NOTE: This game was evaluated on both the PS4 and PC using purchased digital copies

In the past few years, survival horror games have started to make a unique comeback, and have captivated the attention of many gamers, mainstream or otherwise. Horror gaming especially took flight with the release of Frictional Game’s Amnesia. Amnesia was loved by a lot of people, and due to that found great success, both critically and commercially. So, we have started seeing similar themed games, and for the most part they have all been good. Now with Outlast, survival horror gaming has definitely taken a huge leap. In Outlast, you take on the role of Miles Upshur, a dedicated reporter who decides to check out an infamous Asylum after getting information that unethical practices are still taking place there. Determined to get to the bottom of whatever is happening, Miles decides to embark alone on his private little mission. However, little does he know of the situation and hellish madness he is getting himself tangled into.

In my opinion, good horror always comes down to two important things, which is “Build-up” and “Payoff”, and the gap between them, is the “timing” which is extremely crucial in scaring your audiences. Your audience may or may not see something coming, but if timing is done right, it will still make them jump and that is where Outlast excels. There will be several points throughout the game where you will definitely start trying to predict what happens next, and you may even be right more than half the time. However, the way it catches you off guard is unsettling.

Let me give you an example. I had just started the game Outlast to test it out. I had to go somewhere and decided I’d come back to it later, so I just wanted a quick sneak peek. Now, it wasn’t night time, or dark inside. In fact, even the sun was up that afternoon, so there was no way I was feeling tense about my experience back then. I even told myself that there is no way this game could scare me in daylight… I couldn’t have been more wrong. The part I was playing at that time had me going through a blood soaked hallway. On my right, I saw the entrance, to what appeared to be a library. I wasn’t thinking much of it and decided to pop open the door. As soon as I did that, a body fell from above and started hanging in front of me! I literally jumped with fear. I kept trying to figure out what the heck happened for a while, and it finally made sense that this game was seriously scary.

Even my Editor Richard and some other friends had the same experience, playing through the exact same part. If we were to break this scene down, to see what exactly scared us, a lot of variables would pop up. Variables that is all equally important. Variables like, Sound, Graphics and Response. Basically, as soon as you enter the door, the body starts falling, the music cue comes up in full force and you hear a blood curdling scream. These aspects are all layered so meticulously that they give you a combined kick, making you respond with a shock. There are tons of scenes like these in game.

The overall game isn’t a linear experience, where you just sit back and go through different set pieces one at a time as it has actual challenges involved, which come in form of psychotic enemies that want to tear you from limb to limb. This game doesn’t allow you to engage the enemies in combat, so you instead have to rely on your mobility, and thus are better off avoiding them completely and there is a variety of ways you can do this. You can either just duck behind a low cover and sneak away unnoticed, run past them in full force or instead hide in lockers and under beds. However, if the enemy sees you getting in a hiding place, they will throw you out as the AI is refined in this game. If instead, you have managed to hide, you’ll need to keep quiet and wait for the sound of the enemy’s footstep to fade out in the background before coming out of your hiding place. I think one advantage Sony’s console has with the sound here is, that you can easily plug in your earbuds or phones into your controller, and comfortably play it on your couch or bed at night.

The sound effects and music, both play a huge part in this game, and are equally well-crafted and bone chilling. You’ll get to hear patients screaming in the background, wind howling outside, and ambient noises keeping you on your toes and the edge of your seat. The music on the other hand, is the driving force of this game that plays on tension and uses relentless instrumentation to give your adrenaline a noticeable boost. Lastly, the graphics also play a huge part in setting up an eerie ambiance. The lightning used in this game is amazing, that wraps around crisp and high res textures and models to provide for a unique experience. The artwork is also amazing, and you’ll get to see blood covered walls and floors everywhere. There are also warnings written in blood of the evil in this place, encouraging you to get out while you can.

What connects all these elements together however, are the tight controls leading to a responsive gameplay. Your movement controls are simple, where you move with either the left analogue stick or WASD keys, and can even crouch or run. Where it becomes interesting though, is through the camera controls. Basically, when it gets really dark or you want to spot something in the distance, you’ll have to take out your camcorder. You can use its in-built night vision to illuminate the dark, or its zoom function to recognise things in the distance. In my opinion, this offers a unique experience, different from most other games where you may have to rely on a flashlight. It feels more realistic. However, to use your camcorder, you need batteries that can be found throughout the Asylum. The brilliant thing about this is that they’re always placed at relevant locations where it makes sense for the batteries to be. So once you have them and the ones in the camera’s batteries are running out, you can press the reload button, like in a first person shooter game to replace your batteries. It is simple yet responsive.

Coming back to movement controls, the game really puts emphasis on mobility and so you have some basic parkour abilities at your disposal in which you can shimmy along ledges and vault over small covers. It not only makes escaping the enemies an intense experience, but also gives you a surviving chance as the enemies are not given the same level of agility. It makes for a great gameplay twist and works great. The reason it works great is mainly due to the tight and responsive controls that have no lag to them whatsoever. Furthermore, even the animations are smoothly implemented and do not get in the way. My favourite has to be the one where you peek around covers, and Miles puts his hand on the edge for support. It makes it even more realistic, whenever Miles starts to freak out; making it look like that he is being cautious.

The way you find out if Miles is freaking out is when he starts breathing heavily, it adds authenticity and character to him, making it feel like that you are actually controlling a human being rather than just a floating camera. The only downside about this game though, is that it feels monotonous at times, especially when you start repeating the same objectives. However, the varied scenarios stop it from being boring after a while, as there is some really cool moments scripted in-game. Otherwise the game really is scary amounts of fun.

Overall, the game offers a tremendous experience that is as scary as it is clever. With impeccable timing, detailed graphics and menacing sound work, there really is no reason why Outlast shouldn’t scare you witless. If you are a horror fan, you owe it to yourselves to try this game out, because it is definitely the next step in evolution of survival horror gaming. It also doesn’t matter which platform you choose, because the experience on both looks beautiful and performs exceptionally well. As on the PC it is nicely optimized with unlocked frame rate and res, while on the PS4 it runs at 1080p/60 FPS. Just be sure to use a headset or earbuds, to play the game in the dark… hell, this will scare you even in daylight.

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