Graphics

Cartoon derived

All at once, Sanity's graphics are both simple and complex. Sanity doesn't generally get into super-complex character models or wild animations, nor is the texturing a flabbergasting 32 bit wonderland. Instead, you're looking at simple but smoothly animated models and low-color textures, but with a very clear, comic-derived style. Colors are flat and spread out - no realistic shading and gradients here. It's all very bright but with clear darker areas, like early '90s and late '80s comic books, not the new ones. Please keep in mind that all screenshots here are with the Voodoo5's 4X FSAA turned on.

Oh yeah, can I take screenshots or what?

Strutting through the temple

Cain and the other characters all move very smoothly though have a fairly limited motion range. There's just not too much that they do. However, many of the Talents have complicated animations - there's one that summons a giant mummy halfway up from the ground which winds up with both fists over its head and tries to pound you into the ground. Then there are talents which just have flashy special effects. Some are like fireballs, while other fire lasers, or even summon stars from the sky to come crashing down on your foes.

That's just ugly

Powered up

The Talents in various totems often overlap in purpose and thus have similar animations, but the variety is still quite staggering. Your opponents rarely have as wide a selection of Talents as you do, but every Talent you have, they can have - often before you ever get to use it.

Scenarios

Just because the game has shied away from complex graphics for stylistic purposes, it doesn't mean it looks bad, or that the game lacks impressive stuff to throw at you. For one, there's the architecture. It might not always be shown off in a flashy manner, but it is fairly nice. Cain goes through some very well designed levels that are not only great to play in but they look good too. In particular, Sanity makes excellent use of its LithTech 1.5 3D engine and the high perspective. There are quite a few scenes where you're looking into deep pits and getting just a little sense of vertigo. Still, the system requirements are quite high for the seemingly simple show Sanity gives.

Reception area

Zoiks! They're like lasers, scoob!

Sanity does a really nice job of blending the necessities of a comic book style and high-tech gaming flash. It's not a FAKK2, Quake 3 or Unreal Tournament, but then again, it isn't mean to be.