DreadOut

DreadOut makes use of an underutilized setting in horror games and delivers a satisfyingly scary – albeit short – experience. Fans of scary games who aren’t expecting some impressive visuals will undoubtedly be satisfied with DreadOut, and its undeniably gloomy atmosphere doesn’t need extraordinary graphics to be effective.

Despite its short length, the game’s effective use of jump scares and the atmosphere is superb. You never know what might be lurking in the shadows – and, to be honest, sometimes it’s better not to know.

Indonesian Ghosts

The game’s story takes place in an old abandoned town. There, Linda, a high school student, must do everything to survive the horrors that haunt the village. When we hear a plot like that, the first thing that might spring to mind is Japanese horror, complete with the usual black-haired female ghosts. However, that’s where DreadOut’s first twist comes: the game takes place in Indonesia.

To fight the ghosts lingering in this haunted place, Linda has access to her trusty cellphone. This is no common smartphone, however, as it has the ability to reveal the spirits, much like the Camera Obscura from Fatal Frame. Unlike Fatal Frame, however, your combat abilities are more limited here, with stealth and running being your best allies during most encounters.

Ghostly Looks

Let’s address the elephant in the room: the game’s visuals look, for lack of a better word, dated. Character models look blocky, and the rest of the environments don’t look much better. Thankfully, shadows and the overall atmosphere have a gloomy feeling that works just right for a horror game.

There’s also an issue with camera movement. From time to time, the camera seems to be possessed by one of the game’s ghosts, as players lose any form of control over it, and it just bolts from one wall to another.

The dated visuals and obscure puzzles truly make DreadOut feel like a much older horror game. If you can tolerate walking around in circles and characters that look straight out from Haunting Ground, then DreadOut is the game for you.

Short and Tough

Perhaps one of the game’s gravest flaws is just how short its main plot is. A standard, non-completionist playthrough of DreadOut will usually last from 3 to 4 hours. That’s surprisingly short for a modern game, let alone a horror one. That being said, perhaps it’s best for the game to end on a high note, rather than just going out with a wimp after it has overstayed its welcome.

The old-school difficulty and obscure puzzles can somehow pad out the game’s length a bit more, but it can also frustrate players looking for a more straightforward horror experience.

All things considered, DreadOut is a great game for fans of the Fatal Frame series that feel like they need a healthy dose of ghost photography in their lives. Just don’t expect the game to consume much of your time.

Pros:

• Scary atmosphere
• Cool ghost designs
• Interesting setting
• Ghost photography is really fun

Cons:

• Dated visuals
• Obtuse puzzles
• Incredibly short