Publisher Tripwire Presents and co-developers The Game Kitchen and Teku Studios have announced The Stone of Madness is finally launching next year.
The new real-time tactical game, which was announced way back in 2020, is finally launching sometime in 2025 for Windows PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store), Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and PS5.
Here’s a rundown on the game, plus a new story trailer:
From the studio that brought you the Blasphemous series comes The Stone of Madness: a real-time tactical stealth game set in an 18th-century Spanish Monastery. Located in the Pyrenees, this time-worn Jesuit monastery is home to a madhouse and an inquisitorial prison. Five prisoners – plagued by cruel punishment, madness, and despair – pool their skills and resources to face their phobias, stave off insanity, uncover the mysteries of the Monastery, and find a way to escape.
Escape the Monastery
Escaping such a well-guarded monastery is no easy task, but Agnes, Leonora, Eduardo, Amelia, and Alfredo are determined to see it through. Alternate control of all five characters and use their unique upgradable skills to cast spells, assassinate targets, distract enemies, stun evil spirits, explore hard-to-reach areas, and more.
Explore your surroundings and combine the characters’ abilities to find clues and tools scattered throughout the monastery. Be careful though, if you’re caught being somewhere you shouldn’t be, the guards will not be kind.
Manage the Madness
Each playable character possesses a fully realized set of traumas and phobias. To effectively navigate the monastery, you must be mindful of each character’s mental health.
Triggering these traits depletes a character’s sanity, ultimately triggering a traumatic event with negative effects such as paranoia, dementia, or bouts of violence; fundamentally changing how the afflicted character is played.
Discover the Secrets Within
Choose from two full-fledged campaigns to execute, each with its own stories, objectives, special characters, and other surprises.
Time is continuous in The Stone of Madness. Actions have consequences, and players must consider their time of day as they make decisions.
Sneaking, exploring, and gathering materials are all ideal tasks to complete during the day when security guards are easily distracted. But as morning gives way to evening, the paranormal inhabitants of the Monastery will start to reveal themselves; posing a threat to the characters’ sanity.
Nighttime is most wisely spent planning and managing the escape plan. Any player who explores the monastery after curfew will be met with an extra challenge. Security is tighter, and guards will not take kindly to any prisoners wandering about. But sometimes, the risk is worth the reward.
Experience a Stunning Hand-Painted Art Style
The visuals in The Stone of Madness have been lovingly hand-painted and animated frame by frame, drawing heavy inspiration from 18th-century artist Francisco De Goya.
The game’s isometric perspective acts as the perfect showcase for the eye-catching visuals, allowing players to observe every minute detail and feel as if they’re adventuring through a Goya painting brought to life.
