Outlast Review

I remember the day I first saw Outlast on Steam and I remember adding it to my wish list, noting that I needed to pick it up after I finished with whatever game held my attention at the time. Having finally purchased it, I settled down to a marathon session in the dark, faintly aware of the fact that the “Scariest Game Ever” accolade had been bandied about in conversation several times which put me on edge even more so as I have never been a big fan of horror films or games because they always disappoint. Aside from the odd jump-scare the majority never leave horrific mental scarring for years to come like some make them out to.

If my fear and enjoyment experience levels of Outlast were mapped out on a line graph, the first 20 minutes would easily be consistently up at the top. There is a brooding sense of foreboding upon arriving at the mansion where the game is set; where every shadow, movement and noise sparks a whimper. Granted, Outlast throws in some jump scares as the player gains access to the asylum within, but they feel less cheap and more effective than usual due to the fantastic atmosphere the developers have created. There were even a couple of moments that brought forth from me a loud, unintelligible yelp, something which only the 2005 Michael Keaton film White Noise has previously achieved.

Disappointingly though, my fear/enjoyment line graph began to falter after the half-hour mark and quickly resembled a financial chart from America in 1929. Obscure historical references aside, one of Outlast’s biggest problems is that it never lightens up, literally. Every different area, whether it is the atrium, the sewers, the outside courtyard or the prison are all very, very dark and consist of repetitive, near identical rooms and hallways. I had grown accustomed it all and I wished Outlast would throw me a curveball or a change of pace to keep me on the edge of my seat, but unfortunately I just slumped into my chair. It wasn’t until the final chapter where the formula changed and by then I didn’t care and had been playing the last couple of hours just wanting to get through it. Horror needs contrast, whether that’s including some light with the dark or starting at dark and just getting even darker. Outlast is ineffectively consistent.

The ending itself felt slightly out of place; to have such a sudden mood change only in the final ten minutes was most peculiar and seemed like it was chosen as a finale because there were no other suggestions as to how to tie up the story. The twisting plot was interesting at least, if let down a little by the nature of the ending and it did make me sit and think about it even after the credits had finished rolling, which is always a positive.

Outlast is a game which beyond its excellent initial 20 minutes, fails to throw up anything which keeps the game fresh and as a result the scares become laboured. Fear is subjective and personally the most effective scares are those that resonate in the mind when the initial experience is over, which is why Ant Attack on the ZX Spectrum is the scariest game of all time in my opinion, followed shortly by Amnesia: The Dark Descent. For the most part, Outlast is forgettable, which is a real shame; but for developers The Red Barrels, the flashes of brilliance here are a positive sign and hopefully they can expand upon it in their future titles.

Simon Jenkins