REVIEW – The game is based on Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, but this book has already been adapted by others in 1987, when Spanish Opera Soft adapted it for computers with La Abadía del Crimen. In comparison, The Game Kitchen’s game isn’t too bad, but it’s not really memorable either, set in a Jesuit monastery in 17th century Spain, in the Pyrenees.

The Stone of Madness may remind you of Blasphemous, but that’s no coincidence, because The Game Kitchen has worked on that before.

Monastery adventurer, or five mad people in a monastery

It’s a real-time strategy and stealth game, but this time in a religious setting. But in a monastery, it might have a slightly Castlevanian feel to it… until it turns out that the four outer walls of the building are hiding a mental asylum. Do we go crazy and then stay inside because we’re crazy? Priest Alfredo Martin was unfairly thrown in here. He realized that there was no way out. He meets Leonora (a violinist), Agnes (a witch), Amelia (a pickpocket who is a nurse by force) and Eduardo (he has been tortured too much and can no longer speak). The characters are quite good and The Game Kitchen has done a good job in this respect. The gameplay is basically simple: get from point A to point B, avoid being seen by the guards, so you have to watch their line of sight. It’s a great idea to use different colors depending on how alert they are. Although the definition so far makes TSoM seem a bit simple or easy, it is not at all, because you have to learn the unique abilities of the five characters and use the right one at the right moment. For example, Eduardo can move heavy objects, Leonora can take out guards, and Amelia can get into tight spaces.

There are multiple ways to accomplish tasks, and this is one of the strengths of TSoM: although you are confined within four walls, you have a fair amount of freedom. It will be worth experimenting with how we can work together as a team. Since they are all somewhat (?) problematic in their minds, there will be moments that seem unexpected. Another way to interpret this is that the phobia will affect all of them. In certain situations we can lose control of them. If Alfredo is not with Eduardo with his flashlight, Eduardo may freak out because he is afraid of the dark. Agnes suffers from narcolepsy, she can’t run because of her age, and she gets restless at the altars. Amelia is afraid the guards will turn into monsters at night, and Leonora is afraid of fire. All this has to be dealt with, and at night the situation is turned on its head. Should we continue adventuring, or should we take advantage of our characters’ extra abilities? It could be said here, to use a slight turn of phrase, that we can hurt ourselves if we are not careful enough, so sometimes it might be better not to risk it, to take a break, because we will need it…

Not easy behind the (isometric) walls either

Alfredo can regenerate his health if he has bandages, Eduardo can use ropes and pickaxes, and Amelia and Leonora can relax by distracting the others. These are also needed for the Stone of Madness in the name of the game. Someone fell from a big tower, lost their life after landing with a big thud, and then had this particular stone in their head. Once you have that, one of the two playable stories begins, and that makes for replayability, as you can’t explore everything in TSoM in a single playthrough, which is still very strong artistically. Graphically it’s not bad (but it’s not trying to be revolutionary… so don’t expect breathtaking visuals either), and although the story might not be considered original (it deals with the ruthlessness of the religious buildings of the time), the stealth and atmosphere make the overall picture feel pleasant for the most part.

The gothic style suits the game very well. Switching between characters on the console is a bit cumbersome, so you’ll wear out your DualSense a bit. In terms of performance, at least on the PlayStation 5, there are no complaints (it uses the Unity engine… but if The Game Kitchen had used Unreal Engine 5, you’d have had the typical stuttering). Apart from that, you can spend about 12 hours on the game. The character design can be divisive at first, but in the long run, if you look at it, you get used to it, so it’s not that bad.

Not getting stoned

The Sotne of Madness gets a 7.5. It’s not as good as, say, Ender Magnolia, but it can be considered a fairly entertaining adventure. If you’re not afraid of religious themes, it’s worth checking out, and if you’re a fan of Commandos, this is definitely a good choice. Interesting that it has only 78 reviews on Steam almost a month after its release…

-V-

Publisher: Tripwire Presents

Developer: The Game Kitchen

Style: stealth/real-time strategy

Published: January 28, 2025