Imaginary Friend Asylum

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1949, Hathmoore Children's Asylum. Your imaginary friends have your back.

Platforms: PC
Stores: Steam, itch.io
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (100% of 73 reviews); rated 5.0 of 5 on itch.io (24 ratings)
Length: 3 to 4 hours on average
Players: 1
Controls: First person with mouse and keyboard or a controller: move, look, interact and choose dialogue answers.
Made by: Nightmare Emporium (Grant Marrs)
Released: 2024

What frightens A child committed to Hathmoore Children's Asylum in 1949 does chores under cruel staff, hears rumours of the Ghost of the Asylum and, with the other children and their imaginary friends, uncovers a conspiracy in which a terrible fate waits for them.
Content: mental illness themes, ableism, child abuse, suicide, violence, gore, drugs and alcohol, strong language.

Imaginary Friend Asylum is a first-person psychological horror game set in 1949 at Hathmoore Children's Asylum. As a new young patient you do chores, sneak past the staff, befriend other children and their imaginary friends, and uncover a dark conspiracy about the fate planned for you.

About Imaginary Friend Asylum

Imaginary Friend Asylum is a psychological horror game by Grant Marrs, released on Steam under the name Nightmare Emporium on May 19, 2024. It's a prequel to his earlier game The Friends We Left Behind, and Steam sells it with that game and Imaginary Friend Institution in the Imaginary Friend Collection. It's also on itch.io, where the maker asks a higher minimum price than on Steam.

The year is 1949 and you're the new patient at Hathmoore Children's Asylum. The staff are cruel. The children aren't quite alone, though: each one has an imaginary friend, a stitched, doll-like creature such as the jester Pooky or Polo in his purple hat, who talks to you and warns you when things are about to go wrong. Patients whisper about the Ghost of the Asylum. During your stay you dig into the place's secrets and, together with the other kids, find a conspiracy in which you're meant to meet a terrible fate.

You play in first person through grimy wards, tiled washrooms, a classroom and dark tunnels. Much of a day is routine. You scrub toilets, fold laundry and get your arm jabbed by a nurse, and those chores sit between conversations where you pick your replies. Then come stealth sections, some on a timer, a bit of platforming and stranger places where the picture warps and blurs. The maker says an average run takes 3 to 4 hours, and the playtimes Steam reviewers show agree.

The fear here is slow. It's in what adults do to children who can't leave, and in friends who keep saying something bad is coming. The itch.io page warns of mental illness, ableism, child abuse, suicide, gore, drugs and death, and it means it. Reviewers on Steam and itch.io praise the sad story more than the play, and one Metacritic user found the chores repetitive and the blur effect impossible to switch off. Fans of Fran Bow or The Town of Light will find a shorter asylum story here, with companions at your side.

How to play Imaginary Friend Asylum

Buy the game on Steam or itch.io (Windows only), or try the free demo first.
Explore the wards and corridors in first person and talk to the other children and their imaginary friends.
Pick your replies in conversations to learn the asylum's secrets.
Carry out the chores the staff hand you, such as scrubbing toilets and folding laundry, to move the day along.
When you must not be seen, stay out of sight of the staff and keep an eye on the timer.
Follow the clues to uncover the conspiracy before your fate catches up with you.

Screenshots

Imaginary Friend Asylum screenshot: a figure in a plague doctor mask and hat with red eyes stands in a doorway at the end of a narrow blue corridor

Imaginary Friend Asylum screenshot: imaginary friends and silhouetted children stand around a body lying in blood in a dark asylum hallway

Imaginary Friend Asylum screenshot: an old metal examination table ringed by lit candles in a tiled room, with the subtitle What's going on? Where am I?

Imaginary Friend Asylum screenshot: Polo, a stitched imaginary friend in purple with one glowing eye, stands in a dark ward with beds and says I tried to warn you

Imaginary Friend Asylum screenshot: a red and black jester and a small doll in a doorway warn that something really bad is going to happen here soon

Imaginary Friend Asylum screenshot: holding a candle in a dark asylum hallway, a silhouetted girl waits at the far end as someone walks past

Imaginary Friend Asylum screenshot: a silhouetted nurse holds up a syringe in a grimy tiled room and says Give it here, with a Give arm choice

Tips

Play the demo first if you are unsure: it is free on Steam and on itch.io.
On an older PC, open the settings: the store says they include options to help low-end machines.
The picture blurs and splits into colour at the edges by design, and one reviewer could not turn the blur off. Take a break if it bothers your eyes.
In the tunnels, follow the red arrows painted on the walls so you don't get lost.
Read the notes and lore you find; the maker built an ARG trail around the game for players who dig.
Steam points you to The Friends We Left Behind as the game to play after this one.

Questions

How long is Imaginary Friend Asylum?

The maker gives an average playtime of 3 to 4 hours, and Steam reviewers' playtimes cluster around three and a half hours.

Is Imaginary Friend Asylum connected to The Friends We Left Behind?

Yes. It is a prequel to The Friends We Left Behind, and Steam sells both with Imaginary Friend Institution in the Imaginary Friend Collection.

Is it scary?

It is a slow, sad psychological horror story with stealth sections, blood and very dark themes about how children were treated, more than a game of constant jump scares. The maker warns of child abuse, suicide and ableism.

What can I play it on?

Windows PC only, through Steam or itch.io. It supports a controller.

Is there a demo?

Yes, a free demo is on Steam and on itch.io.