Demented

Demented is a survival game in which you play as Bennet Helms, who wakes in an unfamiliar place and sees his family there. With little memory and a sense that something is wrong, you can either run or search for your family. You look for clues and items, hide from threats and try to uncover the truth about the Visual Corporation.

Sanity

Bennet has a brain tumor in the cerebral part of his brain, which affects communication, feelings and his sense of reality. Constantly taking pills can contain the tumor. His sanity affects what he perceives and how he moves, and can also be used to the player’s advantage.

As sanity falls, Bennet may hallucinate, see less and find it harder to notice highlighted objects. Critters begin to appear at 45% sanity, and more come to hunt him as his sanity drops. At 25%, he walks and sprints more slowly; at 15%, he can no longer sprint; and at 10%, the image turns black and white. At 5%, he enters C-Condition: he moves very quickly, can see distant objects and medication is highlighted. Critters can still damage him, but their pushes do not affect him. Hurting himself can reduce his health to 15%; each self-injury restores 20% sanity.

The WCD

The WCD is described as the brain of Demented’s world, and its effects depend on Bennet’s health and sanity. It can change the world and how things appear, add corruption, play tricks on his mind and cause a System Shutdown that changes the facility’s power. It can also spawn critters, the game’s monsters.

Radiation

Radiation can slow or stop sanity from decaying, depending on its level, but even a small amount costs health. At 40+ REMs, the image sometimes blurs and noises occur in Bennet’s head. At 85+ REMs, he walks and sprints much more slowly, has worse reflexes and hears less.