LogFAQs > #912484726

4. Outlast (video game) (27.5 points)
Nominated by: BetrayedTangy (0/5 remaining)

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Importance: 8
Fear: 9.5
Snake: 10

God damn I love this game so much. I can end up getting pretty tired of all the first-person horror/stealth hybrids that come out these days, but Outlast mixes some old-school sensibilities in with the new-school of survival horror, and is capped off by a superb graphics engine and a polish rarely seen in indie horror (for example, I've never seen a single glitch in this game and I've played through multiple times). Outlast compels from the starting gate, with an outstanding presentation and direction, beginning with a late-night drive up to Mount Massive Asylum, which can be seen looming in the background throughout the drive. You grab your camera, and take a deep breath, because you just know nothing good is going to happen once you head in there. Everything about this scene is gorgeously scary, not only lit to maximize tension, but underscored by music that's in your face and chaotic. Upon entering the asylum, you can already feel a presence stalking you, and you appear to have come just as a massacre has ended, with gruesome leftovers placed all over the main hall of the asylum. Everything about the introduction brilliantly ramps up the tension until your first Variant encounter, and it's one of my favorite intros to a video game ever.

Outlast succeeds not just because of its atmosphere, however. Its found-footage camcorder mechanic makes the game feel personal. You truly feel like you're an investigative journalist, documenting the sick situations you end up in, and I don't just mean the scripted ones either. I often found myself zooming in on things you're not necessarily required to, just to maybe get a better glimpse of the horrors I was encountering. There's a part in the game where you drop your camera, and you best believe you feel pretty damn naked without it. It's like losing your security blanket and puts you a horrifying disadvantage, as the camcorder is your only source of illumination. It's like your light going out in Toluca Prison in Silent Hill 2. The game wants you to know this isn't some rinky-dink haunted house amusement ride; it is a grimy, filthy mental asylum filled with dangerous individuals and camera or no camera, you are not safe as long as you're here.

Speaking of dangerous individuals, Outlast has some of the most memorable antagonists of the decade. Chris Walker is my personal favorite, and the first you encounter (the first of many anyway). His hulking appearance and massive strength makes him a terrifying wake-up call to first time players. Doctor Trager on the other-hand conjures up memories of Clock Tower's scissorman, and his affable personality makes him stand out amongst the other lunatics of the asylum, mocking you relentlessly as you hide from his scissor's slicing grasp. Then there's The Twins, who are calm but dangerous, often closing in on your position in a pincer tactic and can repulse the player with their completely nude appearance. Each of these Variants make the experience memorable and nerve-wracking, and I think it's also something similar games in this vein lack.

If you haven't played Outlast you are definitely missing out on a superb horror experience. It's one of the most immersive examples in its genre and a game that always manages to be scary in a new way just as you're getting used to things. If you're generally iffy about these types of games, Outlast just might make you a believer.
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If the suspense doesn't kill you, something else will!
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