Outlast is a first person survival horror video game developed and published by Red Barrels. It can be played on PC, Xbox One & Playstation 4. It was released on February 4, 2013.
You play as a freelance investigative journalist, Miles Upshur, who decides to investigate a psychiatric hospital named Mount Massive Asylum, located in Lake County, Colorado. You navigate through the Asylum finding dead bodies sprawled out everywhere. Some just lying there, others with their blood and guts splattered all over the walls. Each room is filled with sights that will give you chills, make you jump out of your seat and possibly even give you nightmares. The further into the asylum you explore, the more you find out exactly what is going on inside of that hell hole. Constantly startled by psychotic patients who will sometimes stare at you, doing absolutely nothing but make you feel like you're constantly being watched. While other patients will chase and try to murder you.
You are equipped with a camcorder which is used to not only help you write character notes about what you're seeing, but also to help you see when your surroundings get to dark to see. The night vision mode of the camera allows you to navigate in the pitch black darkness to avoid whatever maybe lurking within. You want to make sure to collect as many batteries as you can along the way, because you're camera will only work for you as long as you keep it charged up. Once those batteries run out, you're alone in the dark, clueless.
As you stumble through the hallways and random rooms within the asylum, you may find a few documents here and there that you can collect. Once collected these documents will tell you about certain characters, plots, and important details to the story that tie together everything that you're experiencing. Each level you're put on a different floor of the asylum. You're given a task to carry out that will allow you to advance to a possible way out. As you make your way to carry out said task, you are forced to stealthily avoid the psychotic patients and doctors running lose throughout the asylum. Hiding under beds, behind desks, inside of lockers and wardrobes. Doing so will throw off whoever is trying to catch you and give you a better chance at reaching your task. You aren't given a weapon, nor a chance to fight back. Your only option is to run and hide. It adds to the intensity.
This video game definitely scared my ass. I didn't think I would be scared at first, but this game has a distinct spookiness to it, that may leave you frozen where you stand at moments, anxious to even move. The suspense alone makes this game worth the play. If you enjoy gory horror stories and twisted sick nasty images, then you will love this game. 5/5, just because the story was simply amazing.
