I love this game and its soundtrack, so I tried playing it and it doesn't work with Proton (multiple version, from newest to oldest) on my Linux Mint 21.3. Good thing I have the remastered version, which worked for me. I hope this release will get fixed in the future. :)

-- at time of review --
CPU: Intel Core i7-12700
GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 770 (ADL-S GT1)
Mesa: v23.2.1
Kernel: 6.8.0-47-generic

-- later edit / unofficial fix --
Thanks to the information in the forums, I found this to help: https://github.com/FunkyFr3sh/cnc-ddraw/releases

With that ddraw patch the game ran fine and I completed the first mission without a hitch.

If someone told me back in 1996 that this game would receive free updates over 25 years later, I would've just laughed. Clearly there was no precedent, considering the gaming industry was fairly young back then, but to put things into context... back in those days game distribution was more of a miss than a hit. You would have to order your games by mail or phone. You could order Quake by calling 1-800-IDGAMES or risk eternal damnation for playing your friend's copy. :))

Great then, great now! Get it if you're not easily scared. :)

The game got updated several times this year and last, and they even mentioned me in an update patch. <3 Holy awesomeness, how can you not love a game that is cared for at this level? :)

The Blackwell series is great, and it leaves you wanting more of it, so badly, and this first episode is a great starter. Although the developer says he's not happy about the long exposition in the beginning, I loved it. It's why some people love movies with proper character development - you get to know them, their reasons, and in a game you also figure out what kind of choices they would make based on their personal traits.

Granted, this game is really more story than "choice matters" - it almost never matters what you choose -, but it's well done. And if I recall correctly, this is the only game in the series where you can't control Joey directly, which is both good and bad, depending on how difficult you find the curtain puzzle - and I'll leave it at that, not to spoil it. :P

It's sort of the twin of a good old game that can become more modern and complex with community content. You're going to have a hard time figuring it out if you rely on the game itself to teach you, so make sure you go to the online resources and get the tutorial. :)

Short and sweet. :)

Great soundtrack! :)

I remember teething and sinking my teeth in the varnish of my crib, to relieve some of the tension in my gums. I have no memory of playing this game, let alone for 5.5 hours. GG, Steam!

// just a tiny technical review

It's a very nice game, but it won't work on potatoes. I just tried it on a 1st generation Intel Core (i5-661) and the hardware and graphics driver only support OpenGL 2.1. On start, the game only shows the following message, then it closes: "You need an OpenGL 4.5-capable graphics card to run this game."

With my Haswell graphics (HD Graphics 4600) and Skylake graphics (HD Graphics 530) the game works just fine, both meeting the minimum requirements. A dedicated graphics card is recommended, though.

I love this game. It's clunky here and there, it's slow in certain levels, and this was valid even back when it was released. So these are its main flaws that will get right in your face while playing and you have to be willing to overcome those to fully enjoy the game. Also saving at the beginning of each chapter is a great idea. :)

Although Sanitarium is labeled as an adventure game, while being an adventure, it's mostly one guy's struggle to return to sanity and the world of the living after having a car crash. So in this regard it feels more like a quest. The game does a very good job at putting the puzzle pieces back together, to reveal who the main character is, what got him in this situation and who was behind it. His real-world frail state (coma) gives the game a lot of freedom to explore weird environments as the backbone of his gradual recovery. This keeps things fresh and the different characters you get to play as throughout the game will also come together in a late level, where you'll have to use their specific characteristics and abilities to advance.

Now what I love about the game:
- awesome soundtrack for a great atmosphere
- overall good voice acting
- the story of the main character's self-discovery, along with the details that add substance to it
- the fact that it's not as scary as the trailer suggests, because the story stands out better without too much horror (still creepy, though)
- talking to everyone doesn't take too much time, unless patience is something you lack, and talking doesn't just help you with your little missions/tasks, but also add a bit to the overall plots of each level, and even the big picture
- the mechanics of the game and handling your items are pretty straightforward for the most part
- as an adventure/quest game, it certainly requires patience, but that's nicely rewarded with a great soundtrack and how the story gets

What I don't like about the game:
- the movement sucks sometimes, which gets in the way of having a smooth experience, although after 2-3 levels you get used to it and shouldn't be a surprise nor bother you that much
- Olmec is pretty slow and it can be a drag, but at least the levels you get to play as him look and sound great
- some puzzles can be quite difficult, so a walk-through might be required - just try on your own for a while, for greater satisfaction :P

Thanks for refreshing it, DotEmu! I had a lot of fun replaying it.

Awesome pack for Duke's fans. I have no idea if it suports the HD Resolution Pack[1] and I never bothered to find out because I can live with the default graphics. It feels a little long with so many episodes but no one forces you to play it in one take. So I took my time to finish the whole thing and it felt great.

Hail to the King, baby! \o/

[1] http://hrp.duke4.net/