Manifesto

Outright Mental is an interactive entertainment studio.

We make original games and experiences that are sharp, strange, and deliberately human.

We don’t try to be everything.
We try to be fully present with one thing at a time—
and take it as far as it will go.

Our Name

Outright Mental began as a confrontation with mental health — specifically the moment when avoidance stops working.

There is a point many people reach where intellect, coping strategies, and cleverness fail. You can’t out-think reality. You can only meet it.

The phrase Outright Mental names that edge:
the moment when the mind is exposed, defenses are down, and something more honest becomes possible.

This isn’t pathology — it’s clarity.

Mental health isn’t the absence of struggle.
It’s the willingness to experience reality directly, without flinching or dissociation.

Creativity lives here too.
Making something — really making it — requires the same courage:
to be seen, to risk sincerity, to share what’s actually there.

Outright Mental exists to work from that place.

The Outright Mental logo is called Mental Roger.

It’s a antiestablishment flag — a signal of defiance — but turned inward.

The figure is cutting open the top of his own head.

It’s not violence.
It’s exposure.

Mental Roger represents:

  • opening the mind rather than armoring it,
  • the danger of exuberance,
  • and the acceptance of impermanence.

Roger’s a symbol of consciousness inside matter,
a reminder that you’re a ghost piloting a meat puppet,
and everything is temporary — including fear.

The uncrossed blades are not about conquest.
They’re about balance: precision and surrender held at the same time.

Mental Roger flies as a warning and an invitation:

Look directly. Proceed anyway.

See also: Two of Swords

What we believe

1) Presence over avoidance

Avoidance is the root of most suffering.
We value direct experience — in life, in design, and in play.

2) Courage as a creative muscle

The act of making is an act of exposure.
We believe courage can be practiced, strengthened, and expressed through craft.

3) Small teams, sharp edges

The most original work often comes from a very small group that is:

  • highly skilled,
  • brutally honest,
  • willing to fail publicly,
  • and uninterested in consensus for its own sake.

4) Defiance without nihilism

We challenge systems, not people.
We question narratives — including our own.

5) Acceptance is not passivity

Acceptance doesn’t mean giving up.
It means acting clearly, without illusion.

How we work

Outright Mental operates as a sequence of focused projects.

Each project receives full attention, full commitment, and is treated as a complete expression — not a stepping stone or content funnel.

The studio is deeply inspired by the creative philosophy of strong authorship, unapologetic specificity, and a willingness to confuse before it comforts.

Our goal is to create properties that can stand on their own — and, when appropriate, be taken forward by larger partners.

What we won’t do is grow past the point where this level of focus is possible.

Small is not a phase.
Small is the method.

What our work aims to feel like

If you encounter something made by Outright Mental, expect:

  • systems that reveal character under pressure,
  • mechanics that expose choice rather than hide it,
  • satire with teeth,
  • moments of discomfort followed by clarity,
  • and a sense that a real person made this — on purpose.

We’re not neutral.
We’re not safe.
But we are sincere.

Contact

For brand inquiries, partnership opportunities, or press materials, reach out via email or connect with us on Discord.