There have been a lot of new game trailers coming out these last couple of days, which isn’t surprising because gamescom is currently underway. From RPGs to beat’em up brawlers, there isn’t a shortage of announcements to get hyped for.
In terms of real-time tactics games, one of the more promising is The Stone of Madness — developed by Teku Studios. It has a Spanish Monastery setting and lets players take on the role of five different inmates. They’ve been imprisoned for different reasons and are facing their own struggles.
The premise of The Stone of Madness is to escape this monastery using each prisoner’s unique set of skills. Of course, things will not be so easy. You have to use stealth, be aware of your surroundings, and constantly stay vigilant of each prisoner’s weakness. They have phobias that can send them on the path to madness if you’re not careful.
The game has an isometric perspective as well as beautiful visuals that are truly a work of art. Exploring the architecture and historic sites is always an exciting time by the look of things. Even more interesting is the fact that each time you play through The Stone of Madness, the monastery map changes layouts. That should keep even the more skilled tactics players on their toes, unaware of what’s to come.
As you move throughout the monastery, you’ll uncover earth-shattering truths about events that happened prior and clues that point you in the right direction. All the while, more will be revealed about these inmates and the unfortunate circumstances they now find themselves in.
There’s also a day and night cycle that dictates what sort of activities you can do. Some actions are best reserved for the night and that just adds to the unique choices you get to make.
After escaping with these tormented inmates, you can go back through and check out a totally different experience thanks to the aforementioned changing landscapes of the monastery. Thanks to this dynamic design, the game is highly re-playable. You can make different choices and go different routes that you’re not really sure how they’ll pan out.
The Stone of Madness already looks like a very original work and should provide hours of exciting discovery and stealth-based tactics. Escape games have always had a loyal following and there’s no reason to think that this title from Teku Studios will be any different. It’s scheduled to release Spring of 2021.
