Outlast 2 Is Shaping Up To Be Scary As F***
Red Barrels is back at it, aiming to scare the living bejesus out of us all over again. Stranded with nothing but a camcorder, a finite supply of batteries, and two legs that are going to be getting a serious workout, Outlast 2 leaves us at the mercy of all sorts of creepy psychopaths.
Set in the same universe as the first game, Outlast 2 sees us take on the role of Blake Langermann, who is investigating a murder in the countryside with his wife, Lynn. Their investigation goes south however, and soon our protagonist is left in the middle of nowhere, with a horde of bizarre psychos aiming to terrorize him, and presumably his wife as well.
The atmosphere is on point during my brief hands on with the game, and as I was tearing through a cornfield from these twisted psychos, I knew Outlast 2 was going to be even more terrifying than the first (as if that were possible). Red Barrels has brought some serious scares with this title, and over the 10-15 minutes I spent with the game, co-founder Phillipe Morin got a chuckle out of my proclamation that I wouldn’t be playing this game past daylight.
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“…as I was tearing through a cornfield from these twisted psychos, I knew Outlast 2 was going to be even more terrifying than the first (as if that were possible).”
Outlast was already scary as hell, and the sequel is posing to be even more terrifying. Red Barrels has really hit the nail on the head when it comes to atmosphere, but I know I may need to invest in a few pairs of brown pants before release (pre-order idea, Red Barrels?). Outlast already did a sublime job at creating some seriously tense atmosphere, and from what I’ve seen so far with Outlast 2, fans have every reason to be as excited as I am for this title. The lighting helps establish even more feelings of intensity, and the night vision in your camera is both your best friend, and your worst enemy. It’s a finite resource, and unless you have a steady supply of batteries on hand, you’ll be dreading every step of the way, and that’s what Horror games should feel like.
Jump scares are cheap, and while Outlast did make use of them to some degree, the majority of the scares came from the near white-knuckling fear that came from the sense of dread, and the sheer rush of being pursued by the number of murderous inmates in the first title. There remains much more to be seen with Outlast 2, but you can bet it’s going to be one title that gets the blood pumping and I couldn’t be more excited to have the s*** scared out of me.
