Another straightforward maintenance patch, and quite short, but hey, this means the list of big issues is growing smaller by the minute:

• New: You can now fast forward feedback lines while interacting with the notepad. Just click on the same notepad row while the line is typing to complete it.
  
• New: Steam Deck improvements across the board. Give it a try and let us know! Should be verified soon.
  
• Fix: The new option to disable camera effects for those players sensible to motion sickness was enabled by default for new customers. Please, make sure you have the option "Disable camera effects" unchecked if you want to see all the fancy camera animations.
  
• Fix: A certain puzzle involving the morgue could get unfairly difficult to solve depending on which documents you had read at that point, and in which order. This is now better streamlined.
  
• Fix: Similarly, a certain puzzle in the topmost floor could get confusing depending on the order of actions performed to solve it. Also, it was easy to miss a cool spooky moment. All this section has been revised and tweaked for that extra oomph of horror and much less frustration.
  
• Non-linear adventures are painful to do, folks.
  
• Tweak: Behind the scenes video player upgrades to resolve potential rare issues on Windows. Performance should be improved as well in the case of older computers.
  
• Mac: Related to the above, important video issues were resolved that could block your progress. You can now properly solve a certain puzzle in the High Risk section at 12AM. Also, a particular video involving a crayon was not playing either — now it does!
  
• Mac: We are aware of a recurring problem involving cutscenes suddenly missing audio and the team is actively working on the fix. While far from the ideal workaround, you can quit and restart the game to temporarily have audio in cutscenes again. This is the last known issue remaining on this platform — almost there!
  
• Build string: version 1.1.25421 (verify with CTRL + V)

Remember: if your favorite fix wasn't present on this changelist, don't fret! We appreciate all the feedback and the team is working on the vast majority of stuff that was reported. We're delighted that you're enjoying the game so much and won't stop until ASYLUM is in pristine shape ✨

What's this, more boring Friday patch notes?

• The macOS build is deemed fully operational now. Thanks everyone for your reports and patience. We've been testing the in-game videos with a new Unreal media player (for future generations, it's called Electra), and that's been working great. Please report any further issues, though.
  
• Fixed an occasional freeze when credits were launched from the menu. Unacceptable.
  
• Nasty bug preventing some folks from achieving the 6AM achievement has been resolved.
  
• The whole basement puzzle is better executed now, with red lights appearing when they should appear. No more unnecessary confusion with incorrect lighting when you're bored and leave the puzzle.
  
• Subtitles during the intro no longer appear in front of the amazing actors who were involved in the game.
  
• Users running the game with Proton on Linux reported a softlock in the morgue while trying to push a button. This is fixed now, which is a temporary patch while we keep working on the native Linux/Steam Deck version.
  
• Ropes were incorrectly hanging in a certain room in the topmost floor. By "incorrectly hanging" we mean floating out of thin air. No, this wasn't a plot point, just a mere rendering error.
  
• Removed hardcoded feedbacks which resulted in improperly translated strings. Note to future devs: never, EVER hardcode stuff.
  
• A certain task at around 1AM didn't trigger as expected, but now it does, thus resulting in more comfortable gameplay.
  
• Apparently there was a video patch missing for Lenny at 12AM in the low-risk section, meant for a more seamless transition when he walks away after speaking with players. We love you Lenny, please don't leave us alone in this spooky place. Come baaack.
  
• Not sure about this patch note, but someone said there was an incorrect hand icon for a hotspot in Corridor2C, and I'm inclined to believe this report. The hand is pointing correctly now.
  
• Chapter marks (you know, when you see the 1AM, 3AM videos, etc) have been polished and debugged. It seems that some people could miss these videos under obscure circumstances due to the complicated nature of modern game development, which in turn resulted in missing achievements. Horrendous! We're deeply sorry, everyone should be able to fully complete and show their achievements to family and friends now.
  
• A certain missing element in a certain puzzle at around 2AM had been missing since a previous update, making the puzzle more unfairly difficult. It was an honest mistake, no hidden plot point. Now you should fully realize how and where to use the acid. Nothing to see here folks, move along.
  
• There was a weird rectangle floating in the first scene when you started the game. We don't understand what was the purpose of this bizarre geometry, but it resulted in a glitched, otherwise inspiring horizon that was supposed to look gorgeous.
  
• Why is everyone obsessed with shapes in this game? When did this happen? Is this something we said...?
  
• Updated ending credit videos. Further people missed have been added. Presentation also polished overall. It all looks very professional now. Less punk, more capitalist.
  
• Build string: version 1.1.25411 (verify with CTRL + V)

A rather mundane maintenance patch this time, but still a patch:

• New "Apply" button when setting different resolutions in the menu.
  
• Unlimited framerate now showing a more user-friendly infinite symbol instead of 0.0 in the menu. That 0.0 was weird. Technically speaking, an infinite framerate is physically impossible, but it still makes more sense.
  
• Localized new menu options to other languages, plus some minor tweaks.
  
• Better menu behavior when completing the game. You're no longer allowed to save games in a vacuum.
  
• Proper handling of saves when completing the game: autosave gets deleted, and launching the game again will start a brand new game, as it should.
  
• Fixed regression from previous update: Discharged achievement now working correctly again.
  
• Fixed Julia briefly flashing before the cutscene when entering the asylum for the first time. That was creepy.
  
• Fixed incorrect volume settings when launching a new game.
  
• Pickable pesticide no longer clipping the camera like a cheap 3D film from the 80s.
  
• Character reflection in A-Pose removed from window in Corridor 2C. No, that wasn't a story hint either.
  
• Adjusted lighting to make a certain puzzle in a certain topmost floor fairer.
  
• Adjusted notepad position during certain conversations.
  
• Improved the poignant Lenny video in the topmost floor, including extremely realistic reflections that no AI will ever be able to replicate.
  
• Fixed a strange door reflection in the final game environment, which thankfully everyone missed and didn't misinterpret as a story hint.
  
• Build string: version 1.1.2544 (test with CTRL + V)

All your thorough reports during these first few weeks have been very appreciated! Key outstanding issues the team is focusing on:

• Verified Steam Deck support.
  
• Proper native Linux support. These two tasks are actually tied together.
  
• One final pass for localizations (though a lot has been revised already).

And coming attractions:

• Steam trading cards, wallpapers, and more.
  
• Deluxe bundle preorder, with instantly available goodies such as the soundtrack.

Have a terrific weekend!

• NEW! More menu options. Now you can fiddle with resolution, FPS, VSync and much more like modern games do. Does the film noise effect offend you? Off with it! Want to play in windowed mode while watching YouTube? Go for it! You can even set a retro quite 1028x768 resolution like Scratches did 20 years ago. Based on our tests, even very old computers without a dedicated GPU can handle ASYLUM now.
  
• NEW! Gamepad icons. Tutorials now correctly show gamepad icons if you have one connected, meaning ASYLUM can be promoted to Full Controller Support.
  
• Missing VOs have been fixed. Now you can ask everyone about wire cutters.
  
• Better paced VO duration during dialogues.
  
• General menu improvements in addition to the new options.
  
• Multiple language updates and fixes.
  
• A glass in the gaming room wasn't dirty enough, so it's dirtier now.
  
• Under certain circumstances, a certain item had be picked twice to have in your inventory. Not anymore.
  
• Some typos were fixed.
  
• Showers now remain open all night, in case you want say goodbye to the teddy bear before completing the game.
  
• Final puzzle tweaks, crucially better handling if you leave and come back.
  
• Fix when showing the menu at the end of the game.
  
• A new video was added in the ending sequence. No, no crazy new revelations, just a door that was missing. Also please stop perusing these patch notes for hints about the ending. We will NEVER do anything of the sort.
  
• Don't you find it weird how some characters in the game insist about geometry and shapes?
  
• Character logs now cleared up when you restart the game.
  
• Fixed a close-up in Ebersbacher's office.
  
• Some Lenny animations have been improved.
  
• A certain item in Hawthorne's office is more visible now, so you don't miss it.
  
• A certain item in the third floor to solve a certain puzzle is more accessible now.
  
• Certain music fixes.
  
• More certainties.
  
• Fixed an erratic crash caused by the new option to disable camera motion effects. We're sorry about this regression!

🚨Hotfix update 1.1.25328:

• Fix: Changing the new settings now persist correctly.
  
• Fix: Yesterday's update introduced a potential softlock at the end of 2AM. Please refer to this forum post for further info: https://steamcommunity.com/app/230210/discussions/0/594018634646501476/#c594018898545743474.

As usual, we appreciate everyone's patience as well as your thorough reports during these first couple of weeks after launch. Next week, we expect to finalize all outstanding localization issues (very few now), and work on the more fun stuff such as Steam trading cards.

Regarding Steam Deck, we're working with Valve to get that Verified status. With this update, make sure your resolution is set to 1280x800, FPS set to 60 and Visual Acuity set to Low for a consistently smooth experience. Alternatively, you can set Acuity to High and FPS to 30 for an extra bump in quality, which is what we prefer anyway (framerate is overrated). All of this will be handled automatically shortly, in addition to revised Deck controls.

Ahoy there, patients of the Hanwell Mental Institute! 👋

Slowly, but steadily we're crushing all the bugs there were reported during these early days. The community (that means YOU!) have been absolutely amazing reporting and helping us figure out some of these issues. Several wishlist items were sorted out today. Let's see...

• Cloud saves are now enabled! Windows, Mac and Steam Deck are syncing perfectly. Really embarrassed about this one which was a combination of issues, including a single checkbox that had to be unchecked. Thanks nian in the forums for your superb help.
  
• Camera motion can now be disabled! Getting sick while playing the game, and not because of the disturbing horror? Go into your Record Book and check the conveniently titled Disable camera motion setting. Transitions will play pretty much like Scratches. If you need to slow down the camera movement, adjust the Speed of reflexes to Slow. No need to have a sickness bag nearby now.
  
• Big Mac improvements! The amount of crashes reported on Mac (related to pesky video codecs) have been significantly reduced. We still have pending issues left to work out, but the experience is way less frustrating now.
  
• No more crashing when loading certain savegames! Some game conditions, and in particular the High Risk section, posed quite a few unexpected issues which should have been resolved now. If you're experiencing a crash when loading a saved game, please let us know ASAP, either in the forums or by email at http://mailto:team@senscape.net.
  
• Text overlay for easier reading now fully functional! Use the mouse wheel or thumbsticks (including Deck) to scroll the text. No more squinting.
  
• Added missing Julia video in a certain closeup.
  
• Added missing VOs from Bruno when you're pestering a certain someone.
  
• A certain date that should have been blurred is now blurred. Ya'll really paying attention to the tiniest of details.
  
• Fixed some savegames showing the title "Invalid!". No, that wasn't a secret clue, just a random bug.
  
• Fixed a window in a surgery room that didn't show rain when it's raining. We know you love rain and felt awful for taking away the rain from you.
  
• End credits updated because we forgot to include some cool and supportive people. We're horrible developers.
  
• Further translation fixes across all languages. The big localization (and final update) is schedule for next week.
  
• Build string: version 1.1.25321 (test with CTRL + V).

The more complete menu options in which you'll be able to tweak many other settings to your content and obliterate our artistic vision is due out next week. For fans of the oppressive vignette: you will be able to reenable that. I also heard a complain that the old ASYLUM demo was more noisy and grungy. Fine. We'll give you a setting to enable the "grindhouse" edition of the game. Super noisy and dirty, like the tape of an old VHS covered in mold and fungi.


When I mentioned that we're readying a big update for Halloween with optional content (this year, yes, 2025) a lot of people groaned. 7 months is way too much of a long wait in this day and age of instant gratification, so we're going to do the following:

We'll give you the possibility to pre-purchase the Halloween add-on very soon, at a discounted rate, and give you some stuff right away:

• Original soundtrack. Including lavish liner notes, full versions of the songs that didn't appear in the game, and early demos.
  
• Art book. Preview with photos and Kirkbride blueprints from real life asylums that inspired the game.
  
• A Tour of Hanwell. Preview of the upcoming documentary with our recorded visit to a real life mental institution in Buenos that inspired many aspects of the story.

With this preorder, you'll get the following in Halloween (this year):

• Full Art Book. Including WIP screens of the early days of development, and a journey through the visual design of ASYLUM.
  
• A Tour of Hanwell. The complete documentary with team interviews and the full overview of the whole madness that was this development.
  
• Annotated script. The original script dating back to 2009, unchanged but including new annotations. No, I won't reveal the nature of the ending.

Also... we didn't forget about Steam cards, emojis, and cool wallpapers, which are on their way. Fans are already at work too and, with their permission, we'd love to include some of their gorgeous art in the upcoming update. The babydog sticker by Princess Magpie is a big favorite in our Discord. Are you doing fan work too? LET US KNOW ASAP.



I understand the mixed feelings about the ending. Scratches attempted an unusual conclusion for its time, which devolved in heated forum debates. ASYLUM does something even more risky. Whether it worked or not, only time will tell. For obvious reasons, please don't discuss the ending here, since not everyone following these updates has played the game. The "semi-official" thread in Steam is this one: https://steamcommunity.com/app/230210/discussions/0/552359350148051426. There are many other exchanges in Discord too.

Going through the debate, and some of the shrewd observations already shared, I fully stand by the ending and wouldn't change a thing. Everything is intentional, nothing was rushed. Anything else I say will ruin its lasting effect, so I'll have to bite my tongue and let things flow. I know some of you have already figured out, though (and even when you feel like you "got it", there's going to be more to digest).

Thanks all for your continuing support over the years! Hope you have a lovely weekend!

—Agustín

• Overlay text box for easier reading can now be scrolled with mouse wheel (full thumbstick support coming shortly).
  
• Fixed a recurring crash when loading games saved in certain rooms (in particular the morgue).
  
• Improved playback of videos on macOS, as well as no more black borders on Apple Silicon (please note: we aware of a recurring crash on macOS while opening doors, the team is actively working a fix that will be delivered soon).
  
• Text fixes in achievements stickers.
  
• Various localization fixes.
  
• Interviews in the Record Book are now sorted correctly and should no longer crash when certain entries are clicked.
  
• Fixed a door video in the third floor leading to the theater.
  
• Fixed missing transparency in the lecture room so you can watch the beautiful rain.
  
• Notepad task while exploring the third floor now persists further to avoid potential backtracking.
  
• Fixed typos in some patient reports.
  
• Fixed Bruno's missing lines.
  
• Windup key item consistently named across all documents now.
  
• Music box consistently named across all documents now.
  
• Fixed volume levels not setting correctly or certain sound effects not honoring audio settings.
  
• Music now fades correctly when exiting and reentering the asylum.
  
• Fixed multiple missing sound effects, or incorrect ones.
  
• Fixed light flicker sound effect being too loud in certain scenes.
  
• Removed two hotspots with no relevance that couldn't be clicked.
  
• Build string: version 1.1.25319 (test with CTRL + V)

• Fixed Notepad position when interacting with Dr. Miller.
  
• Fixed potentially losing an item at 4AM, preventing completion of the game.
  
• If you're blocked, please consult the forums with a cheat code that will return this item.
  
• Fixed musical box crashing if played for a second time.
  
• Added a more accessible hotspot in the Therapy Room for triggering a certain game event.
  
• Achievements tweaked and improved, especially a hidden one that triggered at the incorrect time.
  
• In particular, Scavenger achievement should now correctly match the Record Book.
  
• Fixed placement and strings of certain hotspots.
  
• Fixed the possibility of a certain item getting duplicated near the end.
  
• Improved localization of achievements in the Record Book.
  
• Reduced the intensity of the vignette.
  
• Fixed consistency of visual elements when opening certain doors in the basement.
  
• Improved animations when grabbing items.
  
• Build string: version 1.1.25317 (test with CTRL + V)

Hello Steam community!

Have you heard the news? It happened. It's here. ASYLUM exists.



It's quite surreal to write this update, and it's gonna be days until the moment settles in. I'd like thank everyone for being such cool and supportive people over the years. I REALLY mean that. Everyone around these parts have been ultra nice, and even now our Steam forums are active and fun. I truly hope you all enjoy the game. It's no secret that development has been a nightmare and, as I write this, I still have Slack notifications popping up all over the place since the Senscape team is doing QA for the patch that we're about to launch.

About that: admittedly, the release had more bugs than I'd have wanted to see. We got a bit optimistic. Two dangerous decisions that we made too close to launch for comfort were to rework the main character's voice and translate ASYLUM to 10 more languages. Tackling this feat with a publisher would've been a crazy, now imagine self-publishing the game...

I think these were the right decisions, though — the new VO is being praised, and more people have been able to enjoy ASYLUM at launch. Of course, we are actively working on the bug fixing, and I'm perusing the forums to hear from you. ALL your reports and feedback are very much appreciated. Please, keep them coming! We want to ensure ASYLUM stands the test of time in pristine shape.


Launch has been successful, we're seeing positive reviews dropping in, and people are really enjoying the story, characters, and atmosphere. It's what we set out to do all this time: a love letter to the adventure genre, both a nostalgic trip, but featuring modern touches across the board. We can't wait to hear your thoughts and impressions when you're done with the game. About this: Steam reviews are extremely helpful at this stage! If you've already finished the game (quite a few of you did), feel free to leave a review, positive or negative, it doesn't matter. Even early reviews help too, and you can always change your rating if you loved/hated the game when you're done. Thank you for considering this, it's just that these days we are forced to fight against obscure algorithms. The machines are winning the war 🤖

ALSO, be sure to discuss theories and thoughts about the ending in the forums 👀

Oh, the story of ASYLUM doesn't end here. There's another story to be told, about how this crazy project came to be. Like The NeverEnding Story, everyone is part of it. YOU are part of this story too! Next steps are to release a special bundle in which you'll be able to acquire an Art Book featuring a glimpse into the early days of production, Soundtrack with variations on the music that you hear in the game, as well as the anticipated A Tour of Hanwell documentary, detailing the wild journey that was required to get to this point (all discounted for current customers, of course). And there's more too... more amazing adventures before we finally return to the ordinary world. But that's another story for another update.



Oh, and look at that. I finish writing the update and the patch is live! Check out the release notes, as surely a number of bugs that were annoying you have been fixed. Have a fun weekend playing ASYLUM, peeps!

—Agustín

• Intro now has subtitles enabled for every language
  
• Fixed missing subtitles in critical cutscenes
  
• Fixed rogue notification pop ups that were very, very annoying
  
• End achievements fixed
  
• Fixed bad hotspot in a certain secret room
  
• Some opening doors properly show falling rain now
  
• More door videos fixed
  
• Missing feedback lines have been corrected
  
• Better line breaks for localized languages
  
• Some bad hotspots fixed
  
• Better gamepad behavior in the menu
  
• Size of notepad corrected during certain conversations
  
• 3D papers folding in a weird way no longer fold in a weird way
  
• Revised input controllers
  
• Walking now honors keyring sound (whether you have it or not)
  
• Fixed some missing sounds
  
• Fixed some missing dialogue lines, especially Lenny
  
• Size of fonts improved for many languages
  
• Text is better centered in some UI elements
  
• Updated build string to: 1.1.25314

Hello everybody! Well, this won't be one of the most exciting Steam updates ever, so let's make it blunt and to the point:

We're delaying the launch of ASYLUM by one week. New date is Thursday, March 13. Still 2025. Main reason is that we're recasting the protagonist since, following in-game clips that we shared in public, we received feedback that the character wasn't quite working out. We take such comments seriously and the Senscape team agreed, so during the weekend we made the difficult decision to make the switch.

I elaborate more on this 1-min video here:



While not a huge setback, I know it's frustrating since we had committed to a date, you were excited, and there will be complains, and memes, and that's fine. We firmly believe this is what's best for the game. It's not a decision I took lightly either — we wouldn't be doing this if we weren't convinced that the game is special and worth this extra effort. I must say that the former actor gave a memorable performance in Serena, and he's a dear friend of mine. I'm really sorry this didn't work out. It's just that this important character (you, the players!) wasn't working out as was expected.

Details about the replacement actor will be shared shortly. Since the question popped up already: is this doable? Yes, because we're only doing voice-overs for dialogues, not every single feedback line (akin to Scratches). It's roughly 2000 lines, and yes, it can be done in a week. We've managed worse. It's going to tight, but hey, it's always been like that with ASYLUM. It was always meant to be sheer madness until the last moment. But the game is worth this rollercoaster of emotions, that I can promise.

So that's pretty much the purpose of this update. As I explained in the above video, this allows us to reconfirm all 10 languages (besides English) that we were aiming for launch: French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and Ukrainian.

And that's it. If you need to ask questions or vent, go ahead!

—Agustín