Hello, fans of Serena! Remember that "Waiting for ASYLUM" easter egg in the game? Well, you won't be able to make jokes about it anymore: fate has decided that ASYLUM will launch on March 6, 2025. Yup, mark your calendars, this is not a drill. Take a look at the gorgeous new trailer to celebrate the news: [previewyoutube=xaqcGH7t4wI;full][/previewyoutube] Of all the promotional materials we ever released, this is our most realized one, conveying the tones of impending doom and bittersweet melancholy youll find in the game, and that were also a staple in Serena. Do stop by the ASYLUM store page and wishlist if you haven't: https://store.steampowered.com/app/230210/ASYLUM Now stop being so grumpy!

[ 2024-10-31 15:31:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi all! This is a brief update to show you our new gameplay video. A collection of greatly improved, familiar locations and new ones, focusing on interactions and things to do including speaking with the mysterious denizens of the asylum! Take a look: https://youtu.be/2-YgD6FhsmI The game is working remarkably well. In fact, any stuttering you may notice in the video was our recording software behaving erratically But, what you see here is 100% in-game stuff, no processing, no tricks. Asylum is running with a stable 60fps in fullscreen High quality on a 3-year old computer. It's even perfectly playable on Very High quality with extra sharp graphics! So this is how the game looks and feels, and we hope you like it Just a tiny glimpse of many more locations you'll have to explore!

LIVESTREAM (CONFIRMED)

I'm really sorry about this one. I should've posted more updates here. The promised livestream was postponed due to an incredibly nasty acute bronchitis I got a few weeks ago. It was sheer Hell And all because I didn't get a flu shot Thankfully, I'm back in action and the livestream is totally happening this Friday 22 at 8:00 PM (UTC) on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/Senscape
If you can't make it, don't worry, I'll record everything. It would be great to see you there! I'll be happy to answer all your questions. And that's it for today, but hopefully see you soon! Agustn

[ 2019-11-20 19:01:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, fans of Serena! We hope you've been enjoying the ASYLUM updates, our huge upcoming adventure that will surely satisfy your craving for more mysteries and horrors. As we describe in our latest post, we tell you why the project has been taking so long, but we also tell you when we expect it to be ready: https://steamcommunity.com/games/asylum/announcements/detail/1776011874558802996 (spoiler: things are finally looking pretty good!) As for Serena, we're aware the game is dated and several bugs have surfaced. We honestly never expected to have such a huge audience (well over 2.000.000 downloads now!) and admit we should dedicate it some time, even as a free game. We are planning to do so among features such as Steam achievements and new easter eggs, we have several fan translations lined up to be implemented. Currently our priority remains ASYLUM, which we really need to get out of our systems, but we expect to deliver that overdue Serena update later this year. Thank you for understanding!

[ 2019-02-26 22:23:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings, esteemed Steam community! We hope you're off to a terrific 2019! As promised, we come bearing a series of exciting news from the sinister corridors of ASYLUM (and of course eye candy, because we know you love it). Here we go!

STATUS UPDATE... AND POSSIBLE RELEASE!

Things are progressing speedy and smoothly, so we feel comfortable to disclose our plans. To recap, since December hundreds of Kickstarter backers have been playing a good chunk of the game with overwhelmingly positive reactions. We can confirm ASYLUM is performing great and no major issues have shown their ugly face. Even better, we seem to have hit a stride, meeting milestone after milestone: we're wrapping up an even larger segment of the game now, and expecting to hit beta around May. A beta in May means our goal to release the game later this year is doable. We're not officially confirming this yet, but you'll be the first to know. So this is really happening after all this time, and we couldn't thank you enough for your understanding and support! ASYLUM is exactly the kind of game we wanted to make, and the follow-up we just know fans of Scratches will love

WISHLIST LOVE

And speaking of support, wow... We're now at a whooping 23K wishlists milestone, and it feels 30K may be just around the corner.
This is all very, very exciting! For reference, only the top and most highly anticipated games in all Steam reach 50K and beyond. It's an ambitious goal, but what if we can make it? What if?!

CREEPINESS

We're thrilled (so to speak) to have wrapped up work in one of the scariest environments of the game, the High Risk corridor where the most dangerous inmates are kept, fondly referred to as the "Tunnel of the Damned". And yet, it's not even one of the top 5 scariest locations you'll find
For now we'll keep working on this lovely basement concealing dark secrets. Yes, of course there was going to be basement in the game!
We've also prepared some charming night scenes for you. There's people who swear they see hidden scary faces in this gloomy sky, but we did nothing of the sort (at least not yet):
And since we can't get enough GIFs, let us show you the kind of visual trickery we're doing to maintain that old school adventure tone and feel in ASYLUM:
Yes, that's cute... but what if we told you the record, arm and knob are the only 3D elements in this scene? Just think about it: the whole background and turntable are FLAT

A MOCAP INTERESTING DEVELOPMENT

Finally, we got access to a fairly pro MOCAP installation in Buenos Aires yesterday and did some tests for the game. If this works out, the amount of work for remaining animations we need to do will be dramatically reduced!
It would be quite exciting if we can include this technology in the game. Not that our handmade animations are bad, mind you, but this would certainly make our lives much easier. It's pretty fun, too!

THE END... OR IS IT?

Of course not, there's lots more coming, but we're concluding this update for now. We hope you enjoyed it, and let us know in the comments if you have any questions. We're thrilled that things are progressing so well, and we honestly can't wait to see you finally playing ASYLUM! Have a spooky weekend

[ 2019-01-25 21:34:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Phew, following a couple of very intensive weeks, we're happy to announce that we have a playable and fully featured demo of ASYLUM working great with top-notch performance and minimal loading times! It's a huge milestone after all this time! This is an internal demo that we're sharing with Kickstarter backers, and so far initial reactions have been hugely positive: players are in love with the atmosphere and agree that, even after this short glimpse, "what we can expect was worth the wait" and they are "very excited to delve deeper into the dark, decaying corners of ASYLUM!". Did we say short? Yes, it's only a fraction of the final game, yet backers reported playing 60 minutes, as much as 90! This means our estimation of 10-12 hours for the final game is either spot on or quite conservative. Fans will also be happy to hear that performance is solid even on older computers, and we still have more optimizations to do! All in all, the outlook is very positive as we now work towards beta status and get ready to suggest a release date. We just ask you a bit more patience, but rest assured: ASYLUM is happening!

EYE CANDY

Of course, it wouldn't be a proper update without sights and goodies from the game! First, we'd like to share with you this extended gameplay video that we showed last month in the Argentinian game expo EVA 2018 and got great reactions from the audience: https://youtu.be/KwaPvJiGPgs (please note it was recorded in 720p, hence some blurriness in the video) Improvements to the game include tabs in your trusty notepad, so that you can clearly keep track of the stuff you must know, from tasks to inventory items:
Speaking of which, can fans of Scratches detect the Easter Egg in that scene?
And then there's the gorgeous menu system, essentially a patient record (the patient being YOU!):
Yes, we always try to maintain the mood of the game. Even on the menu.

HORRIFIC GIFT

We know it's a bit late for Halloween, but we sent our previous update just before Halloween. Anyway, we're still giving away Scratches keys to all Whisperers in Darkness of our Discord community: https://discord.gg/senscape Rumor has it it's quite easy to become a Whisperer (mere minutes, in fact) but hurry up, this won't last longer.

THANK YOU!

And last but certainly not least, a big THANK YOU from the whole Senscape team for your patience and understanding as we strive to complete this game. Things are looking extremely good and we hope to be sharing more exciting news soon. For now, rest assured that ASYLUM ACTUALLY EXISTS and PEOPLE ARE LIKING IT.

[ 2018-12-13 00:14:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Salutations to our wonderful Steam community! Its been an exceptionally busy month for ASYLUM and its not over yet. Things are progressing fast and were happy to report that were just about to wrap up a big playable chunk of the game in near final form, truly polished and ready for public consumption. Exciting times ahead, and the momentum on Steam keeps getting better! Were now nearing 14.000 wishlists, mere days after we reached 10.000. Wow, just wow!

EVERY DETAIL COUNTS

Most work on the project now amounts to adding interactive stuff and implementing the remaining puzzles. Its taking time, though, because were going out of our way to add as many details as possible. We plan to reward your observation as you unlock the mysteries concealed by the dreadful Hanwell Mental Institute. For instance, we created a full maintenance schedule for our janitor, complete with an easter egg for fans of Scratches:
If you pay attention, youll find that every element in the game is very consistent with each other. Theres a huge timeline of events and intertwining storylines leading to a big finale you wont forget, and every detail counts. We really cant wait to share our monstrous baby with you!

GAMEPLAY IMPROVEMENTS

We also added a crosshair to the game. Yes, we wanted to avoid it because it breaks the immersion, but it doesnt hurt as much as we expected and greatly improves the gameplay. Dont worry, ASYLUM is still a classic adventure game and you dont need to shoot zombies! Inmates maybe, but not zombies. (just kidding) https://youtu.be/MOa3nFaOnIE Please note the mouth-watering atmosphere complete with subtle fog. And yes, there are tons of items you can pick and investigate in great detail. Of course there's been more progress on this front and we're happy to report that its interface and overall presentation of the game are pretty much done. We'll need to do testing and tweaks but it's already playing smoothly. Yay!

CHOOSE YOUR OWN HORROR!

We also had a bit of fun doing promo materials:
Funnily, a lot of people asked where they could buy the book. We wish!

ABOUT THE VOICE ACTING

Regarding our previous update where we showed a glimpse of the dialogue system, we want to clarify that there will be voice acting in the game. We just havent recorded voices yet, but thats planned. As for the eternal question (is ASYLUM ever going to be released?), we must quote Jerry Dandrige:
Thank you for your continued support and patience, and have a spooky weekend! The Senscape Team

[ 2018-10-19 21:43:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings, dear followers! We trust you're enjoying your weekend. There was a huge deal of positive reactions to our latest progress update —especially that glimpse of our dialogue system— so we decided to share more: https://youtu.be/QhzGV36uLWI That's right, this is exactly what happens when you enter the foreboding Hanwell Mental Institute! It's finally possible to complete a first big chunk of the game, conversations included, which is a big milestone for us. While we haven't recorded voice overs yet, this should give you a good idea of what it feels like interacting with denizens of the asylum. And since we're here, let us show you a glimpse from one of the most menacing rooms in the game: https://youtu.be/qGDCnCEPN5o This screams ATMOSPHERE, right? You'll be screaming too, trust us. We hope you like it, because we're doing this game with much love. And speaking of love:
THANK YOU for pushing us over 10.000 wishlists! (actually over 11.000 as of this writing). ASYLUM is enjoying a great momentum and development is progressing fast. We hope to be sharing more news with you soon. In the meantime, thank you so much for your patience and support as we conclude this monstrous adventure game! —The Senscape Team

[ 2018-09-28 22:13:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Things are looking up with the development of our colossal horror adventure! We’re happy to report ASYLUM is nearly feature complete and we did a little video to show you: https://youtu.be/9m9zIbjGh9Q "Feature complete" is a crucial milestone meaning all the systems intervening in the game (exploration, inventory, dialogues, menu, etc.) are ready. A quick lowdown of the stuff we did and improved since our latest gameplay video include:

• Revised cursors and hotspots. The hands are smaller and detecting spots is now ultra smooth and sexy. No more annoying red outline (we listened to you).
• Incredibly awesome menu system and very die... diaie... diegait... DIEGETIC. Wait till you see how our achievements work — completing them will be super fun for Steam users!
• We’re finally able to have a proper conversation with the denizens of the asylum. And it looks good! And feels good! Our context-based dialogue system is unlike anything you have experienced in adventure games.
• 3D inventory and journal, including 3D pencil. So immersive, so fancy. Much 3D.
• Too many visual effects and tweaks to mention here.
• Surely many other things we’re forgetting. And obviously a huge deal of playable content!

Talk to the hand... err, about the hand

We had many users complaining about the hand icons and saying they ruin the immersion. On the other hand (see what we did there?), just as well many users prefer their "classic" feel. Please, let us know your thoughts based on what you're seeing on this video, either in the comments or our discussion forums, as we're studying alternatives: https://steamcommunity.com/app/230210/discussions

Become a fan of Senscape!

In other news, we have one of those fancy creator pages now in which we review and recommend adventures with a focus on horror: https://store.steampowered.com/developer/Senscape

Make a wish!

Finally, remember to add ASYLUM to your Steam wishlist in case you haven't, and why not follow the game as well for more news? https://store.steampowered.com/app/230210/ASYLUM There’s more coming! We’re getting excited. We hope you’re excited too! Thanks for your amazing support and see you soon. —The Senscape Team

[ 2018-08-07 21:14:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

JOIN US TODAY: https://discord.gg/fJfuRVv

Featuring the official Asylum Dev Journal and our charming Warden bot!

It's the friendliest Discord community around!

There’s a few more surprises coming up, including (wait for it) your chance to get FREE Scratches Steam keys. Yes, you read that right. And it's super easy. How to join, you say? Easy peasy, just go here: https://discord.gg/fJfuRVv And boom! You’re in. Have a look, stick around, and get ready for the massive Asylum goodness we’re about to unleash. See you there!

[ 2018-05-15 18:08:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Heads up, fans of Serena! Our epic supernatural horror adventure has found a new home on Steam. ASYLUM is an intricate, chilling, and thought-provoking game inspired by H. P. Lovecraft, Hammer Films and twisted Euro Horror from the 80s: http://store.steampowered.com/app/230210/ASYLUM/ We encourage you to put it on your Steam wishlist! If you loved the psychological horror featured in Scratches and Serena, you will love ASYLUM. See you there! Oh, and don't forget to watch our latest gruesome trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scn84Efsqt0&feature=youtu.be

[ 2018-02-01 17:33:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Heads up, fans of Serena! Our epic supernatural horror adventure has found a new home on Steam. ASYLUM is an intricate, chilling, and thought-provoking game inspired by H. P. Lovecraft, Hammer Films and twisted Euro Horror from the 80’s: http://store.steampowered.com/app/230210/ASYLUM/ We encourage you to put it on your Steam wishlist! If you loved the psychological horror featured in Scratches and Serena, you will love ASYLUM. See you there! Oh, and don't forget to watch our latest gruesome trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scn84Efsqt0&feature=youtu.be

[ 2018-02-01 17:33:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Now live on Kickstarter: http://kck.st/1yzkovH Brothers and Sisters in Almousin-Metraton: I this day heard that Senscape got the license for H. P. L. This is a firste in that accursd video game industrie; for Players shall be able to delve into Spheres beyond of the sort that Abdool Al-Hazred describd in his VII. Booke of ye Necronomicon. I am fearfull, as these Things are Dangerous. I also hear theres one of those newfangld Kickstartrs involvd, and Senscape is promisg the most faithful H. P. L. game ever crucially a Third-Person Adventure (whatever that meanes) that will throwe Players back to a Golden Age of gaming. They say renowned scholar and H. P. L. authority S. T. Joshi is assistg the project, and a rigorous documentary about the making of the game and H. P. L.s life in Prouidence shall be produced too. It is welle knowne that The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is the only novel H. P. L. wrote, and one of His more popular. The booke tells of ye Adventures of the foolish and nave Charles as he becomes obsessd with Witchcrafte and Occult Arts across vintage Prouidence and Salem to calle up Flesh from dead Saltes. Senscape says it is a perfect storie for an Adventure Game adaptation. They are even hintg at more H. P. L. games if the Kickstartr Endeavour proves successful enough!
" title="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Df3YYxO4Vs&list=UUpW_fLK70LoUKdjg4bUrRlA
">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Df3YYxO4Vs&list=UUpW_fLK70LoUKdjg4bUrRlA
This can not be. I shall arrange for my returne to Prouidence this news demands my attention, and I must continue in Gettg at Olde Matters in my Way. In one monthe it shall be Hallows Eue and ye Thing is breedg in ye Outside Spheres. I was tolde many times that One shoud not call up Any that One can not put downe; but under these circumstances we have no option but to call up Him; the Beyond-One that commandes in Yuggoth; and which ye vaporous brains know by ye untranslatable Sign and bringe back ye Crawling Shadows to human-kinde. Do keep the Guards in Shape and Talk often with Those Outside; and waite for my comg Backe as an Other. Yogg-Sothoth Neblod Zin Josephus Curwen

[ 2014-10-01 22:58:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Now live on Kickstarter: http://kck.st/1yzkovH Brothers and Sisters in Almousin-Metraton:— I this day heard that Senscape got the license for H. P. L. This is a firste in that accurs’d video game industrie; for Players shall be able to delve into Spheres beyond of the sort that Abdool Al-Hazred describ’d in his VII. Booke of ye Necronomicon. I am fearfull, as these Things are Dangerous. I also hear there’s one of those newfangl’d Kickstart’rs involv’d, and Senscape is promis’g the most faithful H. P. L. game ever — crucially a Third-Person Adventure (whatever that meanes) that will throwe Players back to a Golden Age of gaming. They say renowned scholar and H. P. L. authority S. T. Joshi is assist’g the project, and a rigorous documentary about the making of the game and H. P. L.’s life in Prouidence shall be produced too. It is welle knowne that The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is the only novel H. P. L. wrote, and one of His more popular. The booke tells of ye Adventures of the foolish and naïve Charles as he becomes obsess’d with Witchcrafte and Occult Arts across vintage Prouidence and Salem to calle up Flesh from dead Saltes. Senscape says it is a perfect storie for an Adventure Game adaptation. They are even hint’g at more H. P. L. games if the Kickstart’r Endeavour proves successful enough!
" title="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Df3YYxO4Vs&list=UUpW_fLK70LoUKdjg4bUrRlA
">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Df3YYxO4Vs&list=UUpW_fLK70LoUKdjg4bUrRlA
This can not be. I shall arrange for my returne to Prouidence — this news demands my attention, and I must continue in Gett’g at Olde Matters in my Way. In one monthe it shall be Hallow’s Eue and ye Thing is breed’g in ye Outside Spheres. I was tolde many times that One shou’d not call up Any that One can not put downe; but under these circumstances we have no option but to call up Him; the Beyond-One that commandes in Yuggoth; and which ye vaporous brains know by ye untranslatable Sign… and bringe back ye Crawling Shadows to human-kinde. Do keep the Guards in Shape and Talk often with Those Outside; and waite for my com’g Backe as an Other. Yogg-Sothoth Neblod Zin Josephus Curwen

[ 2014-10-01 22:58:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Serena is Now Available on Steam, and is completely free.
How long has it been? A man sits in a distant getaway cabin waiting for his wife Serena. Where is she? Things in the cabin evoke memories, and the husband comes to a disturbing realization...

This short point-and-click adventure is the result of a massive collaborative effort between dozens of fans and designers of adventure games. Rallying to support the venerable genre and its passionate community, these developers have brought together a grim and highly detailed horror story in what is the largest, possibly even the first, game project of its kind. Talents include crew from renowned indie companies Senscape, CBE Software, Infamous Quests, Digital Media Workshop, Guys from Andromeda, and many more.

[ 2014-01-30 18:27:00 CET ] [ Original post ]