Outlast

Download Outlast and brace yourself for a terrifying survival horror experience! Investigate a dark asylum, evade monstrous enemies, and uncover the truth behind the sinister Mount Massive Asylum. Can you survive the nightmare? Play now!
a game by Red Barrels Inc.
Genre: Action
Platform: PC (2013)
Editor Rating: 7.5/10, based on 2 reviews
User Rating: 7.9/10 - 18 votes
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See also: Horror Games, Survival Games, Psychological Horror Games, Gore Games, Games Like Soma, Games Like Dying Light, Outlast Series, Games Like Until Dawn, Games Like Dead Space
Outlast
Outlast
Outlast

Outlast is one of the scariest games I have played in quite some time. If you are a fan of horror games and especially horror games where you are kind of helpless. Outlast is exactly the kind of game that you need to sink your teeth into. Just be warned, this is the kind of game that can bite back!

I Am Just Doing My Job

I actually found the story of Outlast on PC to be very, very interesting. You play the role of an investigative journalist called, Miles Upshur and he has been given a tip that there is something bad going on in this secluded mental institution. He heads there with his camera to find out what is happening, but nothing can prepare him for the horror inside.

There are mutilated bodies, the place is a mess, there is some kind of cult leader, a messed-up doctor and a strange thing called The Walrider that everyone is scared of. Outlast tells a very interesting story and one that keeps you on the edge the whole time. It does not quite stick the landing, but even with the not so hot ending, it is a great story.

Run, Hide or Die!

These are the three choices that you have in Outlast. This is a first-person horror game, but you are not some kind of powerful character. Miles is just a regular dude and he cannot fight the evil that is in this place. He is only armed with his camera and this is what you need to use for most of the game. Outlast has many areas without lights so you have to use night vision on your camera. This eats the batteries so you have to be on the lookout for them and decide when you really need to use your night vision.

The mental institution is pretty large and you will be doing a lot of exploring as you uncover what went on here. Miles cannot fight back! When an enemy sees you, you need to run, hide and pray that they will walk on by. There is nothing more terrifying than when you run away into a room, try and hide under a bed or somewhere like that and for your chaser to actually find you! The gameplay of Outlast is simple, but also a lot of fun.

Dark and Gloomy

The presentation of Outlast is great. I love how messed up this mental institution is and I feel they have done a great job in making different parts of the institution look different. The character models are decent enough and the whole game just makes you feel uneasy when you play it.

The sound design is also fantastic. The creepy sound effects and the voice acting do a great job in making your skin crawl and worried about anyone you encounter in this crazy place.

I would say that the first Outlast game is the best. It is a very scary and jumpy kind of game and it is well worth playing through. While I am not a huge fan of the ending, I would not say it is “bad” still, Outlast is a game that once you play through it you will never forget.

8.5/10

Pros:

  • The story is great
  • You will be scared many times as you play
  • Lots of “interesting” characters to deal with
  • The voice acting and sound are great
  • The dark!

Cons:

  • The ending is not that great
  • You will get very scared!

Download Outlast

PC

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Game Reviews

People say:

6

Horror games where you can't fight against foes are an interesting concept, but they're very difficult to get right--and Outlast definitely doesn't get it right. The game's attempts at stealth are clunky, and once I was discovered by the monstrosities that roamed Mount Massive Asylum, it became a frustrating race through locations I'd had little or no time to get familiar with. An unarmed protagonist flailing madly through dark hallways works in movies--not so much in games. Surprisingly, Outlast is at its best in its quieter moments. Exploring the well-crafted environments and finding more pieces of the unfolding story felt rewarding, to a point where I think Outlastmulti've been a much better game had it ditched its action scenes, focused on narrative and puzzles, and done far more with its two most underutilized aspects: the camcorder and your character being a reporter.

7

Outlasts problem is that dying in videogames isn't scary. Feeling like you're going to die is, sure, but once you actually reach a checkpoint load, the illusion deflates. For all its engaging scene-setting and naturalistic design, the game leans too heavily on fatal trial-and-er-ror moments. Each one makes you less willing to indulge its central tension, until eventually you're comfortable sprinting past monsters that should be terrifying. You gaze long into the abyss, then realize the abyss is actually just a matte painting.

7

Had Red Barrels left Outlast in the oven a little longer, I think it would've really stood out. After spending 25 years hacking and slashing and blasting my way through most games, having combat stripped out altogether is a welcome change of pace. But Outlast lacks sustained tension, it lacks variety, it lacks any sense of danger, and it lacks an engaging mystery to solve--all pretty big no-nos when it comes to horror. The horror must always service plot, never the other way around. Otherwise, it's horror for horror's sake.

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