that could sometimes grant an extra Token to the player.
• Fixed a bug that caused various issues when starting a new game if the player returned to the main menu after finishing a game instead of closing and reopening the game, which in some cases could lead to crashes.
• Fixed several bugs with Tokens. Acquiring a new Token would, for some reason, overwrite previously obtained Tokens, making them all identical. This issue also occurred during data saving and loading. This should now be resolved.
• Fixed some bugs with the submenus in the Main Menu.
• General fixes for minor bugs and graphical issues.

We apologize for the wait, but as you can see, weve worked hard to create an update thats as comprehensive as possible and addresses as many issues as we could, in line with the feedback weve received from you. We hope the wait was worth it and that your experience with Insane Escape will now be more enjoyable and engaging. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on our game your input helps us improve, refine, and perfect it more and more. Happy escaping! - The Development Team.

[ 2025-01-15 11:50:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

• Fixed a bug that prevented some patients from being able actually to kill the player in some situations.
• Fixed a bug with the final score screen that would reward the player with incorrect points in some situations.

[ 2024-12-25 10:50:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

• Hopefully fixed a bug that made a specific patient act weirdly in particular circumstances.

[ 2024-12-21 11:06:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

• Fixed a bug that caused a specific patient to be unable to move after spawning.
• Fixed some problems in localization.
• Fixed a bug in generating, saving, and loading Tokens.
• Fixed a bug that prevented some puzzles from being interacted properly.
• Minor improvements and fixes.

[ 2024-12-19 14:12:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

• Fixed some errors in localization.
• Fixed some bugs in rooms.
• Fixed a bug with hallway light switches.
• Minor bug fixes and improvements.

[ 2024-12-17 14:54:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

• Fixed an issue with map generation that in some cases would generate a room with no doors.
• Fixed some bugs in AI navigation.
• Fixed a bug that would delete transversal progress when the game file is deleted (i.e. on death).
• Minor fixes and improvements.

[ 2024-12-14 12:19:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

• Fixed some mistakes in localization
• Fixed some bugs in various rooms.
• Fixed some bugs with navigation.
• Fixed a bug with cassette tape item
• Fixed a bug that would sometimes loop the interact animation
  
  [ 2024-12-12 14:44:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

- Fixed a bug in game loading that would prevent the correct loading of blocked doors. This would mean that in some cases [spoiler]the player would be able to get back to the Library[/spoiler], and that sometimes random doors would just close behind you making you unable to access or leave rooms.

[ 2024-12-12 11:39:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

• Fixed a bug with the spawning position of the metal gate.
• Fixed some bugs with documents' localization.

[ 2024-11-28 10:55:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

New Update: Insanity Reawakened

We are finally releasing the first Major Update of Insane Escape: Insanity Reawakened! This new update is essentially a complete overhaul of the horror experience of the game, along with some quality-of-life improvements and several bug fixes. But lets get straight to the point and start listing the changes. Warning: As you might expect, the changelog could contain spoilers about the games gameplay. Most of them will be hidden, but even reading about changes to the AI of the patients could be considered a spoiler.

Changelog

General Additions

• You can now activate the microphone during gameplay from the games Options menu, both from the main menu and during a match. The microphone will be used in several situations, and activating it could make the overall experience more challenging (but also more fun). When the microphone is active, an icon appears on the right side of the screen showing the detected sound volume.
• Added the ability to peek through door locks to look into rooms without opening them.
• A new gameplay action was added: holding your breath. [spoiler]This replaces the previous AI functionality for the patient Still.[/spoiler]
• Added a new item: "Playing Card." But what could it be for?
• Added some basic instructions about the game controls when starting a new run.
• Added new localization options for interface and documents: French, Spanish, German, and Brazilian Portuguese.

Changes to Threats

• Gunther

  
  
  • Gunther will no longer stay idle at the door after spawning but will instead move around the room for a while before leaving.
  • [spoiler]Gunther can now listen to your microphone while you're hiding. If you speak too loudly, he will know where youre hiding.[/spoiler]
  • [spoiler]If youre not hiding,[/spoiler] Gunther will now chase you before killing you.

• Still

  
  
  • Still now [spoiler]constantly hears your breathing, and you must hold your breath to avoid being noticed.[/spoiler]
  • Still now [spoiler]chases you around the room before killing you if he hears you.[/spoiler]
  • Still can now optionally listen to your microphone while in the same room with you.
  • Still is now active across the entire map. [spoiler]He spawns in a different room each time, even when youre not there, and the minigame starts when you enter his room.[/spoiler]

• Simon

  
  
  • Simon can now chase the player around the room.
  • Upon arrival, Simon now exits a wardrobe, [spoiler]making the lock useless against him.[/spoiler]
  • Added a new counter for Simon.
  • Improved his appearance and animations.

• Hallway Guy

  
  
  • Hallway Guy can now hear your microphone under certain circumstances.
  • Hallway Guy can now [spoiler]hear your breathing.[/spoiler]
  • [spoiler]If, while fleeing from him, you enter a room without first losing him, he will try to follow you inside, and you will have to stop him by locking the door.[/spoiler]

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that caused extra windows to appear in strange locations.
• Improved the games save system to make it more robust against crashes and forced closures.
• Fixed several crashes.
• Improved pathfinding in all rooms.

And, just because this update alone wasnt enough: from November 27 to December 4, Insane Escape will participate in Steam's Autumn Sale event, available at its lowest-ever price with a 60% discount! We hope this update will make your future runs in Insane Escape more interesting and enjoyable. Good luck escaping this reawakened insanity. - The Development Team

[ 2024-11-27 18:01:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello to all Insane Escape players and aspiring ones, and welcome to this new devlog. Over the past few weeks, our weekly behind-the-scenes updates on game development have ceased, but not because we havent been working. Its just that the day we usually publish the devlog often coincided or was too close to a new update or patch, which made the devlog somewhat redundant. In any case, its been a while since the last update, so its definitely time to share our current progress with you. We are officially working on the first major update for Insane Escape. Unfortunately, we can't reveal too many details about it yet, as development is still ongoing, but we can tell you that it involves a complete overhaul of the games patients. As we previously mentioned, we didnt quite meet our own expectations for their behavior, and during development, we noticed significant differences in how effectively they contributed to the gameplay. For this reason, we started thinking about how we could modify them to make them more interesting and dangerous, and also make them work better together. As I said, this is still a work in progress, so we cant go into specifics yet, but we hope to share more details soon. For now, however, I can give you a small sneak peek of the changes were working on.

Revised Gunther

One of the features we, unfortunately, werent able to include in the final version of the game was the ability for Gunther to move around the rooms. Those who played the demo might remember that Gunther was the first threat introduced in the game, and since we programmed him for the Steam Next Fest several months ago, his AI hasnt been modified. Now, however, Gunther finally behaves exactly as we envisioned! Specifically, he can move inside the rooms and even chase the player. When Gunther enters a room, it will no longer be an automatic game-over. The patient will start chasing the doctor, who will still have a chance to escape, as shown in the gif below. But even with this opportunity, will you manage to survive him?

Microphone Input

We've also decided to introduce a new optional mechanic to increase the risk factor of hiding and ensure players arent entirely safe even when huddled inside a locker [strike]crying[/strike]. In the next update, it will be possible to enable and configure microphone audio input in the game settings. This input wont always be active but will trigger in specific situations. For instance, when youre hiding. Some threats will thus be able to hear your actual voice. Be careful not to scream too loud!

Localization

With this significant update, we also wanted to help those who might want to play Insane Escape but dont know enough English to enjoy it fully. For this reason, the next update will include localization support for 4 additional languages! Of course, we plan to continue expanding the list of supported languages.

Conclusion

These are just some of the changes weve decided to make to enhance the horror factor in the upcoming game version, which we hope to show you very soon. Of course, I want to remind you that if these updates have piqued your interest and youd like to try them as soon as theyre released, and you still havent grabbed a copy of Insane Escape, you might want to take advantage of the current 40% discount on the game during Steam's Halloween event! In any case, well see you soon with another devlog or, who knows, maybe directly with the next update! The Development Team

[ 2024-11-04 13:16:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

• Fixed a bug in map generation.
• Fixed a bug in the Keycode Panel.
• Fixed some localization mistakes.

[ 2024-10-31 12:41:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Here we are with a new version of Insane Escape! This update, once again, includes many fixes and a few improvements to enhance the gameplay experience.

Changelog

Improvements

• Improved the main menu. Now, if the game detects saved data, it will ask for confirmation if the player presses the button to start a new game.
• Enhanced the lighting in the final cutscene.
• Improved the ending screen.
• Improved the token unlock screen. Not only does the input work more smoothly, but the description of the unlocked token is now more readable.
• Improved inventory readability. Some item names were too long to display correctly in the inventory. Now, in such cases, an abbreviation is shown to improve readability.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed some bugs with the use of the dumbwaiter.
• Fixed some bugs in inventory loading. Overall, we have greatly improved the logic behind item and inventory management. This will also give us more control when adding and managing new items.
• Fixed a bug related to the "Cipher" puzzle. It didnt cause major issues with the experience but unintentionally made the puzzle easier. This may not necessarily be good news for some players.
• Fixed some issues with the score screen and leaderboards.
• Fixed issues with [spoiler]secret rooms and safes[/spoiler].
• Resolved some issues related to tokens and their corresponding achievements.
• Fixed problems with room generation that made some rooms inaccessible.

We apologize once again for any inconvenience these issues may have caused you, and for the possible inconvenience of having to start a new game. We hope this version finally works well enough to ensure a smooth gaming experience. Please let us know if you have suggestions or find any new bugs. - The Development Team

[ 2024-10-28 15:26:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

• Fixed a bug causing a crash when interacting with the "Security Console" puzzle.
• Fixed various minor and major bugs related to the same puzzle. We apologize for any issues you may have encountered with this puzzle. Unfortunately, an error in the map randomization code made this puzzle's spawn impossible until version 0.2, when it was noticed and resolved. This bug went completely unnoticed due to the random nature of the game, preventing us from adequately testing its functionality until recently, allowing several bugs to slip by. Hopefully, we've finally put these issues behind us.
• Fixed a bug with the Hallway Guy patient and related achievement. There was an issue with the internal ID of the achievement that could cause a bug. This should now be resolved.
• Fixed some bugs in map generation.
• Fixed a few mirrored errors in the tilemaps of rooms. Fortunately, from our testing, nothing seemed to cause serious issuesjust a few graphic glitches.
• Resolved minor bugs and issues.

[ 2024-10-26 10:47:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog

• Fixed a bug related to obtaining certain achievements.
• Fixed a bug that prevented reading collected documents from the journal.
• Fixed a bug that caused crashes when collecting certain items.
• General improvements to the code and gameplay experience.

[ 2024-10-23 10:58:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Here we are at last with the patch that should resolve all the major issues in the game. Apologies for the extra day's delay: unfortunately, during testing, additional problems came up that required further attention. But now, here we are! Lets move on to the changelog.

Changelog

New Additions

• Added a new special room. One will spawn per run, and the door will always be locked. Unfortunately, the keys you usually find won't work, and you'll need to figure out how to open it. The room will also contain a new type of item container.
• Added Discord Rich Presence support. At the same time, we improved Steam Rich Presence.

Improvements

• Gameplay usability improvements Now, the game will pause when the player opens the Steam Overlay. This should make using it easier and safer.
• Map generation improvements Weve enhanced the layouts to make it more likely for the windows and the merchant to spawn. This should not only improve the overall aesthetic but also enhance the gameplay experience.
• Removed placeholder images from the UI.
• Improved controller support It now works with the map, and flashlight usage has been enhanced. Full support for other controller types has also been added.
• Improved the code of certain game elements Repeated interactions during a run will no longer display the interaction dialogue multiple times.
• General code improvements to enhance the overall experience.

Bug Fixes

• All map generation issues should now be resolved.
• Fixed some missing or faulty collisions in certain rooms.
• Fixed some errors in specific rooms that could prevent them from working properly.
• Fixed a bug that prevented achievements from being unlocked.
• Fixed a bug that made it impossible to use the library computer.
• Resolved an issue that could, in some cases, prevent the completion of certain map puzzles.
• Minor fixes for other general bugs.

As mentioned in previous devlogs, this new version changes the version number due to the modifications to map generation. This means you'll need to start a new game to continue playing. Of course, if you encounter any further issues or if some of the problems listed reappear, please let us know as soon as possible. We hope this new version will be more enjoyable and less frustrating to play. From here on, unless additional problems arise, well focus on adding new features. Have fun with Insane Escape! The Development Team

[ 2024-10-17 13:28:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello players, and welcome to this second devlog. As always, we want to update you on how development is progressing, what you'll see, when its coming, and the direction were moving in.

New Room!

As mentioned in the previous devlog, we have primarily focused on fixing the known issues in the game. In addition to improving controller support, this also means fixing issues that require restarting the game: such as being unable to collect the item in the starting room and having to forcefully close the game due to map generation stalling. The first problem has been resolved by simply forcing the item to spawn and allowing the player to collect it. From our testing, this appears to have solved the issue. The second problem, unfortunately, was a bit trickier. The cause of the bug lies in puzzle spawning: sometimes, the map struggles to generate because it can't place the required number of puzzles. Of course, the most drastic and effective solution would be to add new puzzles, but that would require a lot more time to design, test, create assets, and code, and we wanted to release this big patch as soon as possible. After some reflection, we noticed that there is a puzzlespecifically the vial puzzlethat has such a specific purpose that its probably the rarest in the game. Since we didn't want to give this puzzle less space than the others, we decided to expand the uses of the reward you can get from it, by adding something more enticing: a new room. This new room will spawn once in every run, and its purpose will simply be to give you a special item, acting as a reward for completing the previously mentioned puzzle. The room will have a unique, locked door, easily recognizable from the outside. Normal keys will not be enough to open it.
To provide more context for its presence, weve also decided to add a new special documenta note that talks about this room and gives a small hint on how to open the door.

Bug fixes

Aside from this small addition, we've also fixed several other bugs and implemented some tweaks to improve the gameplay experience. We added a few lines of code that should pause the game when the Steam Overlay is open, making it easier to use. Additionally, we fixed an issue that made it impossible to unlock game achievements. We also addressed some bugs in a few rooms that, in certain cases, could allow you to exit the map in unintended ways. This fix should also resolve some issues you may have encountered with certain rooms in specific circumstances. There were several other small fixes here and there, but I think these are the most important ones. The rest will be detailed in the changelog when the new update is released.

When Is the update coming?

The work is almost finished; we just need to do a few more tests and polish up the final details. I dont want to make promises we might not be able to keep, but I think the update could be released tomorrow, or the day after at the latest. We want to release it as soon as possible to fix some critical issues that we've identified and know could cause significant problems for players. At the same time, though, we dont want to rush and risk leaving out anything or releasing something that doesnt work properly. We just ask for a little more patience.

What about the new puzzles?

In the last devlog, we mentioned the idea of adding new puzzles. As I mentioned earlier, our plans have slightly changed: since this update is focused on fixing the main issues, we felt it was necessary to release it as soon as possible. Adding too many features would have prolonged development. Therefore, we decided to split the initial idea into two updates: one to fix the problems, which will be update 0.2, and another that will come later to add new puzzles and mechanics. We are committed to making Insane Escape as enjoyable as possible for everyone who wants to play during this development phase. However, this means not only adding new mechanics but also fixing issues that could make the experience frustrating or difficultand we believe the latter should take priority.

Conclusions

Thats all for this second devlog. Well provide more information on the update once its officially released. So this time, we can confidently say: see you with the next update. - The Development Team

[ 2024-10-14 12:51:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, Insane Escape players and aspiring players alike. As promised, we want to keep you updated on the games development progress, just to avoid any concerns that the game has been abandoned, given the radio silence over the past week. After taking a short break to rest following the release and putting out a few hotfixes to address the most important issues we were encountering with the game, weve officially begun working on the first somewhat more substantial update. While this wont be an update that completely changes the gameplay experience, we hope it will improve the experience for anyone wanting to play Insane Escape. So, lets take a look at whats actually in the works.

What weve worked on

So Far With the next version of the game, 0.2, weve decided to focus first on improving the direct gameplay experience. The known issues weve listed in the Discussions section here on Steam should hopefully be fully resolved, with a few potential extras added if we discover more bugs during development. This means that not only should you no longer need to restart the game multiple times just to get started, but as of version 0.2, controller support should be fully functional, including map navigation and flashlight rotation. In the gif below, you can see how the character now smoothly rotates the flashlight in all directions using the controller. Andthough you might not be able to tell just from a gifweve also improved and refined this feature. Previously, tilting the right stick would let you rotate the flashlight in one direction or another, but now the rotation takes into account the intensity of the tilt, allowing for more precise control, much like what youd get with mouse and keyboard. Exploring the St. Christina Asylum has never been easier.
(Sorry for the low framerate, unfortunately it's due to an issue with the capture software that we're trying to fix) In addition, with the next update, weve also decided to add official support for controllers other than Microsofts, incorporating dynamic command prompts for Sony and Nintendo controllers. As you can see below, the game can now detect which device is connected in real time and update all command prompts accordingly. Of course, you could already play with those controllers, but now youll know exactly which buttons to press during gameplay. If you connect a controller not listed above, the game will simply default to Xbox prompts. If you have suggestions for improving controller support or specific layout requests, let us know, and well consider implementing them in the game.

Whats "cooking"

Since this is a full-fledged update and not just a simple patch, we didnt want to leave you with just a few fixes. Behind the scenes, were also working on new gameplay features, such as some improvements to the current enemies in the game. Were also planning to add new puzzles and potentially new rooms to the map generation pool, to increase and improve the gameplay variety between runs and minimize the chances of freezing during map generation. And who knows? We might even add a few more features while were at it. So, if you feared that the recent radio silence was due to the project being abandoned, we hope this has reassured you. The reason you havent seen new patches is simply that weve been "cooking," as they say. Just give us a few more days to implement everything: well likely release version 0.2 this week, or at the latest, next week. Of course, version 0.2 will not be backward compatible. This means you wont be able to load any saves made in version 0.1 due to the changes were making to map generation. So, if youve got a run in progress, nows the time to finish it so youre ready for the new update! See you soon with the next devlogor perhaps directly with the next update! - The Development Team

[ 2024-10-07 12:00:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Today's patch addresses several bugs and improves certain aspects of the game.

• Improved the Cipher puzzle to enhance immersion and make it more engaging and a bit more challenging to solve.
• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused a crash without an error message on the score screen.

[ 2024-09-30 10:11:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

This patch is just a small hotfix to address some issues that were encountered on the first day after release. We apologize for any inconvenience these bugs may have caused, and weve worked to identify and implement a solution as quickly as possible.

• Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented correct map generation. This caused an unexpected behavior where the map generation would freeze at "Preparing your room..." due to issues generating and placing objects. This should now be fully resolved.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the game from deleting the save file after death. When a patient spawns, the game temporarily halts data saving. Unfortunately, this prevented the proper functioning of the save system in the event of death, and as a result, the interrupted game file wasn't being deleted.
• Temporarily removed the "Return to Main Menu" button from the settings menu. This was causing unintended behavior that bugged the loading of the recently interrupted game. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to find a fix yet, so weve decided to temporarily remove this option from the game.
• Fixed an issue in the maze puzzle that was preventing it from working correctly. The puzzle wasnt accepting any input from the player. This should now be resolved.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the Computer puzzle text from loading. This bug emerged due to some errors during the export of the final game build. It should now be working.

[ 2024-09-27 11:44:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

[previewyoutube=7-TqI0GgluA;full][/previewyoutube] With this special trailer released just a little while ago, I am officially announcing that Insane Escape is finally available for purchase on Steam, in Early Access. You can try it out, play it as much as you want, and make it your own. Give us your valuable feedback and, why not, even ideas on how you would like to see the game evolve in the future. And of course, report any bugs you find. We are proud to have finally reached this milestone, and we apologize for the additional time the release ended up requiring. But we promise that time was used to refine the experience we wanted to offer you at this stage of development. Naturally, the game remains in Early Access, so we've created a small FAQ list for you to check out down here to get an idea of the current state of the game and what we envision for its future. If you place your trust in us and help us continue working on this project, we promise to keep you updated with more information on its development over time, through announcements and discussions here on Steam, and eventually through a dedicated Discord server. Thank you toAbout the game, about its current state, about its future. anyone who has supported and continues to support Insane Escape.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the game currently contain?

At the time of release in Early Access, the game features the doctor as a playable character. In his "story", the asylum has three fully explorable floors, and various items can be obtained and used. Five patients will try to stop you from completing the various puzzles and escaping the building using the three pieces of the code. Unfortunately, even though we originally said it would be included, we have decided to postpone the release of the nurse's "story", which was originally created for the demo. We decided to take more time to make it more interesting and in line with the direction we want for the game before making it playable again.

I died, and the game won't let me load my save; what should I do?

The game is a roguelike. For those unfamiliar, a roguelike game is based on two principles: random generation and permadeath. This means that every time a game ends, whether through victory or defeat, the save is deleted, and you can only start again from scratch.

Why should I find it interesting to play a game that is completely randomly generated?

The map of Insane Escape is randomly generated, but not procedurally. This means that the generation of the map still follows rules we have imposed. The asylum rooms are all handcrafted with the utmost care to ensure they create the right atmosphere and tell part of the game's story in their own way. The number of items you can find in the game is not randomly generatedonly their locationto ensure that every game is different but still fair. The documents you can find in-game to delve deeper into the story are all manually written. The only random parameters are which documents and items you will find, where, and when.

Why should I play a game that deletes my progress when I finish?

Not all your game progress is lost. The game saves certain parameters across games, such as collected documents and other internal metrics needed for achievements. Additionally, when a game ends, the player receives a special item called a "token", sometimes unique, sometimes randomly generated, which will be retained between games. The player can select the token once before starting a new game to modify certain game parameters, such as item and patient counts, character speed, or merchant prices. However, every token always has both positive and negative parameters. Some will make the game easier or harder, while others will force the player to change their strategy. Currently, the game contains three unique tokens, but we plan to add more as development progresses.

Why did you release the game in Early Access?

Insane Escape is a game we created with a lot of love and passion, and despite the number of features the game contains, we don't feel it's fully showing its potential. Being just a small team of only two people, we decided to put it in your hands, hoping you'll enjoy it and asking for your help to make it the best version of itself. If you trust us, we promise to do our best to bring this game to the vision we had for it a few years ago.

What will the game include in future updates?

Unfortunately, answering this question is not simplein fact, it's impossible. It will all depend on user reception, feedback, and the scope the project acquires over time. One thing we are sure of is that if we have the budget, we intend to add at least new documents and unique tokens. We also plan to rework items and patients to make the game more interesting and strategic. We would also like to improve map generation by adding puzzles and rooms. Unfortunately, how much of this will be available is something we can't tell you at the moment.

Why should I play an incomplete game?

We understand your concern. Before being developers, we are gamers, and we have been in your shoes many times. Unfortunately, we can't do much to convince you of our desire to continue working on a game that has constituted years of our lives and that we have developed with passion and love. We believe that the state of the release, despite being in Early Access, and the number of features we have tried to implement and carefully include in the game, can be proof of this, but we know that it may not be enough for everyone. To those who will give us their trust, despite this being our first commercial release, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. For the others, don't worrywe understand your doubts and concerns.

Known Issues

The game sometimes freezes during map generation. It happens while the text at the bottom reads, "Sealing the windows...". If it happens, the only solution is to force close the game and try again. It cannot happen when loading an already-started game, so there is no risk of losing progress. The map screen currently does not properly support the controller. We will try to resolve this as soon as possible. Speaking of controller support, sometimes rotating the flashlight precisely with the controller is a bit difficult. It shouldn't hinder gameplay too much, but it is definitely something we will address as soon as possible. During testing, we noticed that sometimes, without any apparent reason, the object you're supposed to find in the first room is not selectable. Fortunately, it hasn't happened often, but we still prefer to warn of the possibility. Unfortunately, the only solution is to restart the game.

[ 2024-09-26 11:50:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

This hotfix comes with a lot of bug fixes and some improvements to the user experience:

• Ampoules puzzle
  • Fixed a bug that prevented the puzzle from being completed. Also, made it more intuitive to understand what you must do to complete it.
  • Improved user experience by making it less tedious to complete: now you can complete the puzzle in any ampoule you want. This means that the puzzle requires fewer steps to complete.
  • Edited the puzzle description in the tutorial to match these changes.
• Maze puzzle
  • Improved usability by making you able to directly control the ball with your keyboard or controller.
  • The arrow buttons are still there, so you can still use them if you like.
• Flashlight
  • Fixed a bug that made the flashlight batteries drain during puzzles and tutorial puzzles.
  • Also changed the English name of the item in "Flashlight" (it was "Torch", before).
• Settings menu
  • Removed the settings as items and switched for a more standard approach: now you can open them just by pressing the pause button (default: Escape for keyboard/Start for controller)
  • Note that the game still does not pause while the menu is open.

I don't think there's anything else we changed. Thank you for the bug reports and the feedback that came with this demo, we are working every day to fix and improve it to make it the best Insane Escape it can be.

[ 2024-02-09 13:59:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

• Fixed a bug that prevented the player from moving when starting a new run after a game over.
• Fixed a bug that could get the player out of bounds after opening some doors.
• Fixed some minor Italian localization mistakes.

[ 2024-02-05 16:41:46 CET ] [ Original post ]