Outlast: Survival horror done right

I recently played Outlast, the survival horror game from Red Barrels Games. It came out last fall but was recently the free game of the month for PS Plus members (on PS4), and I can tell you it’s scary as hell. For some background, I love horror; I watch scary movies and play horror games like nobody’s business. I’ve seen every cheesy horror story line and can regularly predict who’s next to “get it” with a high rate of accuracy. I pride myself on being desensitized – dead bodies, chainsaw psychpaths, evil dolls – meh, seen it all. To the twisted minds behind horror games and films, I say: What else you got?

Well, Red Barrels Games has got one scary game – it sure scared the shit out of me. But while horror games are often short on quality (and on scares), Outlast was favorably reviewed, with a Metacritic score of 80 and Amazon reviewers gave it 4 stars. It’s also a relative bargain at only $19.99 for a digital download.

You start the game as a reporter acting on an anonymous tip of evil deeds being done. You’re driving  in a car with a stack of files on the passenger seat, headed toward the creepy Mount Massive Asylum. As you quickly discover, it was shut down in the 1970s but then re-opened in the 1990s by a mysterious corporation. The game’s setting is modern (I assume present day). The story seems a bit cliche at first, to be honest. But when you reach the Asylum you are greeted by an empty guard house and security cameras watching your approach, it starts to make your skin crawl. The main gate to the complex is locked, and all you find in the guard house is a modern PC (locked, unfortunately). Other than that the entrance is empty. Then suddenly, the main gate opens and you stroll on in.

As you enter the asylum through an open window, you are quickly greeted by the horrors inside: mangled bodies, blood trails, and mentally disturbed patients staring off into space or roaming the hallways. The lighting and sound create an eerie atmosphere, and all you have to illuminate the gruesome scenes are your handy camcorder with IR-night vision. But the batteries drain fast, and replacements are scarce, so use it sparingly.

The asylum patients and dead bodies are definitely unpleasant company, but there are more nefarious things inside of the Mount Massive Asylum. Without spoiling much of the initial experience, you encounter some pretty nasty creatures in short order.  With only your camcorder to show the way, you often find yourself in the dark with terrifying enemies closing in. And like a bad dream, you can’t fight back. In an interesting premise, you have no ability to fight back, and no weapons. To survive in Outlast, your only options are to run and hide.

For even the most calloused of horror fans, this is one scary game. You may want to wear a diaper, just to be safe. Outlast is available from the Playstation Network, amazon, steam, and other retailers for $19.99.