Revealed during the Future Games Show as part of Gamescom 2024, Tripwire Presents, the publishing division of Tripwire Interactive that focuses on releasing great games from other independent studios, announced they will publish The Stone of Madness on Windows PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S and the Nintendo Switch™ system, for release in early 2025.
Developed by The Game Kitchen, acclaimed developers of Blasphemous and Blasphemous 2, The Stone of Madness is a tactical stealth adventure title following five uniquely flawed prisoners attempting to escape from an asylum in 18th century Spain, presented from an isometric perspective with stunning hand-drawn artwork inspired by Francisco de Goya. The title is currently available for wishlisting on all platforms.
“The passionate team at Tripwire Presents is a pleasure to work with,” said Maikel Ortega, Game Director at The Game Kitchen, “The Game Kitchen studio cannot wait for the world to finally discover The Stone of Madness.”
"We were big fans of The Game Kitchen and the work they did with the Blasphemous series, and Tripwire Presents is thrilled at the opportunity to publish their next title,” said Matt LoPilato, CEO of Tripwire Interactive, "The Stone of Madness shines with a uniquely creative art style, engaging narrative, and gameplay that fans are sure to enjoy. We're especially excited to help bring this title to all major console and PC platforms at release."
The Stone of Madness is a tactical stealth adventure game set in a Spanish madhouse in the late 18th century, presented with gorgeous hand-crafted, period-inspired artwork. Located in the Pyrenees, a timeworn Jesuit monastery is home both to a madhouse and a prison; five mysterious characters have been imprisoned between its walls under different pretenses. Plagued by cruel punishment, madness, and despair, they will soon devise a plan to escape this place and its evil inhabitants, relying on each other to face their deepest fears.
The Stone of Madness key features include:
Escape the Monastery: Control all five characters independently to aid in their escape, taking care to preserve each member's sanity as much as possible. As they explore the corridors and rooms of the monastery they may discover useful tools or clues to aid their escape. They must avoid detection at all times, the jailers are not known for their mercy.
Manage the Madness: Each character carries their own unique traumas and phobias contributing to their own respective madness. Managing their mental health will be crucial to their escape, using a system of character progression and regression. Failing to maintain a character's sanity can trigger new negative traits, including paranoia, dementia, or bouts of violence.
Discover the Secrets Within: Choose between two different escape plans, with each campaign featuring unique stories, objectives, and surprises. These plans will play out through a day and night cycle separating daytime actions and nighttime preparations, giving the prisoners time to rest and recover. Most actions will be best performed during daytime, even with the jailer's presence, however the darkness of night offers unique opportunities, and risks. There is a reason most inmates rarely venture out after dark.
Experience Stunning, Hand-painted Art Style: The visuals in The Stone of Madness have been lovingly hand-painted and animated, drawing heavy inspiration from 18th-century artist Francisco De Goya. An isometric perspective allows players to explore scenes and observe minute details as if they’re adventuring through a Goya painting brought to life.
Tripwire Presents is a developer-first publisher that has helped many talented independent studios bring their creative visions to players worldwide, including Espire 1: VR Operative and Espire 2, the gold standards for the virtual reality stealth genre, Road Redemption, a vehicular combat road rage adventure and spiritual successor to the popular Road Rash series, Chivalry 2, the multiplayer first-person slasher inspired by epic medieval movie battles, and DECEIVE INC., a unique multiplayer game of stealth and spycraft. The division most recently announced a publishing agreement for Rogue Waters, an upcoming tactical turn-based rogue-lite game of piracy and mythological beasts developed by Ice Code Games, at Gamescom 2024.
