Sanctuary

Walking can be a very relaxing activity, especially if you do it in a quiet place. Coupled with a pair of headphones and a good album, the simple act of walking from one place to the other is transformed into a journey of sorts. On the other hand, you may not have the time or the proper environment for it, so maybe a video game can scratch that itch for you.

Sanctuary is a simple exploration game in which there is no actual goal or quest. Your purpose is to keep walking for as long as you want, while enjoying a moody soundtrack playing in the background. In fact, the music and the walking are connected, since you can follow the sounds and reach certain places by just listening to where the tunes come from.

The game is not very jolly on the other hand, so don’t expect to feel happier after playing it. The environments are dark and gloomy, such as forests and vast fields filled with nothing but stones and strange structures. You cannot find any comfort in the music either, because it too can bring you down quite fast. On the other hand, you have everything at your disposal to relax and forget about everything else.

The game allows you to spring for as long as you want, without pestering you with stamina bars and various other such nonsense. It is also possible to enter some of these structures and wander around them, although they are pretty much empty and featureless in most cases. There are floating cubes and other weird objects around as well, or even forests you have to cross.

On the other hand, the maps and the environments are just too dark or too sterile sometimes, and that has a negative impact on the atmosphere. The graphics are good, albeit not very detailed in most cases. Every now and again, the entire color scheme changes in the blink of an eye, which makes you believe something important is about to happen. Obviously, nothing ever happens, but it’s exciting nevertheless.

Sanctuary is not a marvel of engineering, nor is a brilliant new idea in video games. However, it does have what it takes to keep your mind wandering for a while, and it can be the best choice for when you intend to meditate a bit.