Sanity: Aiken's Artifact
Sanity: Aiken's Artifact is an action video game developed by Monolith Productions and published by Fox Interactive exclusively for Microsoft Windows. The game's lead character, Agent Nathaniel Cain, was voiced by Ice-T. A Dreamcast version had been in development, but it was eventually cancelled.[1]
| Sanity: Aiken's Artifact | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Monolith Productions |
| Publisher(s) | Fox Interactive |
| Producer(s) | Gary Sheinwald Derek Fialho |
| Designer(s) | Kevin Lambert Garrett Price |
| Programmer(s) | Toby Gladwell Brad Pendleton |
| Artist(s) | Matthew Allen |
| Writer(s) | Kevin Lambert Garrett Price |
| Composer(s) | Guy Whitmore |
| Engine | Lithtech 2.0 |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer |
Gameplay
Sanity used a 3D engine to create a top-down view similar to Gauntlet. Instead of weapons, the main character used various "psychic" abilities, called Talents, both offensive and defensive. The abilities were represented by individual "cards"; the game shipped with a poster showing over 100 individual ability "cards".
The talents are categorized in to 8 different groups, or 'Totems' in which, each talent behaves like their respective totems. For example, Sun totem has Star blast, Star shower and Sand Pit abilities, which can be linked to the Sun.
Each totem has a Shield ability, which were stronger from the top to bottom, the Shield of Truth being the strongest. There are a total of 80 Talents, which can be gathered along the span of the Single-player game. The multiplayer game has some more talents added to it.
"Booster Pack" expansion
Sanity: Aiken's Artifact had the option to purchase/download add-on various "booster packs" from Monolith's website to unlock additional in-game ability cards, a concept inspired by collectible card games such as Magic: The Gathering. Free "booster packs" were also included with various game magazine CD-ROMs shortly after the release of the game.
Plot
Several decades before the game starts, a world-renowned genetic engineer named Doctor Joan Aiken discovered a way to utilise the unused portion of the human brain via a serum. The serum would give the user psychic abilities, or "talents", which could manipulate the world around them, for example levitating or shooting a bolt of lightning. Talents were split into collections called totems, and each Psionic specialised in the use of one totem, others even founding their own. Aiken became the founder of the Science totem.
When the game starts, Cain has just been suspended from the DNPC following an incident with Priscilla Divine, leader of the Eye of Ra (a radical organisation who wish to destroy the CoT project for ethical reasons) and founder of the Sun totem. He is eventually recruited back and tasked with infiltrating the Eye of Ra, who have been operating under the guise of a psychic hotline, and apprehend Divine.
He returns to the DNPC to find that they are protecting another CoT, Bobby (no reason is given for this, but Bobby claims that it's because he has exceptional psionic powers). Abel breaks in and tries to kidnap Bobby, but Cain manages to hold him off until the DNPC arrive and use Talent - suppressors, forcing him to flee.
Cain is later told that a shipment of Aiken's test serum from when the labs tried to make the serum suitable for adults was stolen. The magician Adrian Starr, founder of the Illusion totem, is a suspect, and Cain is instructed to visit and question him.
Once Elijah is dead, Cain leaves the mansion to be rewarded with a baseball bat over the head by one of the Bone Priest's men. Now, Cain must find the head and stop Golgotham from destroying it, or the Sanity Devourer will be called and consume the world.
Development
The game was announced at E3 2000[2] and was originally scheduled to release in late summer 2000.[3]
Reception
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 73/100[4] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| AllGame | [5] |
| CNET Gamecenter | 6/10[6] |
| Computer Games Strategy Plus | [7] |
| Computer Gaming World | [8] |
| Edge | 5/10[9] |
| Game Informer | 5.25/10[10] |
| GamePro | [11] |
| GameSpot | 6.6/10[12] |
| GameSpy | 83%[13] |
| GameZone | 8.4/10[14] |
| IGN | 8.3/10[15] |
| Next Generation | [16] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 81%[17] |
The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[4] Jim Preston of NextGen called it "A colorful game that starts out fun then slowly grows routine."[16]
References
- ^ Kollin, Mike (September 14, 2000). "The Dreamcast Loses Its Sanity". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ . Business Wire. Berkshire Hathaway. May 11, 2000. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
- ^ Antonucci, Mike (May 30, 2000). "To boost a music career, get in the game". The Record. Gannett Company. p. 49. Retrieved July 26, 2021 – via Knight Ridder. (Subscription required.)
- ^ a b "Sanity: Aiken's Artifact for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ Woods, Nick. . AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 17, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ Hicks, Cliff (September 7, 2000). . Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on October 17, 2000. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
- ^ McElveen, Nick (October 2, 2000). . Computer Games Strategy Plus. Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived from the original on May 22, 2003. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- ^ Nguyen, Thierry (November 2000). "Not Playing With a Full Deck (Sanity: Aiken's Artifact Review)" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 196. Ziff Davis. p. 160. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- ^ Edge staff (December 2000). "[Sanity:] Aiken's Artifact". Edge. No. 91. Future Publishing. p. 109. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ "Sanity: Aiken's Artifact". Game Informer. No. 91. FuncoLand. November 2000.
- ^ Wright, Brian (September 28, 2000). . GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on November 9, 2004. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- ^ Wolpaw, Erik (September 22, 2000). "Sanity: Aiken's Artifact Review". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ Wu, Jonathan (September 9, 2000). . GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on September 22, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
- ^ Lambert, Jason (November 3, 2000). . GameZone. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- ^ Steinberg, Scott (September 25, 2000). "Sanity: Aiken's Artifact". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Preston, Jim (November 2000). "Sanity: Aiken's Artifact". NextGen. No. 71. Imagine Media. p. 142. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ Poole, Stephen (November 2000). . PC Gamer. Vol. 7, no. 11. Imagine Media. p. 138. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. Retrieved October 27, 2020.