Edge Of Sanity Review

Cthulhu is an eldritch horror that myself and millions of others worldwide have been intrigued by for countless years. Lovecraft’s story has inspired many games, books, films, board games, and everything in between. Thankfully those who have the itch to experience the entity once again can check out Edge of Sanity, a brand-new story for enthusiasts and players to dive into. After all, it’s only natural for another game inspired by the famous beast to make its debut again.

Edge of Sanity begins with the main protagonist, Carter, finding himself at a PRISM supply outpost in Alaska after running a supposed supply run. Although he does not remember the journey, he continues on regardless. After this suspicious moment, the game quickly turns into the survival horror experience we signed up for, as Carter and another survivor, Frank, quickly escape from the grasp of a horrific Cthulhu-inspired monster.

The pair manage to make camp and decide to find survivors to help them. However, from here on the story has quite predictable moments, to the point where you understand what is happening to Carter, and the ending, before you get to the reveals. Luckily, this doesn’t entirely dwindle the experience as the story’s portrayal is interesting and its later half is more immersive than the beginning as it further expands on the themes and ideas mentioned at the start of Carter’s journey.

Could help be on the way?

Although Edge of Sanity is a 2D survival horror, at its core is a survival management game where you’ll need to manage resources. Players must assign fellow survivors to certain tasks, such as water and food production or scouting out new locations to explore. This also includes keeping them alive and their morale up with access to the essentials and caring for them when they are unable to do tasks. Carter will then be required to go on supply runs each day to the locations his companions scouted and find useful materials to continue their journey. Each run is an addictive ten to fifteen-minute venture and you’ll be required to make certain decisions and possibly force yourself to explore areas where you may die, get stuck, or use precious materials to unlock areas.

During each run, you’ll come across various kinds of monsters, which all have different ways to defeat or get by them. Some will require sneaking and hiding, others need traps, rocks, and bait, and some will only need a flash of light to burn up. As you get further into your survival, enemies become more terrifying, complex, and tougher. You will need to think on your feet and try not to panic when throwing objects as the throw mechanic is one of the main ways you can defend yourself. I, unfortunately, found myself failing at throwing rocks and other various weapons at my disposal when I panicked. Especially during sudden events, as I found the mechanic a little awkward at first, though I eventually got the hang of it.

Throughout Edge of Sanity, you’ll be battling it out with the stress meter as you survive monster attacks.  For each tier Carter gets through, he will obtain a Trauma, which essentially is a debuff when playing, and when the meter is full, you will meet your demise. Strangely enough, some of these Traumas can help you throughout your journey, such as a stronger axe that requires more materials to build, and others might not, like seeing things that are not there. Luckily, stress and Trauma can be decreased with offerings throughout the game, aiding your survival.

Hiding for dear life

Although there is a lot to keep an eye on in Edge of Sanity, these runs can become repetitive throughout a playthrough. Especially when you die, you’ll lose the materials you gathered and will eventually find yourself going through the same map again. This is also due to only three types of environments to explore – the mines, forest, and PRISM locations. Thankfully, there are main events to travel to during your time playing, such as meeting companions in the forest for a heated discussion, which helps break up the repetitive nature.

As someone afraid of the dark, Edge of Sanity made me feel uneasy for the periods I could only make out the outline of my surroundings. The dark is a core part of the game, and I found myself without gas for my lamp throughout most of my time playing. Fortunately, the in-game brightness is adjustable, so those who would like to see more, regardless of lamp fuel, can do so.

Due to the 2D elements being well made, despite the darkness I could traverse through levels with ease, which in a way was comforting. Not only is the level design fantastic, but it also fits the Alaskan horror atmosphere throughout the game. This also strings on into each character you stumble upon, backgrounds, and the Cthulhu-like elements you come across. However, despite these great designs, I wish there was a bit more to the monsters visually as some enemies felt particularly predictable in appearance.

The darkness is your best friend

Although the music is not particularly memorable in Edge of Sanity, the auditory sounds when coming across certain enemies not only help you decipher which enemy you are about to encounter but also spook you. The essence of surviving most creatures is due to how loud your footsteps are. This is shown through not only the literal sound of your footsteps but also a clever ring that pulsates around you indicating how far the sound of your steps reaches, which is a great addition.

When it comes to the voice acting it felt unnatural in moments. Certain dialogues make it sound like a handful of characters are all voiced by the same person. Unfortunately, specific key voice lines also do not play, so you will need to read the dialogue yourself at times. This did take me away from the experience at times, but I still enjoyed learning about each survivor at camp and uncovering the story.

Despite Edge of Sanity having Cuthulu influences, I couldn’t help but feel it came across as more of a zombie survival game when playing. Particularly with specific monster designs, and the growling and moaning that came from them. Although this aspect of the game did not remind me of Cthulhu, the Trauma’s Carter collects, jump scares, and overall theme did.

Not everyone survives

Thankfully, those who want more of a challenge in Edge of Sanity will have the option to choose between two different modes, Normal and Ironman. This does add an essence of replayability to the game, however, players will be experiencing the same story, just on a harder setting. This is a great option for those who heavily enjoyed the story and are looking to test their skills and decision-making.

Final Thoughts

Those who delve into the survival horror genre and Cthulhu enthusiasts will be able to scratch their Cthulhu-shaped itch with the experience Edge of Sanity offers. Despite its predictability, it is an addictive, fun and spooky eldritch horror that will keep you entertained for hours as you endure monsters on each run and manage your resources for survival. It’s safe to say that Edge of Sanity is yet another great addition to the Cthulhu-inspired eldritch horror genre.

Reviewed on Xbox Series X // Review code supplied by publisher

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