You awaken in a cold, dark and dreary room. You know, somehow, that you're in a sanitarium, but you don't know why you know, or how you got here. All you want to do is escape. Dark hallways extend in all directions, and the shadows themselves seem to swirl and twist menacingly. Fear and confusion grips you, but before you succumb to insanity, a memory returns. Safe things...things that you need...things that will make you whole, and let you escape. They are what you need to find, what you must find...
Sanitarium is a card-driven horror escape game. At the start of the game, each player is dealt three to six (of 13, depending on the number of players) 'Safe Things' cards. Finding those specific items will allow escape from the Sanitarium.
The cards form the map of the winding hallways, items scattered all over. Players must explore the layout (which will differ with each play) to find items that provide them useful powers, and also their Safe Things. Dark Hallways within the Sanitarium will spawn shadows, which will in turn chase the players. Getting caught by a shadow might earn you a hallucination. Hallucinations...are bad.
The enemy of the players is time. The deck of item and event cards is the timer for the game -- when it runs out, everyone still inside succumbs to their madness!
Sanitarium is fast-paced and easy to learn. It plays in 30-45 minutes. Coop, competitive, and solo scenarios are all provided.