Outlast is one of the scariest games I have played in quite some time. If you are a fan of horror games and especially horror games where you are kind of helpless. Outlast is exactly the kind of game that you need to sink your teeth into. Just be warned, this is the kind of game that can bite back!
I Am Just Doing My Job
Outlast is a first-person survival horror video game developed and published by Red Barrels.The game revolves around a freelance investigative journalist, Miles Upshur, who decides to investigate a remote psychiatric hospital named Mount Massive Asylum, located deep in the mountains of Lake County, Colorado. Outlast was a bona fide phenomenon when it was released back in 2013. It came out in the midst of the independent horror game surge, and it helped popularize the 'run and hide' subgenre that was. Outlast is a first-person survival horror video game developed and published by Red Barrels and the first installment in the Outlast series.It was released on September 4, 2013 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 on February 4, 2014 and for Xbox One on June 18th, 2014.
I actually found the story of Outlast on PC to be very, very interesting. You play the role of an investigative journalist called, Miles Upshur and he has been given a tip that there is something bad going on in this secluded mental institution. He heads there with his camera to find out what is happening, but nothing can prepare him for the horror inside.
There are mutilated bodies, the place is a mess, there is some kind of cult leader, a messed-up doctor and a strange thing called The Walrider that everyone is scared of. Outlast tells a very interesting story and one that keeps you on the edge the whole time. It does not quite stick the landing, but even with the not so hot ending, it is a great story.
Run, Hide or Die!
These are the three choices that you have in Outlast. This is a first-person horror game, but you are not some kind of powerful character. Miles is just a regular dude and he cannot fight the evil that is in this place. He is only armed with his camera and this is what you need to use for most of the game. Outlast has many areas without lights so you have to use night vision on your camera. This eats the batteries so you have to be on the lookout for them and decide when you really need to use your night vision.
The mental institution is pretty large and you will be doing a lot of exploring as you uncover what went on here. Miles cannot fight back! When an enemy sees you, you need to run, hide and pray that they will walk on by. There is nothing more terrifying than when you run away into a room, try and hide under a bed or somewhere like that and for your chaser to actually find you! The gameplay of Outlast is simple, but also a lot of fun.
Dark and Gloomy
The presentation of Outlast is great. I love how messed up this mental institution is and I feel they have done a great job in making different parts of the institution look different. The character models are decent enough and the whole game just makes you feel uneasy when you play it.
The sound design is also fantastic. The creepy sound effects and the voice acting do a great job in making your skin crawl and worried about anyone you encounter in this crazy place.
I would say that the first Outlast game is the best. It is a very scary and jumpy kind of game and it is well worth playing through. While I am not a huge fan of the ending, I would not say it is “bad” still, Outlast is a game that once you play through it you will never forget.
8.5/10
Pros:
- The story is great
- You will be scared many times as you play
- Lots of “interesting” characters to deal with
- The voice acting and sound are great
- The dark!
Cons:
- The ending is not that great
- You will get very scared!
Outlast
In the remote mountains of Colorado, horrors wait inside Mount Massive Asylum. A long-abandoned home for the mentally ill, recently re-opened by the “research and charity” branch of the transnational Murkoff Corporation, has been operating in strict secrecy… until now.
Acting on a tip from an inside source, independent journalist Miles Upshur breaks into the facility, and what he discovers walks a terrifying line between science and religion, nature and something else entirely. Once inside, his only hope of escape lies with the terrible truth at the heart of Mount Massive.
General info
Release date: September, 4th 2013
Genre: Survival-Horror
Platform: PC, Mac, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Rating: ESRB M
Expansion Pack
Outlast: Whistleblower
The game starts as a prequel to Outlast, revealing the reasons behind Mount Massive Asylum’s outbreak, while simultaneously overlapping with the main story to reveal its conclusion from the previous cliff-hanger. It was released for PlayStation 4 and PC on May 6th, 2014, and for Xbox One on June 19th, 2014.
General info
Release date: May 6th, 2014
Genre: Survival-Horror
Platform: Mac, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Rating: ESRB M