Stone of Madness - Band Together To Escape A Corrupt Monastery (First Impression)

Corruption. Abuse. Madness.

Exploring The Games

Feb 20, 2025

For the video version, click below!

Stone of Madness

Developer: The Game Kitchen

Publisher: Tripwire Presents

Price: $29.99

Los “tios” behind the beautifully grim and brutal Blasphemous, Game Kitchen, are back with another religiously charged narrative set in Spain, and while this isn’t something that surprised me, I didn’t expect a real-time tactical stealth game.

What’s Happening Within?

The year’s 1799 in Pyrenees, Spain. A top a mountain lies an isolated and seemingly secluded monastery where usual religious practices occur, and the physically and mentally ill are taken care of. Or so, the outside world believes.

It was not until one day like any other, Father Alfredo Martín, once welcomed as a guest, now abused as a prisoner, witnesses a woman get dragged by the guards. As he investigates, he noticed the more aggressive than usual actions of the guards. Father Martin gather’s a group, willing to help him rescue the woman. But the final encounter doesn’t end too well, but they find the potential source of corruption, or at least, what the most corrupt seek.

Sneaking Around The Monastery

The Stone Of Madness is a real-time tactical stealth game, meaning that the whole game’s mechanics are centered around sneaking around and avoiding lines of sight and suspicion, as you venture through the corrupt monastery, trying to escape and uncover secrets. But you’re not alone. While Father Martin did take center stage, there are four other troubled individuals who, just like you, are clawing away for freedom.

Whatever weakness Father Martin has won’t matter thanks to his group’s strength, and vice versa, as everyone has their own sanity draining fear. But each night, after you’re done with your sneaky escapades, there’s time for everyone to help each other.

This monastery’s security and corrupt personnel are no match for a malnourished giant, an anger filled rich woman, a magical senior citizen, a sneaky little girl, and a devout follower.

Asseeeembleeeeee!

Eduardo

Father Martin finds poor Eduardo locked in a dark room. The malnourished giant is afraid of everything, especially the dark, as he was locked in solitary confinement for who knows how long. No one knows why he’s here in the first place. The menacing stature he carries contrasts his gentleness, but he uses that strength, and compassion, to help his team.

He’s able to pick large planks to create access to locations, throw rubble to distract guards, loot quickly in the dark, and break open locked doors, boxes, and anything else locked with a crowbar. Just try not to keep him in the dark for too long, as those isolated years in the dark took a toll on his mental.

During the night planning phase he can craft items, and volunteer for work to lower his teammates suspicion levels.

Leonora

Tenacity, agility, and execution. Leonora isn’t afraid to take matters into her own hands, even if it means to soil her hands in blood. But she isn’t heartless, her temper problem allows her to hurt or even kill those who imprisoned her, but the guilt of her actions can still harm her. She was sent here to calm her rage fueled outburst, only to be treated so inhumanly, fueling them ever more. One does wonder how someone with so much fire in them is deathly afraid of it.

She’s able to knockout people or kill them, climb walls to access point unreachable for other (sometimes being able to tie a rope to allow access to others), and lockpick locks.

During the night planning phase she can play her violin to increase her teammates sanity, bribe guards to lower suspicion, and sell items in the black market to gain money.

Amelia

A very agile and sneaky girl that Amelia. The typical 7-year-old child who gets too bored with homework that nuns give her, so she snoops around the monastery using tunnels only she can fit through, helping Father Martin as Agnes told her he’s the key to leaving this place. Before she was buried under heaps of homework, she lived with her mother, until a terrible illness fell on her, and as her father, allegedly Mother Superior says, died on a boat while working, she was adopted by the nuns.

Her small stature allows her to crawl through tunnels around the monastery, cross through fences, and pickpocket anyone and anybody. She’s also able to set trap, such as chocolate to attract people or mousetraps to slow people. Just keep her away from the gargoyle statues. They’re scary.

During the night planning phase she can play with other, increasing both of their sanity levels.

Agnes

A kindhearted but gossipy old witch Agnes, though very quick for her age. And even if she isn’t able to climb or do any athletics, she sees and knows so much, and it’s not because of her magic, but because she talks, and knows who to talk to. Though, it’s true that her strongest factor is her magic. But that comes with a price, as magical and protective objects harm her magical prowess.

She can gather plants that she can use for her spells or create medications, turn off and on fire sources, trip people who get alerted by placing a curse on them, and look into chests and pockets to see if they’re worth the time.

During the night planning phase she’s able to create medicine to heal others, and prepare the spells that she can use when roaming the monastery.

Father Martin

Invited because of his knowledge of medicine, Father Martin was much like those who invited him, though once he noticed the corruption that ran the monastery, he spoke against it and was branded a madman and imprisoned. But he will escape, and with him, he will carry the truth.

He’s able to give a sermon to distract those around him, dress up as a priest to avoid detection (though don’t get too close to people), light and carry an oil lamp and investigate secretes with it, and bless away cursed spirits and spooky gargoyles.

During the night planning phase he can care for others, which heals them, and study, so he gain knowledge to attain more skills for the team.

Revelations

You can upgrade everyone, and improve everyone. From giving Leonora the ability to kill without guilt and allowing Amelia to throw traps to allowing Father Martin to go unnoticed when wearing robes and Eduardo being allowed access to prohibited areas.

There are some good benefits to reading. I need to read more.

Does That Make Me Crazy?

While I’m not the biggest fan of stealth games, or a fan in general, I just couldn’t help finding interest in the story, the looks, and the characters. I really wanted to know what the title had to do with a Spanish monastery in the 18^th century, and the end of that tutorial really surprised me, and intrigued me even more.

The dialogue has so far been a little bit odd, to the point that I’ve considered switching it to Spanish to see if it’s better, but the pacing, the events, and the characters themselves have kept me going.

While I’m a newbie to the stealth genre, it hasn’t been hard, although it has tested me. There has been times where the objective pops up, and I look at the amount of people walking around and I just feel nervous. Thankfully, Leanora has been there to knock them out whenever I just can’t wait, and the sight cones are also very useful, and helps a newbie like me understand where the danger is and isn’t.

But when I’m not impatient, when I actually do just pace myself, it’s satisfying just swiftly making it out their vision, hiding slept bodies, distracting guards with preaching or ruckus, just using the team in unison, the execution, it’s so, so very satisfying.

Also, look at Panecillo. I want to cosplay him.

There’s a good amount of buildup in the story, and the characters are very likable, to the point that, even if it’s not my type of genre, I need to keep playing it to find out what happens. For those already interested in the genre, I’m sure the style, and the teamwork that’s promoted in this game, is intriguing, and all I can say is that it’s satisfying, and nerve-wracking.

What do you think? Will you be picking this game up? A little bit interested? Let me know below!