Survival horror Psychological horror Horror puzzle 2D horror

Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness

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A burned-down circus, a reunion in a dark mansion, and a clown losing his mind.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Stores: Steam, Epic, GOG
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (89% of 204 reviews); 4.5 out of 5 from 172 ratings on the PlayStation Store; 4.4 out of 5 from GOG players
Length: about 6 hours (GameLuster review)
Players: 1
Controls: Keyboard and mouse or a controller.
Made by: Indiesruption (published by Blowfish Studios)
Released: 2023

Get it on Steam GOG Epic Games Store PlayStation Store (PS4, PS5)Xbox Nintendo eShop (Switch)

What frightens A clown fresh out of an asylum returns to a 1920s circus troupe's mansion after the fire that destroyed it, and finds headless ghouls and blood-soaked rooms; a stress meter takes the place of health, and as it rises he hears whispers and loses his grip on what is real.
Content: blood and gore, violence, drug references, suggestive themes.

Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness is a pixel-art survival horror adventure set in the 1920s. You play Oliver Mills, a clown just out of an asylum, called to a mansion where the owner of a circus that burned down wants to found it anew. You explore, solve puzzles and fight off ghouls with scarce weapons while a stress meter pushes him toward madness.

About Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness

Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness was made by Indiesruption and published by Blowfish Studios in October 2023, on PC (Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store), PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. A follow-up, Vlad Circus: Curse of Asmodeus, has been announced by the same studios.

The year is 1929. Oliver Mills, once the clown Lazy Ollie, has spent time in Pennhurst Asylum since a fire burned Vlad Circus to the ground. A letter from the circus owner, Vlad Petrescu, calls the old troupe to his family's house: the circus will rise from the ashes. The mansion and its grounds are dark, there is blood on the floors, and the house is not as empty as it should be.

It plays as an exploration and puzzle game with survival rules. Oliver carries a lantern through more than 50 rooms, reads notes in his diary, gathers items and uses them to open the way on. Headless ghouls roam some areas; you fight them with a butcher's knife that dulls with use, a kitchen knife, and later firearms with very little ammunition. Instead of health, Oliver has a stress meter. Fear and danger fill it, whispers start, and if it overflows he passes out. Praying with his mother's rosary brings it down.

Critics praised its writing, its period setting and its pixel art and lighting, and some found the combat and the backtracking the weakest part. It suits players who like slow, story-led 2D horror such as Lamentum or The Last Door, with some survival pressure on top.

How to play Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness

Explore the mansion and grounds with Oliver's lantern, room by room.
Pick up items and read the notes and letters; Oliver's diary keeps track of what you learn.
Use items on locks, mechanisms and people to solve each puzzle and open the next area.
Fight or avoid the ghouls; keep the knife sharp and save scarce bullets for when you need them.
Watch the stress meter and pray with the rosary to calm Oliver before it overflows.

Screenshots

Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness screenshot: a pale, hunched creature with long limbs and a bloody open chest crouches in dark undergrowth

Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness screenshot: Oliver holds a lantern on the mansion steps at night while two gaunt headless figures shuffle toward him, a stress meter in the corner

Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness screenshot: Oliver stands with a lantern in a dim wooden bedroom under a torn Vlad Circus banner

Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness screenshot: gloved hands hold Oliver's diary open on Vlad Petrescu's letter and notes about leaving the asylum

Tips

Do not fight every ghoul: enemies can come back, and ammunition is scarce.
Sharpen the butcher's knife whenever you can; a dull blade makes fights longer.
Read the diary when stuck; it holds the clues for the current task.
On a higher difficulty, plan routes so you do not cross the same dangerous rooms again and again.