Rise of Insanity

About

"Rise of Insanity" is a psychological horror game that takes players on a journey through the mind of a disturbed psychiatrist. The game is set in the 1970s and features a gripping storyline, unsettling atmospheres, and various puzzles to solve. Players must uncover the dark truth behind the psychiatrist's experiments while avoiding grotesque creatures and other obstacles.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 420 reviews

story109 positive mentions

stability9 negative mentions

The game features a well-crafted atmosphere that effectively builds tension and suspense.
The story is intriguing and unfolds in a way that keeps players engaged, with some unexpected twists.
The sound design and music enhance the overall experience, contributing to the creepy vibe.

The game suffers from poor translation and numerous spelling/grammatical errors, which can detract from immersion.
It is relatively short, taking less than 2 hours to complete, leaving players wanting more content.
The gameplay can feel repetitive, with limited interactivity and reliance on jump scares.

story
282 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
57%
5%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its psychological themes and immersive atmosphere, while others criticize it for being predictable and poorly executed. Some found the narrative engaging and filled with twists, while others felt it suffered from clichés and a lack of originality, often pointing to translation issues that detracted from the experience. Overall, the story is seen as a key element that can either enhance or hinder the gameplay, depending on individual perspectives.
- “The atmosphere is well created and the story unravels in an unusual way, just as your own mental state is both unraveling and coming to the conclusions it needs to reach.”
- “The story is well constructed, leading you to think about different hypotheses on the twist; this is very valuable to me about that kind of game.”
- “Creepy and horrifying, amazing story with lots of suspense and twists :) I enjoyed every minute of it.”
- “Unfortunately, the story and translation leave much to be desired.”
- “It's difficult to stay invested in a story that often makes little sense.”
- “The story is just not interesting and the horror is based on the occasional jumpscare and insanity effect that fails to create any sense of real dread or fear.”
graphics
93 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
31%
3%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many players noting that while they are generally good and contribute to an immersive atmosphere, they can also be inconsistent, with some areas appearing less polished. Several reviewers highlight the detailed and atmospheric visuals, particularly in horror moments, but some criticize the graphics as mediocre or not meeting expectations for a game using advanced engines. Overall, the visuals are appreciated for enhancing the experience, despite some technical shortcomings and a lack of variety in environments.
- “The graphics are detailed, dark, and atmospheric with strong sound supporting the package.”
- “Beautifully done game with great graphics, immersive story, and very well done jump scares.”
- “The quality graphics, sound, and music make for an amazing atmosphere.”
- “The graphics are uneven.”
- “Most of the game looks fine, but then there are these dream states where the graphics are degraded to look like PS1 era level graphics.”
- “The graphics aren’t bad but aren’t great either.”
atmosphere
81 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
42%
4%
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its immersive and creepy qualities, enhanced by strong sound design and visuals that effectively evoke a sense of dread. While some players appreciate the balance of jump scares and atmospheric tension, others find the overall experience inconsistent, with certain areas feeling bland or repetitive. Overall, the game's ability to create a haunting environment is a standout feature, making it a compelling choice for fans of atmospheric horror.
- “The atmosphere is well created and the story unravels in an unusual way, just as your own mental state is both unraveling and coming to the conclusions it needs to reach.”
- “The soundtrack is fantastic and the overall atmosphere is very well done.”
- “The atmosphere has a nice creepy feel to it, the sound effects are solid (wear headphones) and the storyline, while not the most original, is interesting enough to keep you motivated.”
- “If you value atmosphere over narrative cohesion, you might find some enjoyment here, but for most players, this game will likely feel more frustrating than fun.”
- “Nonsensical story, bland atmosphere, mindlessly easy puzzles, far less than 2 hours long, no real horror except cheap jumpscares.”
- “The atmosphere was meh, the story was okay but I couldn't really get into it.”
gameplay
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
76%
8%
The gameplay is primarily characterized as a walking simulator with minimal interaction, featuring basic puzzles and repetitive mechanics. While the visuals and atmosphere are praised, many reviewers find the gameplay lacking and overly simplistic, often prioritizing story over engaging mechanics. Overall, it appeals more to those interested in narrative experiences rather than traditional gameplay challenges.
- “Gameplay consists of walking, interacting with key items, and solving some basic puzzles.”
- “Good gameplay, the story was interesting, and the music was really nice.”
- “Graphics are fantastic, gameplay is amazing, and they don't rely on strict jump scares to cause you discomfort.”
- “If you're after lots of gameplay, then it's probably not for you.”
- “Not a lot of gameplay mechanics (only a few very basic puzzles), it's more of an interactive walking simulator.”
- “The gameplay is lacklustre and I mainly just wanted to get on with the story to understand what was going on.”
music
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
19%
8%
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting the excellent soundtrack and effective use of sound design to build tension. While some noted that the music is limited in duration, particularly outside of the ending, the overall audio experience contributes significantly to immersion and enjoyment. However, a few critiques mention issues with audio settings and voice acting, which detracted from the overall experience for some players.
- “The inclusion of a well-chosen ending song was a nice touch that provided a satisfying close to the audio experience.”
- “The soundtrack is fantastic and the overall atmosphere is very well done.”
- “The music and ambience of the game is perfect, the lighting is great and although it is trackpad movement it was a pleasure to explore the locations in great detail.”
- “The price is too high as the duration of the game is around 2 hours and the soundtrack is non-existent except for the final part.”
- “Just 1 audio setting, meaning that, in my case, the effects were way too loud for me as soon as the ambient & music levels were just right, so I might have missed a bit of immersion.”
- “While the game features beautiful graphics and decent music, Rise of Insanity is a boring walking simulator with poor storytelling and failed attempts at horror.”
stability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
82%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed, with some players reporting minor bugs and glitches, particularly related to achievements and object interactions. While many users experienced smooth gameplay without significant issues, others noted occasional lag and environmental bugs. Despite these concerns, the game remains enjoyable for most, especially on Linux systems.
- “Smooth gameplay - no glitches”
- “The Linux version runs great on my RTX 2060 with maxed out settings.”
- “The Steam version, though, seems to have some weird glitches that I experienced.”
- “Buggy achievements - the 'Collect the Ducks' and 'Armour' achievements both didn't pop up for me when they should have.”
- “Although it's short, the environments are often reused which makes the game feel a bit cheap and it's buggy; I fell through the floor once and the game constantly lagged.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
36%
36%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many users highlighting significant performance issues, particularly in VR, and describing it as poorly optimized. While some players experienced smooth performance and decent graphics, others reported frustrating teleportation glitches and stuttering, suggesting that the game struggles with consistent optimization across different platforms and setups. Overall, the use of the Unity engine appears to contribute to these optimization challenges.
- “I had no problems with performance, and the textures and lighting are actually pretty decent.”
- “And runs smoothly so far.”
- “The graphics are nice but need to be optimized for the Vive because they are pretty blurry.”
- “It's just a poorly optimized janky piece of junk.”
- “However... its performance is abysmally bad, especially in VR.”
- “I'm not surprised as the game uses the Unity engine, and in my experience, a lot of games have weird issues with drops in performance.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
83%
50%
The emotional aspect of the game received mixed reviews; while some players found it deeply engaging and atmospheric, with a well-crafted story and effective jump scares, others criticized it for a lack of depth, relying on cheap scares and a dull narrative. Overall, the emotional impact varied significantly among players, with some feeling a strong connection and others left disappointed.
- “It is so dynamic, bright, and emotionally deep that after finishing the game, you want to continue being in this atmosphere.”
- “I enjoyed it; some jump scares actually spooked me, and the very emotional story was laid out so well.”
- “The emotional story is compelling and resonates deeply, making the experience unforgettable.”
- “The story is boring and relies on cheap jump scares, which detracts from any emotional impact.”
- “The localization is quite awful, making it hard to connect with the characters and their emotions.”
- “There are a few bugs that disrupt the experience, further diminishing any emotional engagement.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, requiring significant time investment and often leading to frustration with the controls and movement mechanics. The repetitive nature of the gameplay detracts from the overall experience, making it feel like a chore rather than an engaging activity.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “At the same time, the multiple flying as a bird moments really shattered any mood built, as the annoyance of on-rails movements while slamming into walls becomes a little tedious.”
- “You might ask, 'How can the controls in a walking sim be bad?' Well, the walking itself is tedious.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is primarily derived from its "hilariously bad" voice acting and poor writing, which often results in unintentionally funny moments. Players find the comedic value in the contrast between the game's serious intentions and its execution, making for a uniquely entertaining experience.
- “Hilariously bad voice acting.”
- “Even though the actors themselves are passable, the scenes with voice acting are often more funny than anything else because of the bad writing.”
- “Funny because I first played this game right after a 3-hour long session of another game, so I can compare with fresh memory.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
Overall, the game's replayability is limited, with most players completing it in under two hours, especially with the aid of walkthroughs. While the engaging story and atmosphere may entice some to revisit, the lack of significant content variation means that many find little incentive to play again after the initial experience.
- “I really enjoyed this game! You can easily get an hour or more out of it, and it definitely has replay value. It's a walking simulator where you find objects, read notes, and experience a lite adventure with a good story, excellent voice acting, and nice graphics.”
- “The game offers a good mix of exploration and storytelling, making it worth revisiting. The replayability factor is enhanced by the different paths you can take and the secrets you can uncover each time you play.”
- “This title has a lot of depth, and I found myself wanting to replay it to discover all the hidden details and alternate endings. The replay value is a significant aspect that keeps the experience fresh.”
- “You can finish it easily in less than 2 hours (especially if you use a walkthrough) and there's no replay value at all.”
- “With exploring every nook and cranny, the longevity of this title comes in at just over an hour and a half, and there's very little in the way of replayability, so take that for what you will.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game is perceived positively, as players appreciate the evident care and effort invested in its development, distinguishing it from typical cash grabs or quick asset flips.
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Character development in the game is minimal, with little to no narrative progression beyond the clues found in collectible documents, leaving players with unanswered questions, such as the significance of the rubber ducks.
- “There wasn't really anything of a story or character development besides the clues left behind in the documents you collect.”
- “The character development feels shallow and unengaging, making it hard to connect with anyone in the game.”
- “I expected more depth in the characters, but they all felt one-dimensional and lacked meaningful growth.”