Found footage horror movies have had a lasting impact on the film industry, with releases like The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity generating significant, record-breaking profits. Video games have occasionally taken a swipe at the found footage genre, and one of the most successful attempts so far has been Outlast from Red Barrels.
In Outlast, players explore an insane asylum crawling with violent patients and mutilated creatures. Armed with nothing but a video camera, players have to utilize its night vision mode to make their way through some of the hospital’s darker sections. The night vision mode drains the camera’s battery, and so players have to be mindful of that as they play through the game, not unlike how more traditional survival-horror titles have players managing their ammunition.
Like many modern horror games, Outlast makes it so players are virtually defenseless against the enemies that they come across. Instead of fighting off enemies, Outlast players have to rely on stealth, and getting caught means players are as good as dead. Being spotted and chased by an enemy in Outlast is a legitimately terrifying experience, and helps it to become one of the scariest games available across both the PS4 and Xbox One.
Outlast takes clear inspiration from Frictional Games’ Amnesia: The Dark Descent, another great PS4 and Xbox One horror title, but the games differ in some major ways. In terms of gameplay, Amnesia is much more about puzzle-solving and exploration, whereas Outlast is much more linear, with a heightened focus on stealth. Stealth games are certainly not for everyone, but they go a long way in making Outlast that much scarier.
Out of all the terrifying scenes in Outlast, one in particular stands out as especially frightening and disturbing. There is one moment where players are captured by the demented Richard Trager, and are forced to watch as he removes their fingers. It’s this kind of powerful, shocking imagery that ensures Outlast is an experience that sticks in players’ minds long after the credits roll.
The original Outlast was a big success for Red Barrels, and has become one of the industry’s biggest horror franchises. Red Barrels followed up the original Outlast with the well-received Whistleblower expansion, along with Outlast 2. Looking ahead, fans can look forward to The Outlast Trials, a multiplayer-focused take on the franchise, as well as a proper Outlast 3. The Outlast Trials is expected to drop on 2021, so fans can look forward to learning more about it sooner rather than later.
Outlast is available for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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