STATUS: INSANE – Review
Follow Genre: Puzzler, platformer
Developer: Frostbullet
Publisher: Frostbullet
Platforms: PC
Tested on: PC

STATUS: INSANE – Review

Site Score
8.3
Good: Great atmosphere, graphics fit the mood of the game perfectly
Bad: very sensitive controls
User Score
8.7
(38 votes)
Click to vote
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Rating: 8.7/10 (38 votes cast)

STATUS: INSANE is a very close representation of a drug trip. It’s wacky, it’s weird, it’s mindboggling and most importantly it’s insane. A game can blindside you in one of two ways. Either it blindsides you because you’re stuck in the glare of the headlights as the hype train races towards you, then shatters your expectations and leaves you to realize what a badly written, badly optimised piece of dog shit it is. Or, it can blindside you in a way that the game went under your radar, snuck up on you and plays like the bees knees. This game is the latter. Pretty positive that: STATUS: INSANE loosely translates to ‘holy shit what the fuck was that all about?’ in one language or another.

Status Insane

Story

You are Igor. A man who’s stuck in a straightjacket inside an insane asylum. Igor’s first instinct will resonate with the player, because he wants out of the mental institution. The game doesn’t really give Igor a character arc for a player to be invested in, then again the story and narrative are actually over the top random. There are moments where you are wondering if this is really something happening to Igor or all of the actions to escape are just figments of his imagination as he drools on his straightjacket in the corner of his comfortable room, slowly rocking back and forth while softly banging his head against the cushioned wall.

The storytelling is done in such a way that it actually makes you want to keep playing. You just want to know what is going to happen next, and how things are eventually going to turn out. Is he getting out? Will he make it out alive? Will he murder people along the way when his mind shatters over how many times he’s been shot with a dart rifle?

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Graphics

STATUS: INSANE has this low poly design when it comes to characters, objects and the world in general. That doesn’t mean that the game necessarily looks bad. It actually looks quite good, the aesthetic looks sick and twisted as is the atmosphere of the game. It’s the weird vibe the developers wanted to go for without overdoing it too much and breaking the immersion of the player.

When paying attention to the world of the game, it immediately becomes apparent that it’s a vibrant place. Not a single level uses quite the same colour palette. The goal of the game is also very clear and that’s because you – even without a tutorial – know without a shadow of a doubt what’s going to hurt you and what’s going to help. So you know what are objects that will aid you in your quest for release. That doesn’t mean that the game comes without flaws, as off camera enemies can still detect and insta-kill you. It’s not that common once you get to know the layout of the levels, but it can still sting that you miss out on the perfect run because of an enemy you are unable to see.

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Sound

Insanity permeates the soundtrack, too. It goes from weird noises in the hallways of the asylum and its grounds, to the hard-rock segments of the chase sequences. It’s a disjointed mess. That’s usually a bad thing, but because the game has the weird, nonsensical whimsy about itself, it’s a match made in heaven. There is one thing minor gripe that can be mentioned about the music. The rock segments are so badass, that they feel extremely short.

There are two types of voice acting in STATUS: INSANE. There’s the voice of the protagonist, Igor and the voice of his inner demon/angel/second persona. Igor’s voice is just a meek peeping sound that alternates in tone matching  his mood or intent, while the voice of his inner self is much more loud and pronounced. It’s the Russian accent that helps underline the absolute madness of what’s actually being said.

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Gameplay

STATUS: INSANE is a puzzle game with platforming elements. You have to make it through several mazes, while dodging all manner of strange objects and enemies who will try to stop you from escaping. The controls are easy to remember, as the arrow keys will move Igor around and pressing in the direction of an object with which you can interact will make Igor do so. In the chasing sequences pressing up on the arrow keys will let Igor jump. Talking about the controls is where the game fumbles the ball occasionally. The controls are very tight and precise and even the slightest press will send Igor in the direction pushed, which probably will send you into the line of sight of a guard or enemy and send you all the way back to the beginning of the level. It’s a frustrating thing if you are trying to get past an obstacle only to be caught in the line of fire because you overshot your target by just a smidgeon. On the other hand it does enforce the reasoning that a calm mind will come out on top.

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Every level has an exit and it’s up to you to seek out the optimal path to it, by pressing buttons, pulling levers, dodging enemy’s lines of sight –this can be tricky as they can see you even if they are off screen- and blowing up walls of TNT. Slowly progressing until you finally manage a way to the true exit of the madness. The sections of puzzling and platforming are varied enough and spread far enough between each other that the game flows really well and before you know it you’ll have spent quite some time ogling at the insanities on screen.

Conclusion

STATUS: INSANE is a very pleasant surprise to any gamer that wants a bit of a ‘downtime’ in between games. If you want something to take your mind of the AAA blockbusters and a game that has a unique vibe to it, then this is something to look into. If however you aren’t into precise platforming or paying attention to every little detail around you to make it to the ending of a level, then you’d best keep searching.

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: 8.7/10 (38 votes cast)
VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: +11 (from 11 votes)
STATUS: INSANE - Review, 8.7 out of 10 based on 38 ratings
Q


First game ever was Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped, ever since then, gaming has been something that I've gravitated to. Reading's fun but not as interactive. Always up for a bout of online multiplayer. If that multiplayer is co-op. So if you are up for a friendly co-op session, hit me up. Rahenik's the name to search on PSN.

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