As far as real-time tactical stealth games go, The Stone of Madness is an artistically singular entity, unique in style but faithful to the mechanics players may expect to find in the genre. Set in an 18th-century Spanish Jesuit Monastery in the Pyrenees, players find themselves both in a house of the Lord and an asylum for those with mental problems. But not everything is as it seems, and while searching for a way to escape, the truth behind the strange structure and its less-than-holy inhabitants begins to come to light.
Blending the use of puzzles and mechanics found in horror games of the past with an art style inspired by famed 18th-century Spanish painters and modern cartoonists, trying to pin down The Stone of Madness isn’t easy. Its religious themes and setting are quickly memorable, as are its character designs and its inclusion of a sanity meter, though certain aspects of its gameplay and story left me feeling incomplete and hungry for more.
The developers at The Game Kitchen excel at creating dark titles overflowing with religious iconography, with the 2019 Metroidvania title Blasphemous and its 2023 sequel Blasphemous 2 finding acclaim for their visual style and combat. Players control a character dubbed the Penitent One in these games, while in The Stone of Madness, they begin as Alfredo, a devoted priest imprisoned by a corrupt Inquisitor eager to discover what lurks within the confines of his sudden prison.
The Stone of Madness Boasts an Incredibly Unique Art Style
It’s estimated that over 15,000 video games were released in 2024. With more and more creators throwing their hat into the proverbial ring each year, creating a title that stands out is key - and it would be difficult to argue that The Stone of Madness fails to do so. Its cinematic scenes are polished and smooth, the monastery setting is detailed with a tinge of realism, and its characters are far from cookie-cutter.
These are not the youthful and peppy protagonists one might expect to find in a modern title. Agnes is a hunched-over old woman who gives the impression that she has seen too much, while Eduardo is a middle-aged man rendered mute by his torture within the asylum’s walls. As players progress, they will eventually find themselves in a party of five eager escapees, all of whom bring their own skills, upgradable abilities, and phobias to the group. The latter is particularly important, and where The Stone of Madness shines, as fear can be more damaging than any prison guard could hope to be. Frustratingly, most of the game’s interactions between characters lack voice acting. While this isn’t a massive issue, it may have given certain moments more dramatic flare and punctuation.
Leonora is the only member of the party able to harm guards directly, but she is terrified of fire, something very common throughout the monastery as its primary light source. If there is a fire near her target, she is unable to attack, and her sanity slowly begins to trickle away if she stays near the flames for too long. Amelia, a young pickpocket, is similarly terrified of gargoyles, while Alfredo fears dead bodies and Eduardo is afraid of the dark. Trying to avoid the character’s fears while also attempting to sneak past guards and solve increasingly intricate puzzles is a tough balancing act, but that’s certainly what The Stone of Madness is going for. Later in the game, I sometimes felt as if I were beginning to go mad myself.
The Stone of Madness Can Be Anxiety-Inducing
Playing The Stone of Madness quickly brings the turn-based roguelike Darkest Dungeon and the 2002 GameCube title Eternal Darkness to mind, with both heavily incorporating phobias and sanity into their gameplay. As more disturbing details about the monastery begin to come to light, getting caught by the guards seems less like an inconvenience and more of a death sentence, and these rising stakes contribute to the seemingly constant anxiety found during a session of The Stone of Madness. While the game’s runtime wasn’t terribly long, I needed to take several breaks to calm my nerves.
The main story of The Stone of Madness took me about 15 hours to complete, but completionists can expect up to 30 hours of gameplay.
After successfully gathering all five members of the game’s party, players can return to their cell each night to upgrade each character’s abilities, discuss strategy, and sort through any materials collected during the day. The game also allows you to choose which members of the party you’d like to explore with during the following day. It’s tempting to select the more violent Leonora and the powerful Eduardo every time, but they aren’t always the best choice, especially in a game where stealth is key. When selecting certain actions, The Stone of Madness displays pictures, not words, and occasionally, it took a little bit of time to decide what the on-screen pictures were trying to depict. Additionally, some actions take more time than others, though this sometimes isn’t conveyed until it’s too late, and a guard has taken notice before you have time to finish what you were doing or run away. The latter may be more of a feature than a bug, adding to the title’s challenge, though it can be frustrating for those on the easiest difficulty.
The Stone of Madness isn’t a game for everyone, but it’s hard not to request that even the more discerning player give it a try. The game's somewhat bizarre and disturbing art style remains a high point, and even those unaccustomed to real-time tactical strategy titles may find the game’s story and setting compelling enough to stick with it until the end. Despite some finicky controls, it’s clear that the team behind the game poured their heart and soul into it, with each frame packed with an unbelievable amount of detail and care. The Stone of Madness has a way of transforming the player’s frustration into desperation, with every step closer to the truth providing a boost of adrenaline and a desire not to give up. The monastery is hiding something truly ghastly, and that mystery alone is worth delving into The Game Kitchen’s newest release.
- Released
- January 28, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Violence, Blood, Sexual Content, Nudity
- Developer(s)
- The Game Kitchen
- Publisher(s)
- Tripwire Interactive
- Engine
- Unity
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Yes
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch, PC
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, Real-Time Strategy
- Unique art style and setting
- Each character?s unique fears make puzzles more challenging
- Varied difficulty levels make the game approachable for any level of player
- Controls can be finicky at times
- Lack of voice acting takes away from some more emotional conversations
The Stone of Madness releases January 28, 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5, Switch, and Xbox Series X. The Best War Games was provided a PC code for this review.