The transitions between the past and present too are brilliantly realised. These sequences are packed with expertly crafted jumps and atmospheric terror as you wander the passages and crawl through claustrophobic air conditioning ducts. Blake’s flashbacks to his childhood, when a friend apparently committed suicide, see you exploring the hallways of a school and are stark reminders of the horror of the original Outlast. The notes scattered everywhere and the paintings of the hideous Papa Knoth, the leader of one of the aforementioned cults, are hideous glimpses into a horrific and senseless nightmare. Every inch of this world, from the cornfields to the mines into which you must eventually descend, is beautifully realised. It’s a shame then, that the story is so good and there are some flashes of brilliance. Why on earth he couldn’t have espoused his bleak ramblings while looking at it the first time is unclear, but the ghost train judders to a stop every time, killing any tension built up by, y’know, not dying for fifteen minutes. Not only do you have to watch the probably static scene for ten long, dragging seconds, you also have to watch it back, this time with Blake’s panicked thoughts. In the least welcome mechanic since Wolf Creek’s Mick Taylor arrived in a tow truck, when Blake points his long suffering device at certain parts of the environment a red circle gradually fills up telling you it’s ‘Important’ and that you’re recording it. Repetition is also the order of the day with a new camera function. Outlast 2 is a disturbingly infuriating exercise in disappointment. This is literally a game where you can run out of batteries in a room containing another torch. Anyone who says this is a quest for realism should also try to rationalise why Blake can’t pick up anything other than batteries, bandages and sheets of paper. Night vision might be scary, but it also renders any environmental cues nigh on useless. While sometimes signposting is clear, with bloody handprints telling you where you can climb walls, elsewhere it fails miserably, leaving you circling grim environments, desperate to see where to go next. How about some one hit kills just for good luck? Or, even better, here’s six hicks in checked shirts, a QTE prompt, and no chance to use your healing bandages.ĭespite a suggestion of choice in this open l ooking world, Red Barrels wants you to do something very specific in each section. Having fun there? Here, have some more corn and flashlights.
Every time you think you might be enjoying yourself too much just exploring the world, another forced flight section appears to quash that elation. Just like the original, Blake can only run, hide and film, nothing else, leaving you utterly helpless in the path of whatever lurks in the dark.ħ things I wish I knew before starting Outlast 2
Before long, he’s wading through cornfields and corpses, uncovering a disturbing Satanist cult as he attempts to find his wife. It’s no spoiler to say that it all very quickly goes downhill, as their helicopter falls out of the sky and Blake wakes up alone in the burning wreckage with only his camera and some spare batteries for company. Thus developer Red Barrels has shifted its night vision gaze to the dusty Arizona desert, where journalist Blake Langermann and his wife, Lynn, are investigating the murder of a pregnant woman. Given that Outlast already has a follow-up of sorts in the shape of prequel Whistleblower, there was no need to go over the same ground again. I was so furious playing, that on one occasion I had to go and wash my face with cold water just for something to do that wasn’t removing my own eyes with a spoon. With this in mind, I’d like to be able to say that I’m not angry at Outlast 2, I’m just disappointed.
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