Rise of Insanity

July 17, 2019

Rise Of Insanity VR Review: Twists And Turns In A Decaying Mind

We’ve played through Rise of Insanity, an unsettling and tense psychological horror game with VR support. Here’s what we thought!

You might have caught our recent livestream in which we played through the entirety of Rise of Insanity, from start to finish, in a single go (embedded below). It was an intense experience rife with plenty of jump scares, an ominous atmosphere, and a twisting story about the decay of the human mind. Overall, I quite enjoyed myself.

Rise of Insanity was developed and published by indie team Red Limb Studios. It came out on PC with optional VR support in 2018 and just recently got ported over to the PS4 with optional PSVR support. Both versions of the game require either a gamepad or keyboard and mouse to play — there is no motion controller support. However, I played the game on an Oculus Rift S via SteamVR and was able to use my Touch controllers like a gamepad.

In Rise of Insanity you play as a psychologist named Dr. Dowell in the 1970s as you explore fragments of your past looking for answers regarding a fascinating new patient. It’s a story all about mystery, discovery, and a foreboding sense of terror.

I can’t really say much else without spoiling things further, but there are some good twists throughout the course of its roughly two hour run-time. It sounds brief, but it’s best experienced in a single sitting much like a movie and the pacing felt good.

Comfort

I played the entire game seated, as was recommended, using Oculus Touch controllers in place of a gamepad since there is no actual motion controller support. Positional tracking worked fine and there were options in the menu to adjust rotation speed and enable snap turning. However, that’s about it. I didn’t spot anything to dim the FOV when turning or sprinting and overall the VR support feels a bit like an afterthought. The game is slow-paced so it shouldn’t affect many people negatively, but the comfort options aren’t as robust as they could have been.

rise of insanity vr

If you’ve ever played any sort of walking simulator game then you know what to expect here. You explore environments, look at items to pick up and inspect them, read lots of notes and journal entries, and occasionally solve a simple puzzle or walk into a jump scare. It’s very by-the-numbers and doesn’t do anything particularly remarkable. However, the sense of atmosphere and the dark, foreboding tone are very effective.

I can’t speak to what the game feels like outside of VR, but inside the headset it’s quite unsettling. The jump scares were timed well and often made me physically jump in my seat while still feeling relevant and not completely out of place. Each of them was either expected or explained, which is much better than seemingly random ghosts and creatures popping out for no reason.

Near the latter third of the game the environments take a very twisted turn as the designers trade in sterile hospital corridors for other-worldly locales, quaint picnic spots, and greenhouses bathed in autumn light. Visually it’s very nice considering the small team and lack of true, dedicated VR support.

Final Verdict:

Rise of Insanity isn’t a perfect game, but it doesn’t try to be. The story has some satisfying twists if you’re paying attention and the environments are well-designed with nice vistas and some top-notch jump scares to keep you on your toes. I’d have loved motion controller support or a more fleshed out VR integration, but as it stands as a gamepad-only VR title it certainly delivers good scares wrapped up in a solid story at a brisk two hour pace.

Rise of Insanity is currently available on Steam with optional VR support for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Valve Index for $9.99 and available on PS4 with optional support for PSVR for $12.99. Read our Game Review Guidelines for more information on how we arrived at this score.

July 16, 2019

Rise of Insanity Livestream: Psychological Horror In VR

Curious about how we livestream the way we do? Then look no further than this handy guide for general tips and this guide specific to our Oculus Quest setup.

We’re back again with another livestream planned for 7/16/19 @1:00PM PT on the UploadVR Twitch.

For today we are playing Rise of Insanity, a psychological horror game from Red Limb Studios that released on PC last year with optional VR support and just hit PS4 with optional PSVR support late last week. We’ll be doing a full review of the game and decided to play through it live on stream for everyone to enjoy. Because spooky is always fun.

We’ve recently switched back over to Twitch after experimenting with livestreams on YouTube for a while. Since we’re affiliated on Twitch we have some really cool perks we can offer such as awesome sub badges to reward subscribers, fun emotes, the ability to donate bits to support the stream and fund improvements, as well as a fun meta game of earning Loyalty Points to redeem for future events. We’re gonna do lots of fun stuff like giveaways too very soon that will all be automated within the stream chat.

This stream we will be using an Oculus Rift S and Xbox One gamepad to play Rise of Insanity via Steam. Here is where you can find today’s stream once it starts around @1:00PM PT and will last for about an hour or two:

Watch live video from UploadVR on www.twitch.tv

Since we are migrating from YouTube you can see our most recent past archived streams over in our YouTube playlist, which is where you can watch gameplay highlights from Twitch streams in the future too. There’s lots of good stuff there so make sure and subscribe to us on YouTube as well!

And please let us know which games or discussions you want us to livestream next! We have lots of VR games in the queue that we would love to show off more completely.

The post Rise of Insanity Livestream: Psychological Horror In VR appeared first on UploadVR.

July 12, 2019

The Shining-Inspired VR Horror Game Rise Of Insanity Comes To PSVR

Rise of Insanity is a first-person psychological horror game that originally released on PC last year in 2018 with SteamVR support that’s now out on PSVR.

It originally appeared in Early Access a year prior, but has been in a fully released state for quite some time. Today, Sony announced and released the horror game on PS4 with optional PSVR support. That’s right — it’s out already.

Rise of Insanity gets right to the point in its title. In its store description the developers at Red Limb Studios cite The Shining, The Exorcist, and Silent Hill as heavy influences, ensuring that this will appeal to fans of suspense and mystery.

The plot is explained as follows:

Set in America in the 1970s, the story centers around Dr. Stephen Dowell, a renowned psychologist faced with a difficult patient who shows distinct yet contradictory symptoms of different mental disorders. The life of the doctor himself is also shrouded in mystery – you must step into his shoes to find out the truth.

What terrible fate has befallen your wife and child? Is your new patient, on whom you are testing your experimental treatment methods, somewhat responsible for what happened? Who is to blame? Don’t lose your nerve and overcome your fear.

rise of insanity creepy clown thing

Rise of Insanity is a Dualshock 4 only PSVR game, which means no PS Move support at all, which is similar to its PC release where only gamepad or mouse and keyboard support are listed. It’s only about two hours long and involves a heavy amount of walking and exploration — but only costs $12.99 on PS4 or $9.99 on PC.

Let us know what you think down in the comments below!

The post The Shining-Inspired VR Horror Game Rise Of Insanity Comes To PSVR appeared first on UploadVR.

July 12, 2019

Psychological Horror ‘Rise of Insanity’ Comes to PS4 with PSVR Support, Trailer Here

Rise of Insanity (2018) is a first-person psychological horror game that first came to PC and SteamVR-compatible headsets via Early Access back in summer 2017. Now, Poland-based Red Limb Studio has released its horror game on PS4, which includes support for PSVR.

Set in America in the ’70s, you step into the shoes of renowned psychologist Dr. Stephen Dowell; he’s dealing with a mysterious patient showing “contradictory symptoms” of some serious mental disorders. You’re tasked with uncovering the truth of what happened to your wife and child, and figuring out how the new patient is involved.

The studio says they took inspiration from movies such as The Shining, The Exorcist and Silent Hill.

Warped Horror Rise of Insanity Coming to PlayStation VR This Week

PlayStation VR may already have some awesome horror titles such as Resident Evil VII Biohazard or The Exorcist: Legion VR but there’s always room for more. This week will see the launch of psychological horror Rise of Insanity for PlayStation 4 with additional virtual reality (VR) support for the headset.

Rise of Insanity screenshot3

Created by Polish developer Red Limb Studio the videogame has been inspired by some of the greatest horror movies, including The Shining, The Exorcist and Silent Hill. Set in 1970’s America, revolves around Stephen Dowell a doctor of psychology. He is investigating the tragedy that has befallen his family by exploring the darkest recesses of the human mind, testing experimental treatment methods on a difficult patient. As such Rise of Insanity has some rather strange and surreal scenarios.

Originally released for PC in 2018 with support for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, players have to explore the ever twisting landscape in Rise of Insanity, discovering dark secrets and solving logical puzzles along the way.

VRFocus reviewed the PC VR version giving it a reputable three-stars, saying: “Rise of Insanity is still a solidly put together experience. The storyline, sound effects and voice acting are all of a decent quality, but the English translation on some of the in-game literature needs some work. Difficulty is virtually none existent so it’s a breeze to play through in around two hours. If you’re looking for a short, digestible horror then Rise of Insanity is a sound bet, just watch out for those rubber ducks.”

Red Limb Studio hasn’t given any indication that the PlayStation version of Rise of Insanity has been altered or updated from the original release, so it looks like a straight console port.

This is the second VR title from the studio with the first being The Purge Day, a basic wave shooter with horror elements for Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Google Cardboard.

Rise of Insanity is scheduled for release on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR on Friday, 12th July. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Red Limb Studio and Rise of Insanity, reporting back with further announcements and updates.

August 5, 2018

Something For The Weekend: Welcome August With SteamVR Discounts

It’s time for another entry of Something for the Weekend, the weekly series where VRFocus bring you a number of deals on virtual reality (VR) titles. This time we return to the Steam store to hunt down some of the best deals on immersive videogames that are sure to offer countless hours of fun. Want to drive a tank? Maybe use a sword? Or just make friends with young lady. There is a title for everyone. As always, be sure to check back every weekend for even more deals right here on VRFocus.

Voxel Tank VR

Every wanted to know what it would be like if you combined tanks with anime girls in VR? Well, in this title you get just that. Get ready to jump into the driving sea of a tank and do battle against large numbers of enemies and bosses in this intense title. Featuring accessible controls, a number of gamemodes and levels, plenty of cute girls and hours of fun. Voxel Tank VR is a title that is sure to keep players entertained for some time and that is before unlocking all the different outfits.

Voxel Tank VR is available now for £1.99 (GBP) down from the usual £3.99.

Tabletop Simulator

If tabletop gaming is your poison then this is the title you for. Create your own original games, import custom assets, automate games with scripting, set up giant role-playing adventures and so much more. With VR allowing you and friends to come together and play some tabletop games, Tabletop Simulator removes the need for everyone to meet in one room and leverages the internet and VR to create the same real-life experience. With workshop support meaning there are hundreds of games to be downloaded and played, Tabletop Simulator is a gateway to some brilliant content.

Tabletop Simulator is currently available for £7.49 (GBP) down from £14.99.

Killing Floor: Incursion screenshot

Killing Floor: Incursion

“So is Killing Floor: Incursion still worth getting? Damn right it is. The videogame does have its faults but they aren’t gameplay breaking. Killing Floor: Incursion’s single-player campaign is a glorious action romp that’s easy to play through in one sitting. One thing not mentioned so far is the fact that there’s a co-op option, and as every gamer should know, bringing a mate along to cover each others back only increases the fun factor.” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham’s review of Killing Floor: Incursion.

Killing Floor: Incursion is available now on for £6.66 (GBP) down from £19.99.

Voxel Shot VR

“Shoot Voxel zombies in VR! Utilize an arsenal of weapons to eliminate the approaching brain-hungry zombies. Don’t be fooled by their cute appearance! Resilient zombies, helicopters and huge bosses are closing in to seal your doom. Can you survive the Voxzombocalypse?”

Voxel Shot VR is only £6.49 (GBP) down from £9.99.

Smashing The Battle

Smashing The Battle VR

“So while Smashing the Battle isn’t necessarily a showcase for VR, it highlights that not every videogame needs to be from a first-person viewpoint. It’s got loads going for it – great action, varied gameplay mechanics to stop it being mundane and a deep progression system – avoiding becoming boring too soon. If there’s an alternative to the big name launch titles you should consider, it’s Smashing the Battle.” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham’s review of Smashing The Battle VR.

Smashing The Battle VR is available now for £6.39 (GBP) on sale from the usual £7.99.

Anamorphine

“Explore the past as you resolve the present in Anamorphine, a surreal adventure of rendered emotions.Tyler, a young man in post-traumatic denial, revisits a succession of milestones that define his relationship with his wife Elena, who falls victim to an accident that robs her of her livelihood and emotional outlet. Tyler’s mental turmoil warps his past as he struggles to come to terms with his guilt and inability to help Elena when she quietly slips into depression.”

Anamorphine is available now for £13.94 (GBP) down from £15.49.

“Looking great in some scenes and rather basic in others, Rise of Insanity is still a solidly put together experience. The storyline, sound effects and voice acting are all of a decent quality, but the English translation on some of the in-game literature needs some work. Difficulty is virtually none existent so it’s a breeze to play through in around two hours. If you’re looking for a short, digestible horror then Rise of Insanity is a sound bet, just watch out for those rubber ducks.” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Wrtier Peter Graham’s review of Rise of Insanity.

Rise of Insanity is currently £4.67 (GBP) down from £7.19.

Together VR

In this VR title players are able to experience everyday life with Hoshihara Mei in their own private den. There are a number of different things players can do ranging from interacting with their new friend, including playing mini-games with her, enjoy couple-like interaction and even turn into digital warriors and engage in intense space battles. If you are looking for a title that offers a truly immersive experience, allowing you to escape the real-world, then this might be the one for you.

Together VR is currently on sale for £7.20 (GBP) down from £10.29.

Preta: Vendetta Rising

“Enter the world of Akirion, a once peaceful land on the brink of extinction by a deadly epidemic that transforms the living into flesh-craving beasts called Pretas. Survivors are now organizing into militias to defend their home, but due to the lack of capable warriors, Akirots are desperately hiring mercenaries, someone like you. Explore the forsaken continents, collect materials, craft powerful weapons and defeat blood-thirsty pretas in order to save Akirion and reveal the dark truths of the plague’s origin. Inspired by video games such as Dark Souls, Diablo, and Monster Hunters, Preta: Vendetta Rising is designed to be a challenging hack-and-slash action game featuring various multiplayer gameplay!”

Preta: Vendetta Rising is currently available for £12.39 (GBP) down from £15.49.

Samurai Sword VR

Why not pick up a samurai sword and cut your way through a number of different enemies and to complete challenges with? In Samurai Sword VR you can do just that. With a number of different gameplay elements to keep things fresh, including setting your sword on fire, this title is sure to give players plenty of enjoyment. Not only that, but there is a cute Samurai girl in this title as well, so what more could you want?

Samurai Sword VR is available for only £3.49 (GBP) right now on sale from £6.99.

That is all for this week but remember that VRFocus gathers all the best sales and deals every week, so check back next weekend at the same time to discover more.

March 19, 2018

Rise of Insanity: Detektiv-Schocker mit Quietscheentchen im Test

Mit Rise of Insanity steht ein neuer Indie-Schocker der Red Limb Studios auf Steam für die HTC Vive und die Oculus Rift bereit, der nicht auf eine Eingabe mit den Motion Controllern setzt, sondern den Xbox One Controller wieder ins Spiel bringt. Wir haben uns den Titel genauer angeschaut und verraten euch, ob nur der Inhalt zum Gruseln ist.

Rise of Insanity: Starker Einstieg

Rise of Insanity ist kein reines VR-Spiel, wurde jedoch direkt mit einem VR-Support am 01. März 2018 veröffentlicht. Mit diesem Wissen ist die Gamepad-Steuerung schnell erklärt, doch die positive Nachricht ist, dass sich das Spiel ansonsten wie ein für VR entwickeltes Game spielt. Alle Texte sind lesbar, Objekte sind groß genug im Untersuchungs-Modus und da die Mechaniken im Spiel recht simpel gehalten sind, wird der Spiele nicht mit endlosen Funktionen, Menüs und Inventar-Systemen überfordert, sondern kann sich komplett auf die Story und die Atmosphäre einlassen.

Die erzeugte Stimmung und die damit verbundene Furcht sind definitiv das Highlight des Spiels. Die düsteren Welten sind mit großartiger Musik und passenden Sounds unterlegt, was die Spannung teilweise in schweißtreibende Regionen befördert. Zwar schaffen es die Entwickler nicht, die 3D-Modelle und Effekte auf einem einheitlichem Niveau zu halten, aber großteils ist das Spiel recht ansehnlich. Während der ersten halben Stunde geht Rise of Insanity zudem recht sparsam mit Jump Scares um, was der VR-Fassung sehr gut steht, doch zum Ende hin werden die Schock-Momente zu dicht und damit zu vorhersehbar und langweilig.

Bei der Steuerung setzt das Spiel komplett auf das Gamepad oder Tastatur und Maus mit flüssiger Fortbewegung und ohne Option für eine Teleportation durch die Welt. Mit dem Gamepad spielt sich der Titel sehr gut und der Spielfluss wird nie durch umständliche Eingaben gestört. Da ihr in Rise of Insanity nur lauft, untersucht und Objekte automatisch dem richtigen Zweck zugewiesen werden (welcher Schlüssel passt zu welcher Tür), bleibt genug Raum, um die Story angemessen zu präsentieren.

Im Spiel schlüpft ihr in die Rolle eines Psychologen, dessen Frau und Sohn ermordet wurden. Ein Trip durch Erinnerungen und Wahnvorstellungen bringt euch nach und nach die Wahrheit näher. Was nach einem spannenden Aufhänger klingt, funktioniert auch zu Beginn des Spiels, doch manche Abschnitte oder Hinweise fühlen sich doch teilweise überflüssig an beziehungsweise nicht komplett durchdacht. Zudem ist das Spiel extrem schlauchig, Räume werden häufig wiederverwertet und es gibt abseits der wichtigen Hinweise eigentlich nichts zu entdecken. Außer sammelbaren Quietscheentchen.

Fazit

Rise of Insanity beginnt extrem stark, doch es baut zum Ende hin spürbar ab. Die Welt wirkt mit der Zeit einfallsloser, die Jump Scares werden auf eine zu hohe Frequenz gebracht und das Level-Design ist teilweise nicht besonders einfallsreich. Dennoch bietet das Spiel eine tolle Atmosphäre und hat uns damit schnell in seinen Bann ziehen können. Für einen Preis von 9,99 Euro auf Steam ist die gebotenen Qualität aber durchaus angemessen.

Stark

Gestaltung der ersten Schauplätze
Sound und Musik

Schwach

Qualität in vielen Bereichen durchwachsen
Zu häufige Jump Scares

3 / 5

Der Beitrag Rise of Insanity: Detektiv-Schocker mit Quietscheentchen im Test zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

March 1, 2018

Review: Rise of Insanity

Love it or hate it, the horror genre has found a natural home on virtual reality (VR) headsets. No other entertainment technology has the ability to put you right in there with the screams and terrifying shadows. Yet horror has its nuances just like all the rest, whether that’s psychological, jump scares, gore, or just plain terror. Indie developer Red Limb Studio first tried its hand at virtual reality (VR) development with horror shooter The Purge Day, a basic scary wave shooter in 2016. The team decided to up the ante with its next project Rise of Insanity, creating a twisted psychological horror that’s definitely not for the faint hearted.

Rise of Insanity screenshot1

Rise of Insanity is your classic story driven adventure into madness, so it’s linear, very linear. If you like videogames that give you lots of freedom to figure things out for yourself, rather than being almost handheld then this isn’t the title for you. Rise of Insanity will suit those that do like a good horror style story and don’t mind the fact that exploration is kept to a minimum.

What’s notable to begin with is that Rise of Insanity isn’t a pure VR experience, VR support has been added, so it’s purely seated – there’s no crumpling to the floor when something scares you. Because of this it’ll say its best played with a gamepad or keyboard mouse. While the first is fine (if you have a gamepad) the second is definitely out of the question. Thankfully you don’t have to use either, as you’ll find in the settings menu motion controller options.

What this does mean however is that Rise of Insanity only includes smooth locomotion (there’s no teleport), with an option to switch on snap rotation if you need it. While it was perfectly comfortable with the standard settings some players may find just having smooth movement a little too nauseating, especially when things start turning dark.

Rise of Insanity screenshot2

Rise of Insanity is set in a big old house with you playing as Stephen Dowell a doctor of psychology. In terms of gameplay it’s all about looking for items/clues that can help unravel the mystery of a family tragedy, with a few puzzles on route that really aren’t that difficult – find a key to unlock a door, or look for a code to a padlock. Due to the linearity of the experience there’s not a lot of items to actually interact with, and they’re all easy to spot as a hand indicator appears when you’re nearby.

What Rise of Insanity is good at is atmosphere. You spend the majority of the time alone so hearing the rain and wind rattle the windows, or the TV hissing away are classic techniques that work well. Bear in mind that Rise of Insanity has its fair amount of jump scares, some of which are obvious, others less so. They’re the type that do put people off playing these types of horror experiences but they do work great at getting the heart pumping.

Looking great in some scenes and rather basic in others, Rise of Insanity is still a solidly put together experience. The storyline, sound effects and voice acting are all of a decent quality, but the English translation on some of the in-game literature needs some work. Difficulty is virtually none existent so it’s a breeze to play through in around two hours. If you’re looking for a short, digestible horror then Rise of Insanity is a sound bet, just watch out for those rubber ducks.

60%

Awesome

Verdict

February 26, 2018

Psychological Horror Rise of Insanity Set to Leave Early Access

Indie virtual reality (VR) developer Red Limb Studio launched its first title The Purge Day back in 2016 for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Then in 2017 the studio brought its second VR title to Steam Early Access, psychological horror Rise of Insanity. Today, the team have announced that it’ll see a full release later this week.

Rise of Insanity screenshot1

In Rise of Insanity, you take on the role of Stephen Dowell a doctor of psychology who aims to explore the darkest recesses of the human mind to uncover the truth behind a family tragedy. Inspired by classic psychological horror films such as The Shining, The Exorcist and Silent Hill, Rise of Insanity is set in 1970’s America with Dowell testing experimental treatment methods on a difficult patient who shows distinct yet contradictory symptoms of different mental disorders.

Looking like a far more polished experience than The Purge Day, the Early Access version has been fully playable since day one, with the developer using the time to polish the experience. The final version has been expanded to offer more gameplay, including many new locations and a full ending that wraps up the story of Dr. Dowell.

Rise of Insanity screenshot2

With puzzles to solve and secrets to uncover, Rise of Insanity will leave Early Access on Thursday, 1st March, 2018, for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR. Currently listed on Steam for £7.19 GBP, Red Lamb Studio has previously said: “We have in plans the gradual increase in the price while adding new content.” At present there’s been no mention of another price increase but that may change on launch day.

With so many horror titles launched towards the end of last year – mostly due to Halloween – there’s been a significant drop in scary videogames. For fans of the genre hopefully more will appear in the coming months. As they do VRFocus will let you know.

February 26, 2018

Promising VR Horror Rise of Insanity Leaves Early Access This Week

It’s been a little while since we last had the pants scared off of us in VR, but Rise of Insanity looks like it will answer that call quite nicely later this week.

This first-person horror series from Red Limb Studio is leaving Early Access this week and looks like it could be worth the time for any horror fans out there. In the game, you play as a doctor of psychology that explores the human mind falling a family tragedy. Set in the 1970s, you venture into locations inspired by North American architectural trends of the time, solving puzzles and overcoming the terror.

The game’s move to full release will see new locations added to the story, which is inspired by classic horror movies such as The Shining as well as games like Silent Hill. Instead of monster closets, then, expect deeper, more disturbing scares.

Rise of Insanity has optional support for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, though is played with either a gamepad or keyboard and mouse instead of each headset’s respective motion controllers. It’s got a ‘Very Positive’ average user-review rating on Steam, though, so don’t let that put you off if you’re interested in checking this one out.

Tagged with: Rise of Insanity