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 205 reviews); 4.5 out of 5 from 172 ratings on the PlayStation Store; 4.4 out of 5 from 7 GOG reviews
Length: about 4.5 hours for the main story (HowLongToBeat)
Players: 1
Controls: Keyboard and mouse or a controller.
Made by: Indiesruption (published by Blowfish Studios)
Released: 2023

On GOG: one of the GOG horror games.

No. 27 of the train horror games · No. 16 of the asylum horror games · No. 12 of the lantern horror games · No. 21 of the horror games about madness · No. 14 of the circus horror games

Get it on Steam GOG Epic Games Store PlayStation Store (PS4, plays on 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, jumpscares.

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. There's no real game over: he wakes up elsewhere in the house, sometimes short a few items, and the game autosaves as you go.

Critics praised its writing, its period setting and its pixel art and lighting, and some found the combat and the backtracking the weakest part. Dread Central gave it 2.5, citing a small inventory that sends you back and forth and objectives that aren't always clear. 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: white-gloved hands hold a gilded frame with a sepia photo of the circus troupe posed before a big top tent

Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness screenshot: two passengers in hats and glasses face each other in a dim wooden train compartment, a bare bulb glowing between them

Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness screenshot: a gothic parlour under a Vlad Circus banner, with a man holding a doll, a clown with a lantern and a stuffed bear in a top hat

Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness screenshot: Oliver with a knife faces thin headless pink creatures in a vine-choked greenhouse with small fires, the stress bar and revolver ammo showing

Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness screenshot: a figure stands by an iron stove in a dark stone kitchen with a long table, candle sconces and dead rats on the floor

Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness screenshot: the in-game notes journal open on Vlad Petrescu's letter and three diary entries from April 1929

Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness screenshot: a pale bride in a veil stands in a blue-lit circus ring while a gaunt figure watches from the edge

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.
Your notebook records where you dropped items, so leave spares behind when the inventory is full and check the notebook to find them again.
The game recommends a gamepad, and aiming at small, fast rats is easier with one.

Questions

What platforms is Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness on?

PC (Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store), PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

How long is Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness?

HowLongToBeat puts the main story at about four and a half hours and a full completion at six to seven. Reviewers took around five hours.

Is Vlad Circus a survival horror game?

Yes, a light one: weapons and ammunition are limited, and a stress meter replaces health. Most of the game is exploring and solving puzzles.

Is it scary?

It's grotesque more than relentless: blood-stained rooms, headless ghouls, whispers, and a few sudden pixel jump scares. The ESRB rates it Mature 17+ for blood and gore, drug reference, suggestive themes and violence.

What happens when Oliver's stress meter fills up?

He blacks out and wakes somewhere else in the mansion, and may lose some items that aren't needed for the story. There's no game over screen, and the game saves automatically.