Sanitarium is one of those Bad Mojo-esque games that's worth playing for how unique it is.
The isometric viewpoint never really worked for me, and undercuts the immediacy of the horror. Things aren't happening to you, but to a little human figure the size of a game piece. Maybe this is a hot take but horror games generally need to be first person.
I'd say it depends. Horror movies work without being in first person. The idea that you likely need to relate with/worry about the character is at least mostly true, but if the game can make you want to keep the character safe as a separate entity you can do it w/o the first person stuff.
The isometric viewpoint never really worked for me, and undercuts the immediacy of the horror. Things aren't happening to you, but to a little human figure the size of a game piece. Maybe this is a hot take but horror games generally need to be first person.