Plot: What’s it about?
In Outlast, you are a journalist who seeks to uncover the truth about Mount Massive, an abandoned mental asylum that could have some dark secrets. The rumors are that a large corporation has reopened sections of the asylum in order to further research goals, but no one what that research entails. While no one seems to want to find out the truth, you’ve decided to enter the asylum and find out for yourself. All you have is your drive to reveal the truth and your camcorder. You’re not an action star or a superhero, you’re just a journalist with a camera. Once inside, you face a gauntlet of challenges that you’re poorly equipped to handle. The asylum has sporadic light, which means you will stumble through pitch black rooms and hallways. Your camera has an infrared mode, but you have to use it cautiously, as your batteries run down fast. And since you never know what could lurk in the shadows, you might not want to reach in to feel for replacement batteries. Of course, the asylum is home to some vicious and horrific creatures, but again, you can’t battle them. You can run, you can hide, but that’s really all you can do. This creates a level of tension and atmosphere that few games can even come close to.
I’ve played a lot of “survival horror” games, but most are more action than survival. How scary is that zombie when you have a shotgun, a healing plant, and a hand grenade? Sure scarce ammo can create tension, but in Outlast, you have no guns and no way to combat the terrors in the darkness. Your camera can be a valuable resource, but it is used to survive, not to fight back. Use it to see in the dark, to give you that extra second to find a place to hide. The darkness is an enemy itself, since it obscures your progress and constantly puts you in danger. The dark also ensures that your nerves are always on edge, which causes even minor unexpected twists to pack a huge punch. And in the moments where the lights are on, you find little comfort. You can see what these creatures are capable of, with some truly horrific scenes of torture, dismemberment, and death. And you know the creatures that did this are in the asylum with you and nothing stands between you and them, that is survival horror. Outlast isn’t a hard game in the usual sense, but some players will have to adjust to being a harmless participant just trying to survive. The game is fair in terms of mechanics and giving you a reasonable chance, but you’ll need to adapt to the game’s unusual concept. If you want a game experience that is kind of unique and about as scary as the medium allows, Outlast is your game. I had a great time exploring Mount Massive and Outlast deserves a high recommendation.
Video: How’s it look?
As I mentioned above, Outlast makes great use of darkness as a game mechanic. You spend a lot of time in the dark, with your camera as your primary method of sight. The “night vision” this approach produces looks excellent, it nails the feel of infrared and amps up the tense atmosphere. When the lights are on (or partially on), the visuals still look good, but losing that infrared texture lessens the atmosphere. Even so, the horrific scenes on showcase all look quite good and never disappoint. This is a next-gen game and it shows here.
Audio: How’s it sound?
I loved the sound design here. The audio is used to bolster the tense atmosphere, which means even small moments are enhanced thanks to the design. As fans of horror movies know, audio can take a minor scare and turn it into one that causes the entire audience to jump. Outlast uses those “cheap scare” moments well and the developers were smart enough to not to overuse them and to keep them unpredictable. I found every facet of the sound design to be impressive, as the entire audio scope is used to make the most of the player’s eerie experience.
