Is Outlast Any Good?

[Brown Cap]

After reading a few articles, many people have anticipated that Outlast will be a genuine scare with some unique aspects. Some close friends of mine say that they aren't that impressed with the trailer, but I have yet to speak with or read anyone/anything that has actually played it.

Is it scary? Is it just ridiculously overhyped? Is it even original?

 

[Specter Von Baren]

Oh yes. Tons of nice little effects in it. It has its issues like any game but it's worth a play I think.

 

[Weaver]

To me it looks like 90% jump scares. I've only watched some unfinished LPs on youtube though.
This doesn't mean it's bad, but if you don't feel jump scares are "real" horror, then I'm not sure how much this game has going for it.

 

[ffs-dontcare]

I was impressed with it. It didn't totally rely on jump scares, which surprised me. I mean, yeah, there were a few, but the most effective fear is a pervasive one and it really does happen through-out the game - if not in you, the player, then definitely in the character you're playing. It's realistic in the sense that he might start breathing deeply with suspenseful nervousness even when an aggressive-looking inmate brandishing a weapon turns out to not have any interest in pursuing you whatsoever.

And that's the thing, when cautiously wending your way through the place you won't really know which enemies are actually hostile toward you until they attack. They're also perfectly happy to chase you while running very, very fast and if you manage to escape into a dark room and hide in a locker or under a bed, you're still not safe - they can and will open lockers or look under beds to search for you, including ones you are hiding in/under.

I won't spoil it for you, but I will say it's definitely worth a play-through.

 

[lacktheknack]

Do you have a paranoid disposition?

Are you frightened by jump scares?

Do you panic during chase scenes?

Then yes, Outlast is bleeding fantastic. I kind of hate the ending, though.

 

[Hazy]

Some of the camera effects are really cool. I like how the night vision realistically portrays the eyes.

I wouldn't recommend buying it full price though. Maybe wait until it's on sale. It's a fun game, but you'll probably only play through it once - there isn't much in the way of collectibles save for documents and batteries to power your camera.

 

[Kanova]

It is scary at the start, then it kind of loses all its scareyness. You realize its all just a bunch of easily recognizable patterns the guys walk in with a couple of jump scares that don't really lead to anything.

 

[Khanht Cope]

Unless you're a cynic who's jaded with horror, I'd say it's great as a relatively cheap thrill. It has some wrinkles, as there's only so much you can do with 1st person horror where you have to run and hide.

It has a wicked atmosphere, some nice tricks (but also some cheap ones) and really likes to aim at feelings of paranoia and being trapped or cornered. They're generally quick pursuers and when you're being chased through a narrow restricted corridor or room, you don't know if you're shaking them off or if they're within a few feet right behind you; and a nice bit of panic sets in when you frantically run yourself into a dead end or locked door and have them right in your personal space with you on the wrong side of the exit. There's a few sections where the game puts you in an enclosed labyrinth with someone hunting you and some navigation and button/lever work to do to get out, and you have to scout and manage that while playing hide & seek with some claustrophobic chases.

Like the aforementioned dead-end scenario, it's one of the strong moments of the game, but also betrays the weaknesses. It only holds up so long before the limitations in the AI and mechanics reveal themselves. Also the ending kinda blows.

I'd say it's far better and more intense than Amnesia and ZombiU at least. The horror is kinda like Amnesia crossed with Dead Space.

 

[BARQ]

Outlast is fantastic. Tony Abbott chases you around the asylum for a while!

Sorry, Australian thing. But it's a solid horror game. Atmosphere is batshit insane, it's a great game for it's budget, and it's less than 20. I think it's worth it. It's major gimmick (camera light) is really effective.

ANYTHING but the Tony Abbot Twins.
But yeah, good spooky fun. Keeps you on your toes.

 

[Torque2100]

I will have to say no. It's really not. Outlast has it's heart in the right place but I found myself unable to play it for more than half an hour or so. It looks nice, but that's the only thing that Outlast really has going for it. The plot is a paint by the numbers slog, the "scares" are anything but scary and the environments are tiny and claustrophobic. The game succumbed to Dead Space syndrome where at some point the dev team decided that the best way to make a game scary is to crank up the difficulty. Enemy encounters rapidly become infuriating as the poorly designed stealth mechanics combine with the claustrophobic environments to create an experience that rapidly ceases to be scary and instead becomes frustrating. This is literally the worst thing that can be done for a game's atmosphere especially in a horror game where the atmosphere is the focus.

Not to mention that the "horror" elements are so painfully overdone and amateurish that they rob the game of any semblance of atmosphere or tension.

I'd say wait for it to go on sale if you're really curious. Otherwise either get Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, Penumbra: Overture or Slender: The Arrival. I know AMFP is getting a lot of bad press but give it a chance and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Well, I watched a bit of a Let's Play and it LOOKS scary.

 

[go-10]

the game is really good but the AI is easy to exploit and the ending... it really sucks, once you reach the high tech laboratory the game goes downhill; and the teleporting fat guy gets really annoying really fast. Still it's good for one playthrough

I would compare it with Amnesia