My 6 Year Late Outlast Review: A Terrifying Masterpiece

Even as I was running for my life or hiding under a bed while trying to escape from a patient at Mount Massive Asylum that was trying to rip me to shreds or eat my liver, I enjoyed nearly every second I spent while playing Outlast.

The graphics still hold up, years after the game was released and the audio effects throughout the game only amplify the horror of being locked in an asylum surrounded by deranged and mutated patients trying to brutally murder you. For being over 6 years old, the landscape and graphics are outstanding despite the character models being slightly lackluster. You will encounter many of the same enemies during your investigation at Mount Massive, but the terror you’ll experience while trying to escape from them will distract you from this repetitiveness.

This whole night is experienced without a single weapon to fight back against the dangers faced, your only choices are to “run, hide, or die.” Being defenseless only enhances the danger of being surrounded by mental patients that could rip you limb from limb every second, but your one saving grace in this pitch black and overrun asylum is a camcorder with a night vision setting. You’ll need to be strategic in using this setting however because it rapidly drains your camera’s battery. So make sure to stay stocked up on batteries or you may get stuck in the darkness with no way to see or escape the demented patients roaming the halls.

There were very few downsides I experienced while playing Outlast. The most prominent one however was the repetitiveness of certain puzzles. Many of the ways to advance through the chapters of the game were set in the “find three things” pattern of turning on generators, flipping switches, and turning valves. This also went hand in hand with trial and error of learning the layout of certain levels while repeatedly dying until finding the correct path to get to the next section of the asylum. Once the initial shock of jump scare or being chased by a mutated psychopath wore off, I was left more annoyed by having to repeatedly die before finding the right passage to proceed through the asylum. 

These downsides were thankfully offset by the long portions of the game that were filled with terrifying extents of exploration that left me feeling satisfied by the end of the masterfully crafted, 4 to 5 hour long story. 

Verdict:

This was the best horror game I have ever played and Outlast’s gore filled hallways, tense encounters with mutant psychopaths, its incredible story, and eerie sound effects immerse you into the game and truly bring Mount Massive Asylum to life and more than make up for its repetitive tasks and short gameplay to make this game a very exhilarating and worthwhile experience. Just be prepared to lose a few fingers trying to escape from the terrors you'll face in the asylum.

9/10

Written by: Kale Humphries (Lettuce)