Outlast

 PC
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2039 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,598 out of 2039
  2. Mixed: 316 out of 2039
  3. Negative: 125 out of 2039

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. AMC_Duke
    Sep 6, 2013
    10
    Outlast surly is one of the best Horror Games ever released.

    Thanks to developers like Red Barrels we can enjoy a game so well done like Outlast! it was from Start to the end a tense roller coaster cant wait for more
  2. DOZENT
    Apr 30, 2014
    1
    Boring. not scary.
    But good graphic quality and bring the game to a new Neveau in chanre.
    Sensed his main purpose, "scaring" but not.
    Playful as well as by the atmosphere and the Geschihte the game is very boring and monotonous. The motivation to continue playing complete missing.
  3. gloomydo
    Oct 10, 2013
    10
    grew up in the 80s and was raised up on horror movies. loved the first silent hill and any other game that scare the beegies outta me. this game has scared the beegies outta me. fantastic graphics, wonderful wonderful controls, great atmosphere and fantastic writing and voicing. this game has wowed me and impressed me in not only the fear i have playing it but the quality of the game as well.
  4. Yoshi1
    Oct 19, 2013
    10
    I'm giving this game a 10 on the scare factor alone. The sound and graphics are on par with many triple AAA games. I have been playing the first hour of this game alone in a pitch black room with headphones and a Xbox controller. It's probably the most scared I have ever felt.

    I can't play this game in a dark room by myself for more then 10 minutes at a time. Even though I feel scared    I'm giving this game a 10 on the scare factor alone. The sound and graphics are on par with many triple AAA games. I have been playing the first hour of this game alone in a pitch black room with headphones and a Xbox controller. It's probably the most scared I have ever felt.

    I can't play this game in a dark room by myself for more then 10 minutes at a time. Even though I feel scared and afraid there is a immense feeling of adrenaline and excitement that I get from playing the game. There are so many other games that try to get that feeling and fail. The way the levels are designed make the player afraid that every corner you turn and every door you open holds a surprise or something even more disturbing. The story feels like it could be based in real life and the documents you find add even more depth and detail to the background of the asylum. I have played games like F.E.A.R, Resident Evil, Dead Space 1 and 2 and I watch Walking Dead and this game blows all of those out of the water.    … Expand
  5. Sharinganz
    Sep 7, 2013
    8
    Positives -

    Seen a guy streaming this on Twitch and knew after 5 minutes that I had to have it! From the get go its a enjoyable game, plenty of gore it also has that stealth feel to it you can run after being seen but if your smart you can stealth your way past aggressive enemies, which I enjoy in my games Eg. Deux Ex, Hitman. I suppose its best compared to Amnesia as that's the closest    Positives -

    Seen a guy streaming this on Twitch and knew after 5 minutes that I had to have it! From the get go its a enjoyable game, plenty of gore it also has that stealth feel to it you can run after being seen but if your smart you can stealth your way past aggressive enemies, which I enjoy in my games Eg. Deux Ex, Hitman. I suppose its best compared to Amnesia as that's the closest game I've played that matches this.

    Made me jump a fun times, game is creepy and eerie through most of the journey, I wouldn't call it scary in particular, just creepy a bit gross at times and got a good few jumps in, I don't scare easily or jump for that matter and at times the game caught me completely off guard. I found the dialogue from the pair of characters you'll meet early on in the game quite disturbing and fantastic! There appearance also creeps you out haha.

    Game is difficult to an degree, doesn't have assisted waypoints like a lot of games these days so you have to actually look around for yourself and figure things out. Your also unarmed and cant fight back so its about your wit cunning, running and hiding! Incase anyone wonders, you can hide in lockers and usually the A.I will seemingly pick the one your not in, they can pick the one you are in, it happened to me a few times, so I guess its random luck if they find you.

    Game length & immersion, game length is good for a cheap game and longer than every AAA on the market these days, I don't know exactly how many hours I put in but I think it was in the 4-6 hours region maybe longer, I was looking everywhere and very rarely going directly to the next part of the story unless forced there by a huge guy chasing me haha, immersion wise the game does a very good job at keeping you immersed in the game, the only thing that shattered this for me was the sudden change to a sci-fi action game at the end.

    Graphics are crisp and nice, the character models are well done, I didn't encounter any bugs during my play through (big plus).

    Voice acting and sound effects are pretty good, the antagonist is a silent one, he writes some thoughts down on a notepad at times but doesn't have a voice, the intense breathing when he's terrified is fantastic and quivery sound coming out to show he's scared, very good mood setter. There's a little 'easter egg' I suppose that is taken from The Blair Witch Project which I did find quite enjoyable.

    Plenty of documents and recordings to do to get new 'notes' from your character to read to explain how he's feeling, a.k.a easter eggs.

    All in all it wasn't a bad overall gaming experience.

    Negatives -

    Storyline is very generic, revolves around the typical stuff you expect, some Nazi experiment from 194X has been adopted in modern times with a twist and its all gone to sh**. I'd have liked to have seen a more creative story rather than the same old stuff, the setting (an asylum) is also very generic but I felt it was a pretty good setting for what the game has.

    Some of the chase scenes become predictable, music begins when the big guy who hunts you is near by even before you see him, they really should have had no music at all till he actually spots you, that way you'd get more of a surprise from bumping into him and a better atmosphere creation from the music while your running, the music doesn't start on 2 occasions, every other time it did.

    Mechanics, its an Indie developed game so I don't expect stellar mechanics especially for £15 the A.I follows a rule set of following a certain path dependent on the location (room your hiding in) once you see it a few times you'll probably realize how to avoid those enemies. It didn't take away from the gaming experience for me but I can see why some people not like the predictability.

    Game drops off near the end, it goes from being a horror style game then at the end it becomes more like an sci-fi action game for the last 20 minutes, it doesn't take away from the whole game experience but I felt it was a poor way to end it on.

    Linear as hell, you can only take one path to the next place all other rooms and ways are just there for looks, some may contain easter eggs or battery's but the actual path you take to the end is predetermined and you cant take an alternate path.

    The ending is dreadful, it really undersells the game, you'll have to play it to understand, I had a really good time with the game till the last 20 minutes and the ending it gives is a horrible way to finish it.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    Overall I did enjoy the game a lot it gave me some jumps made me feel creeped out and immersed me for hours, I advise playing this game in the dead of the night in the dark. Its an indie game and a very good one at that it has its problems but its cheap price tag and good quality's outweigh those. I give it a 8/10 and look forward to a Sequel or another title of similar genre by Red Barrel!    … Expand
  6. Fixwec
    Sep 28, 2013
    10
    I am going to say two things, as in terms of did I play it a long time and beat it? No- I couldn't play more then 30 minutes, however this is because I am a wienie and it Scared the hell out of me, so since their goal was to scare people they did great scared the crap out of me to the point I could no longer play lol great job guys!
  7. Crash328
    Oct 2, 2013
    1
    A disappointing experience all the way through. Even if you look past the walking cliche of a plot: a cynical journalist (cliche) uncovering the secrets (cliche) of an abandoned (cliche) insane asylum (big whopping cliche) where some German scientists performed questionable experiments (cliche-a palooza). Seriously even if you could look past that you couldn't look past the biggest flawA disappointing experience all the way through. Even if you look past the walking cliche of a plot: a cynical journalist (cliche) uncovering the secrets (cliche) of an abandoned (cliche) insane asylum (big whopping cliche) where some German scientists performed questionable experiments (cliche-a palooza). Seriously even if you could look past that you couldn't look past the biggest flaw this game has: that not one part of this game hasn't been done before by previous games far superior to this one. Lets start with its much touted camera lens view. Other than the fact that its a video recorder it's blatantly obvious this has been done before in the fatal frame series. But then there's the battery life system of the camera itself. It's suspiciously similar to the lantern and oil used in amnesia in that your ability to see through the dark of the game is a limited resource. But the key difference between the two is that amnesia's was more tense and involved and ergo better in the context of a horror game. Allow me to explain:
    In amnesia while the lantern allowed you to actually see, the oil burned quickly and oil cans were somewhat sparse and sometime easy to overlook so you had to use it strategically because it made you easy to spot while being used and when it wasn't being used your sanity would deplete causing all sorts of difficulties making gameplay more tense.
    Now in outlast by comparison your night does admittedly eat through batteries quickly, however batteries are plentiful enough that in my playthroughs I never once came close to running out. Also, unlike amnesia, you don't have a sanity meter to keep watch of and your night vision does not attract enemies, so there isn't a whole lot of reason to not use night vision as much as possible. In summary outlast clearly has a knock off amnesia light mechanic and it's inferior to the original
    Come to think of it, a number of different cues seem to be taken from amnesia. The protagonists memos to himself, the collectible documents, the hiding places. Alot of it just seems copied. But amnesia clearly wasn't the only game the developers were copying. The deformed psychopaths throughout the game have a silent hill deformed monster feel to them. The big ugly mother who chases you around at several points even reminded me a little of pyramid head minus the helmet. And the crazed doctor who cuts your fingers off gave me more than one Clock-tower flashback. The game simply feels stitched together from its superior peers.    … Expand
  8. ZandoHalifax
    Oct 16, 2013
    10
    Survival horror is by far my favorite genre of all time. To put it simply, it's the amount of emotion, mystery, psychological terror, fear, and dread that games like Silent Hill and Amnesia are able to yield to such an incredible amount in order to provide a serious psychological challenge. That being said, after playing Outlast, I can not wait to see how the survival horror genre willSurvival horror is by far my favorite genre of all time. To put it simply, it's the amount of emotion, mystery, psychological terror, fear, and dread that games like Silent Hill and Amnesia are able to yield to such an incredible amount in order to provide a serious psychological challenge. That being said, after playing Outlast, I can not wait to see how the survival horror genre will evolve. I really hope that future survival horror game developers take tips from Outlast because I sincerely believe that this game is the current head hauncho of horror! Outlast constantly kept me on the edge of my seat had my senses on fire from beginning to end. Outlast is a fantastic survival horror game. I can't wait to see what will happen next..… Expand
  9. wyvern300
    Nov 5, 2013
    10
    I never heard about this game but it looked nice so i bought to test it... Well... Actually i never played such a good terror game, this is definitelly the scariest game i ever played... The graphics are incredible, the gameplay is also very good, im running it with a gtx660 on maximum. if you want AA, you have to use the NVIDIA control panel to activate on the game. Worths every cent!!!!
  10. dajhorn
    Sep 26, 2014
    10
    Outlast is nightmare fuel in the tradition of Hellraiser or Silent Hill. The player alternates between sneaking past adversaries and panicked escape. Many jump-shock-horror moments.
  11. black_pirate
    Sep 8, 2013
    10
    One of the best horror game I played. Great story, great graphics, perfect atmosphere. Pure pleasure for all senses! Complete horror experience, from the beginning to the end. Buy this game and support developers. I hope they will work on Outlast 2, because this game has outstanding potential to become even better than Amnesia series.
  12. Nelvar
    Oct 10, 2013
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There are very few reasons why I didn't give this game a 10/10.

    One is that by the time you get to the last parts of the game, it's no longer scary.
    Also the game could have exploited some ideas way better, for example (SPOILER) when the main character loses the camera, they could have done more things there to make you suffer, instead you find the camera kinda fast and it's kinda ''meh''.
    The other thing is the plot twist at the end. (WARNING MORE SPOILERS) So you get into this asylum full of crazy dangerous people... and in the end it turns out its some spooooooooky ghost? What the f***? That was very disappointing to me BUUUUT other than that, the game is gold.

    Scariest game I've played IN YEARS, plus some extra points for the mention of the MK Ultra experiments, nice stuff.    … Expand
  13. nopedotjpeg
    Dec 29, 2013
    6
    I've played just about all survival-horror games, and I was really looking forward to this one being kind of like Fatal Frame. I quickly learned it wasn't like that at all.

    It sets the atmosphere very well, but if you're observant you will know what's coming. Example: Zero places to hide for many rooms, the instant you get to the room with a switch, there's a locker you can hide in.    I've played just about all survival-horror games, and I was really looking forward to this one being kind of like Fatal Frame. I quickly learned it wasn't like that at all.

    It sets the atmosphere very well, but if you're observant you will know what's coming. Example: Zero places to hide for many rooms, the instant you get to the room with a switch, there's a locker you can hide in. Flip switch, hide in locker, wait for monster to patrol. Apparently I missed out on a great deal of the jump scares by doing this, but when it's set up so obvious, I couldn't avoid doing it. Another example of this is how there will be a couple of obstacles you have to jump over while going down a long hallway. 90% of the time, you're about to get chased and have to jump over those boxes again.

    Then I learned you can just agro the mobs and kite them around until you find where you need to go, then circle around and close a few doors and you're home free.

    I experienced some bugs as well, most were minor, but one major in the theater room. The scripted even when you get the key wouldn't trigger and I was left having to quit and load up the save (meaning I had to do the entire theater over again.) Had to do this twice before it finally triggered and I was allowed to continue.

    It was also pretty easy to get immersed (suggest wearing headphones and turning off the lights.) Even when I'd get really into it, the game would break this immersion with the ridiculously short battery life, where I'd have to stop and change the battery. It left me feeling annoyed at times, and seemed fairly trivial considering I never had less than 5 batteries in my inventory at a time, even when I was burning through them in the dark areas.

    The ending seems to be mixed with most players, it left me wanting more to be honest.

    I didn't use any walkthroughs (I did google the theater bit when it bugged out though.) I played on normal difficulty, 3 hours 25 minute play time.

    Overall, I'm glad I purchased (on sale) and played it. Was a decent game, wouldn't say it's amazing or great but a worthwhile experience nonetheless.    … Expand
  14. MetaGuy321
    Apr 7, 2014
    10
    Here I am a grown man and this game scared the living bejesus out of me. Wowzers. If you like horror video games you're going to like it. I had to sometimes stop playing at night because I was so scared.
  15. Jonex
    Oct 21, 2013
    9
    Quite possibly the best horror game I've ever played. I was genuinely terrified throughout most of this game. My only real criticism is the ending which was far too abrupt. The rest of the game was extremely atmospheric and made to very high standards.

    I really enjoyed the use of the video camera which can record certain events and help you to see in the dark. In fact, the night vision    Quite possibly the best horror game I've ever played. I was genuinely terrified throughout most of this game. My only real criticism is the ending which was far too abrupt. The rest of the game was extremely atmospheric and made to very high standards.

    I really enjoyed the use of the video camera which can record certain events and help you to see in the dark. In fact, the night vision on the camera is the most realistic I've ever seen in a video game.

    There were several jump scares but the real scares came during the moments when the unpredictable AI was hunting me. The sound design is another great aspect of this game. It made the scary parts even more scary and helped alleviate some of the cheesy-ness of the jump scares.

    All in all, a fantastic game with a great flare for the survival horror genre. Amnesia is in trouble.    … Expand
  16. unbiasedcritic
    Sep 8, 2013
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I cant bash this game entirely. I know there are people who are just never satisfied with anything and will give this game 0's because...well...they have no life.

    What did I want out of this game? I want horror, I wanted shock factor. What did I get? Both.

    I launched outlast at about 2 a.m. in the morning. The game at first had some very interesting storyline? You play a reporter who enters an asylum full of maniacs and your objective from the time you walk in is to escape. (I could have told him that from the start). But, in terms of storyline this is where things fell apart, as you spend more time trying to figure out how to escape areas rather than knowing what you are doing (storywise). And the game does this, you're having fun running around escaping, hiding, sneaking around corners but you never really know whats going on other than, "dont die." Near the end you end up where you started in an elevator just about to make your grand escape from the asylum and then all the sudden the controls on the elevator go bonkers and you wind up in a arctic tunnel? It just makes no sense. Then you are assigned an objective from a scientist to take a clone off life support, you get herded by some random ghosts and then supposedly you become one.

    ending spoiler:
    so as you approach the doors walking cripple because you are overtaken by this ghost, a swat team followed by the scientist you talked to earlier comes out and shoots you. you die but supposedly the ghost who took over your body comes out and kills them all. the end.

    this is the problem I have with the game: The game should have ended with the reporter escaping on the correct floor of the elevator and something should have happened right when he got into his car. (i.e. someone like a person from the asylum scares him from the back seat of his suv?) or they should have made him escape some how completely and then put a creepy twist. Instead as you scroll down the elevator the developers said "screw this" were going to take this guy down a artic tunnel...which just makes no sense at all.

    You enter an asylum.You get confronted by a supposedly priest. The priest dies. You try to escape the asylum. You enter an ice cave. You become a ghost. You die. The ghost lives and kills everyone.

    The game is fun and gets you on your toes at times but the story just makes no sense, the game is also very short, takes less than a day to beat it. $20 is a justified price I think.

    8/10: its fun and will make you pounce for sure.but story is lacking. cool game mechanics like holding a camera with a 2.4 aperture which makes for very shallow depth of field. the characters are not so scary, I wouldnt say the game is entirely scary or psychological scare like some famous horror games but it is a ton better than crap like amnesia or any other horror game thats come out within the past 5 years.    … Expand
  17. BellinoP
    Sep 10, 2013
    10
    Just finishes the game. well all I can say is I was scared almost completely through the whole game which is a pretty hard thing to do. So it was well worth the price of admission. My hat is off to the makes of this game.
  18. valentino
    Dec 12, 2013
    8
    I don't have a lot of experience with these survival horrors and it's not usually the sort of game I would bother with. Gameplay was satisfying despite not being able to shoot/kill anything or anyone and while it was scary it parts, you get the feeling that it could have been executed a lot better because you kind of know when something scary is about to happen too predictable.
    A major    I don't have a lot of experience with these survival horrors and it's not usually the sort of game I would bother with. Gameplay was satisfying despite not being able to shoot/kill anything or anyone and while it was scary it parts, you get the feeling that it could have been executed a lot better because you kind of know when something scary is about to happen too predictable.
    A major issue for me was performance. It don't see why it needed to eat so many frames, it didn't look that amazing to me.    … Expand
  19. UntoldAv3nGer
    Dec 7, 2013
    10
    Best horror game around. The map is huge, and the graphics are great. Hiding, sprinting, crouching, jumping, sliding, etc. are all flawless and make for great evasions. The scares did wear off a little bit near the end. I actually didn't like the ending. You never know what will happen next. Get Outlast!
  20. Rajal
    Dec 12, 2013
    6
    While I didn't find it to be as scary/special as some claimed it to be, I found the game to be pretty good. The biggest let down is that it felt very predictable and it was a short game. As Red Barrels' first game however this is a good start, and I hope they can learn from this and create something that is several steps ahead of Outlast. If you haven't tried it, I say give the game a go.While I didn't find it to be as scary/special as some claimed it to be, I found the game to be pretty good. The biggest let down is that it felt very predictable and it was a short game. As Red Barrels' first game however this is a good start, and I hope they can learn from this and create something that is several steps ahead of Outlast. If you haven't tried it, I say give the game a go. It's not that expensive.… Expand
  21. TFORPULLONE
    May 13, 2014
    7
    Absolutely the best horror game in a moment. The story is interesting and the jump-scares are not too scary. Survival feeling makes this game special and surprising. The best horror game in the moment but still 7/10. Only the story mode makes the game too small.
  22. thekillergreece
    Sep 8, 2013
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Great and very scary game! If you like updated graphics, set in modern year, great jumpscares, great sound effects, epic nice gameplay..Nothing bad in game, but it is bit short game.
    Pros:
    Very scary game, graphics, sound effects, gameplay, no combat, nice story
    Cons:
    Bit short game, repetitious bosses...

    Total: 9 score. Its nice game and worth the money.    … Expand
  23. Cpt_Diabeetus
    Sep 21, 2013
    10
    I just finished this game, It was an amazing experience with an awesome atmosphere for every moment. It had plenty of moments which scared the crap out of me but it was too much fun to stop playing. Easily one of the best horror games around. Thank you Red Barrels Games for making this experience possible and I hope for many more games from this company.
  24. KillaRiku
    Sep 11, 2013
    10
    Best Horrorgame, that I've played in a long time. It takes everything Amnesia Dark Descent made right and expands it to the better. The night-vision of the camera looks unbelievable real and the story is so deep and sometimes also ugly (good ugly ).
    This game is worth buying!
  25. frederikbh
    Dec 6, 2013
    10
    First of all. GREAT! All i could ever want of this game would be MORE. This is a psychological horror, burying deep down into your mind and F*cks with it. Roughly.
    There are 3 things that makes a game great.
    1. Gameplay. Is the gameplay easy to control? is it easy maneuvering in the world? Yes. everything feels smooth, and fluid. this also includes possibilities and interactivity.    First of all. GREAT! All i could ever want of this game would be MORE. This is a psychological horror, burying deep down into your mind and F*cks with it. Roughly.
    There are 3 things that makes a game great.

    1. Gameplay. Is the gameplay easy to control? is it easy maneuvering in the world? Yes. everything feels smooth, and fluid. this also includes possibilities and interactivity. atmosphere is also included here. Outlast nails all of them.

    2. Plot. Is it a good story? Do you WANT to complete the objectives? What motivates you? well, yes. first, i felt pretty drawn forward by the fact that i was scared sh!tless. And also, you develop a personal hate to the bossing psychopaths in the asylum. So killing them brutally becomes the extreme wish. this is where the game wins.

    3. Engine. Graphics, sounds, animations. 4-5 here. but for the price, i'm not disappointed.

    First, play amnesia. Then play this. you'll love it if you loved amnesia. i'd even prefer this over amnesia

    Best horror game. EVER.    … Expand
  26. Gamer147
    Sep 24, 2013
    10
    Didn't actually play it; watched Pewdiepie's playthrough.
    Even so, really enjoyed the gameplay and the end was pretty satisfactory. Interesting stuff, recommend you get it if you're not scared easily (or if you are).
  27. Skullz
    Sep 20, 2013
    10
    I actually really liked this game, it makes you dig for the back-story and can be a little repetitive but it's not that terrible. I though the controls were great and it had a little bit of creepy lore. The visuals were amazing, as well as the graphics, especially for an indie game. Red Barrels did an amazing job and gave us, well my favorite indie horror game since Amnesia: The DarkI actually really liked this game, it makes you dig for the back-story and can be a little repetitive but it's not that terrible. I though the controls were great and it had a little bit of creepy lore. The visuals were amazing, as well as the graphics, especially for an indie game. Red Barrels did an amazing job and gave us, well my favorite indie horror game since Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and I don't see why some people didn't like it. Well no I take that back, the game might just not be for some people, but I think most people underrate the game very badly and for an indie game it looks, plays and controls great and has a very creepy atmosphere. You will also need patience to play this game because it can be slow paced at times and I think people lack that along with no combat, I can see why some cough *COD* type player might not like it.… Expand
  28. levistyle
    Sep 7, 2013
    9
    It surely isn't the perfect game, but it's very unique and intense in it's own way. I love the horror genre, and especially the survival horror genre. I was waiting for such a game for a very long time and the wait was worth it. This game is scary, it's intense, it's messing with your mind. You are in constant fear when you walk the corridors with your night-vision that has like a 1m sightIt surely isn't the perfect game, but it's very unique and intense in it's own way. I love the horror genre, and especially the survival horror genre. I was waiting for such a game for a very long time and the wait was worth it. This game is scary, it's intense, it's messing with your mind. You are in constant fear when you walk the corridors with your night-vision that has like a 1m sight in front of you. Like I said, it isn't the perfect game. It has its flaws. Especially the mission design and the repeating enemy scenarios don't really live up to the great atmosphere this game has. What bothered me personally, was that the game was a tad too easy. Surviving 4-5 hits and finding batteries every 2 minutes didn't feel satisfying. But still these flaws didn't take away the experiance. Especially in the first hour this game grabs you and just doesn't want to let you go. The atmosphere is on the Amnesia level, and I have to admit that I never played a game more frightening and sweltering than this game. Especially for it's price it's worth a buy any day. I can only recommend this great piece of art, and I really hope there's more to come!… Expand
  29. IrionDaRonin
    Sep 8, 2013
    8
    A proper Survival Horror. Music, Sounds, Graphics, Atmosphere, all in one to make you pass a really bad time. You will feel pursued all the way, even if there is nothing behind you.
    Do you like R.E.C and Paranormal Activity films? This is your game then.

    Total 8/10
  30. iamkylerawr
    Sep 20, 2013
    10
    Truly one of the best psychological horror games ever made.

    Storyline: Scary as it may be, I was quite confused with the story. The story produced so many possibilities that I did not know what I'm up against until the last quarter of the game. But all-in-all, the story was still good. All it needs is a little effort to understand. Quality/Appearance: Perfectly detailed to give a    Truly one of the best psychological horror games ever made.

    Storyline: Scary as it may be, I was quite confused with the story. The story produced so many possibilities that I did not know what I'm up against until the last quarter of the game. But all-in-all, the story was still good. All it needs is a little effort to understand.

    Quality/Appearance: Perfectly detailed to give a realistic and a horrifying atmosphere. There are two specific things that I would like to praise from Outlast. First, if something gets cut-offed, it remains cut-offed for the rest of the game. Second, unlike most FPS games, you can actually see your lower body if you look down! The great thing about Outlast is that it pays attention to the small details. Don't understand what I'm saying? Good because I don't like spoiling. Although I might have, just a little bit.

    Music/Sounds: Orchestrated to effectively induce shivers and suspense. Like most horror games, if the music suddenly rises in tune or changes its mood, you would know that it's your cue to run. And you will definitely run.

    Gameplay: Outstanding. Outlast is genuinely realistic to the point that the gameplay reminds you that the character you're playing is just a simple human being who happens to be caught in a horrible situation and just wants to escape. How? You're weak and you don't have the ability to fight mutilated mad men so you just hide and run. That's the most normal reaction you can get from a frightened person.

    Horror score: A truck-full of WTFs, OMGs, and an encyclopedia of curses.. And 9 pairs of pants that has sh*t.

    Conclusion: Kudos to the developers. Outlast is definitely one of the best games of 2013 and you'll definitely miss out if you don't play it.    … Expand
  31. ravenUFA
    Nov 5, 2013
    10
    Those who've played it will know what I'm talking about. The US did recruit a number of there former enemys specialists and they did perform questionable research...specifically biological and psychological warfare
  32. lelefoxx00
    Sep 24, 2013
    10
    Great horror game! Haven't found a game that actually made me scream or jump since Slender. I waited a long time for it and wasn't disappointed. Never know what to expect next. Unpredictable moments. Unique ability to look behind you while running. Makes you wonder when you'll ever need/want to do this. The graphics are beautiful and creepy at the same time. The frame-rate stays at aGreat horror game! Haven't found a game that actually made me scream or jump since Slender. I waited a long time for it and wasn't disappointed. Never know what to expect next. Unpredictable moments. Unique ability to look behind you while running. Makes you wonder when you'll ever need/want to do this. The graphics are beautiful and creepy at the same time. The frame-rate stays at a perfect 60, and that's with 2x SGSSAA enabled on a single GTX 660 Ti! Excellent optimization! The only gripe I have is that I can't record the game properly with any capture software. I'm having to use an iPod Touch to make my Let's Plays... blugh! A mini-gripe I had was that there's no option to disable motion blur, but that didn't stop me from digging around in config files to fix it. Outlast is truly an epic horror experience. Depending on your room lighting, headphones quality, chair comfort, etc. will depend on the scare intensity, I've had the lights on and screamed plenty of times! I love it!… Expand
  33. Amin0v
    Dec 28, 2013
    10
    нежданным.
    Благодарность играл.
    Слышал сделали.

    Понимаю
  34. pavelgeiba
    Nov 12, 2013
    10
    Game gives chills. Story is great,graphics are great, THE SOUND IS BEST.The sound in this game is sooo good, that i can't find any words to describe it. High quality horror game Giving it 10 with no doubt.
  35. TheMadNag
    Apr 28, 2014
    6
    Got this game with no idea what it was or even what it was about. Looked scary and I was in the mood to scream plus had some friends watching the stream so I figured what the hell give it a shot. Not priced to high and considering it managed to keep me entertained up until the end means money well spent. Though there are some negative sides to this game. It manages to really get you goingGot this game with no idea what it was or even what it was about. Looked scary and I was in the mood to scream plus had some friends watching the stream so I figured what the hell give it a shot. Not priced to high and considering it managed to keep me entertained up until the end means money well spent. Though there are some negative sides to this game. It manages to really get you going early on, you will find yourself scared to adventure forward due to the unexpected. Though once you’ve managed to get about an hour in the scares start to get a little over the top and predictable. The game is by no means long, something like 4 hours from start to finish managed to beat it in a night. The ending is really quite pathetic but for a decently priced game I can’t complain.

    Gameplay: This game brings something new to the table in terms of horror games that felt fresh. Only equipment in this game is your trusty camera which runs on your standard double a (AA) batteries. This adds a pretty fun element to the game as you are questioning if it is necessary at parts to use the night vision on your camera or just go HAM with your natural eyes. There are a number of pretty good scares and the game manages to keep you entertained up until the end. Though about half way through you will start to kind of get the hang of when things are going to go down and how to easily avoid trouble.

    Graphics: Standard todays graphic’s, no complaints and felt refreshing and clean.

    Overall this game is a mix for me, personally I found it was worth the price but it just wasn't all there. After a while it gets a little repetitive and the scares start to get old. Yet its worth a play if you are into the survival horror genre.    … Expand
  36. EeT_MeeL
    Jun 23, 2014
    10
    The game is dripping with atmosphere and is very immerse. I found my self on several occasions having to remind myself that it is just a game. The controls are easy and intuitive. The story is a bit cheesy but very fun. And the game has the wherewithal to end before it gets over done.
    All in all, a great game. If you have been waiting for a great horror game, this is it. Now that it    The game is dripping with atmosphere and is very immerse. I found my self on several occasions having to remind myself that it is just a game. The controls are easy and intuitive. The story is a bit cheesy but very fun. And the game has the wherewithal to end before it gets over done.
    All in all, a great game. If you have been waiting for a great horror game, this is it. Now that it is on Sale (YaY Steam Summer Sale) it is very much worth your time.
    Trust me; The first time you are chased by a monster, the sound of snarling and chains whipping behind you, with your heart racing and your muscles tensed, you will agree. (You can press "Q" or "E" to look behind you. But I couldn't bring myself to press it. I just wanted to get away.)    … Expand
  37. powaa
    Sep 5, 2013
    6
    The game is not bad, is actually pretty enjoyable sometimes....
    The scariest thing about the game are not the monsters, or the jump scares, but the motion blur, which cannot be turned off (unless you turn off all the effects), but the game still looks great with all the effects at minimum......
    Fix the motion blur option please!
  38. Ozzalin
    Sep 4, 2013
    10
    1st of all this game is a mood game, atmospheric game, with tensions and it is also paranoia inducing.
    I have played countless of these games myself, from the very 1st Resident Evil & Silent Hill on PS1 back then, Fatal Frame series, then Dead Space, Amnesia, Scratches etc etc...the list is a long one.
    Outlast is a masterpiece in what it tries to achieve, which is: primal fears,    1st of all this game is a mood game, atmospheric game, with tensions and it is also paranoia inducing.
    I have played countless of these games myself, from the very 1st Resident Evil & Silent Hill on PS1 back then, Fatal Frame series, then Dead Space, Amnesia, Scratches etc etc...the list is a long one.
    Outlast is a masterpiece in what it tries to achieve, which is: primal fears, paranoia, and giving you the feeling that you're alone, even if in a way you're not...
    The storyline is quite creepy, and twisted as well, based on different historical facts, being real or not is not really important, as if it would be real, i wouldn't want to know about it...seriously. Some things are better kept hidden and secret. Conclusion, Outlast isn't a game for you to play at noon, with sun and bright lights through your window and little birds...If you do that, you'll ruin the whole mood. Instead, play it late at night, close all the lights and put your headset on, or pump up the volume of your speakers...Then play...
    Come back here later, and i tell me it wasn't scary...You won't     … Expand
  39. oliver1h
    Sep 5, 2013
    9
    Well this game is really creepy. Do not listen to the douchebags saying otherwise just for the sake of argument and for proving their "manliness" The developers knew how to build tension and scare the sh*t out of me. Some jump scares here and there, but luckily they did not overdone it. Also a lot of sick scenarious and places make this game a rather twisted experience. Nightmarish stuff,Well this game is really creepy. Do not listen to the douchebags saying otherwise just for the sake of argument and for proving their "manliness" The developers knew how to build tension and scare the sh*t out of me. Some jump scares here and there, but luckily they did not overdone it. Also a lot of sick scenarious and places make this game a rather twisted experience. Nightmarish stuff, well worth giving it a chance. Headphones and nighttime recommended for full effect.… Expand
  40. ELCID777
    Sep 6, 2013
    10
    The best horror survival game in the genre. The atmosphere is utterly terrifying and very immersive. Audio and visuals are top notch and very impressive not just for an Indy game, but in general. This is an absolute must play for those who are into the horror genre.
  41. ttrlabs
    Sep 5, 2013
    8
    Probably my most anticipated horror game of 2013, Outlast, attempts to dethrone Amnesia with it's brilliant graphics, solid atmosphere, interesting story, and bone-chilling thrills. However, does it succeed? First off, lets discuss how much you are getting for $20. The game, as stated previously, looks beautiful. This is easily the best-looking (and best-sounding) horror game to ever beProbably my most anticipated horror game of 2013, Outlast, attempts to dethrone Amnesia with it's brilliant graphics, solid atmosphere, interesting story, and bone-chilling thrills. However, does it succeed? First off, lets discuss how much you are getting for $20. The game, as stated previously, looks beautiful. This is easily the best-looking (and best-sounding) horror game to ever be released. The story is intriguing, to say the least, but the ending may leave you feeling your whole adventure was worthless and changed nothing. Controls are solid, and vaulting over obstacles made you feel more competent as a survivor than Amnesia could ever bring, though some objects that I should have been able to vault over, I could not, causing some unnecessary deaths.

    I have only 2 problems with this game: The ending, and the play-time. Like I said, the ending leaves you feeling like playing the game's story was pointless (I'll leave you to figure out how & why). I got about 4 hours out of this game, which surprised me greatly, as I assumed that the game would run for well over 8 hours. I expect the game would have been even shorter had it not asked you to activate a certain number of objects, or to go find a key for a door every 10 minutes. The puzzles could have been more diverse, as they lacked creativity.

    Overall, it's a really well done horror game. Beautiful, atmospheric, and has a decent story. However, the short duration and poor ending are likely to ruin it for a few, as it did for me.

    Graphics: 9/10
    Gameplay: 9/10
    Sound: 9/10
    Story: 7/10
    Play-time: 6/10

    Overall: 8/10

    I recommend getting it. It's a great buy for $20.    … Expand
  42. kailip
    Sep 9, 2013
    6
    While Outlast is an OK game, it certainly disappointed me. It was a cool ride, but that was it. It had a creepy atmosphere early on and clearly a lot of attention was given to details, but as far as the story goes, it's a very simplistic and vague story and the game gets very repetitive. It became predictable and easy, you can take a lot of hits from enemies before dying, which takes awayWhile Outlast is an OK game, it certainly disappointed me. It was a cool ride, but that was it. It had a creepy atmosphere early on and clearly a lot of attention was given to details, but as far as the story goes, it's a very simplistic and vague story and the game gets very repetitive. It became predictable and easy, you can take a lot of hits from enemies before dying, which takes away a lot from the fear factor. Enemies are also encountered too often, which provides for great jumpscares but not much beyond that. Couple all that with a mediocre ending and you will see why Outlast isn't a mind blowing game. It is, though, an interesting game, and if you are a fan of the survival horror genre, it's a game worth buying. If you're not into survival horror, don't bother.… Expand
  43. Ruston
    Sep 5, 2013
    10
    I am gonna say this game is as good as Amnesia. It's very atmospheric and scary game and your heart bit all the time. You feel hunted and you don't have a time to just sit and take a rest. That's how the real survival horror looks like. If you feel bored playing Amnesia....you must play Outlast and you won't regret it.
  44. Marty30001
    Sep 5, 2013
    10
    Great story,stunning graphics and physics,good parkour ideas,really scary monsters and jumpscares,though some of them are really easy to glitch. Still awesome game Red Barrels! We want more updates,and after some time more games from you!Cheers!
  45. SophosTheWise
    Sep 4, 2013
    5
    Honestly, Outlast is a good game, but it's nothing special. If you cross Condemned, FEAR and Amnesia, this is what you'll get. It's, however a very calculated game. I see calculated as opposite to cleverly planned. Especially the beginning of the game feels as if Red Barrel were devs that played Amnesia and wanted to remake it on a AAA-level. It has a massive mass market appeal with itsHonestly, Outlast is a good game, but it's nothing special. If you cross Condemned, FEAR and Amnesia, this is what you'll get. It's, however a very calculated game. I see calculated as opposite to cleverly planned. Especially the beginning of the game feels as if Red Barrel were devs that played Amnesia and wanted to remake it on a AAA-level. It has a massive mass market appeal with its quite predictable plot (find a keycard, oh, now electricity is broken, go to the cellar to turn it back on) and clichéd setting. There's not much variety in gameplay, nor in story (which has loads of horrendous plotholes) and the horror is not very subtile. Sometimes the game is screaming "look I'm scary!" especially with the sometimes absurd amount of gore and copy-pasted scare-setpieces. While Amnesia is scary because you can't see what scares you, Outlast is supposed to be scary because you see everything. Sure, it's 20 bucks, you'll get your fun out of it, but it's not scary and terrifying in a revolutionary way. There are a few jump scares here and there but mostly it's kind of predictable. My money is on Amnesia: A Machine for pigs.… Expand
  46. Duskspark
    Sep 5, 2013
    10
    As a hard core gamer and horror writer/fanatic, I can pleasantly say that "Outlast" combines the best of both worlds into one experience like no other. Trying to hide from a lunatic underneath a bed while you can see or hear his feet shuffling across the room is incredibly breathtaking, and sneaking past any threat feels satisfying. You automatically grad onto corners while standing nextAs a hard core gamer and horror writer/fanatic, I can pleasantly say that "Outlast" combines the best of both worlds into one experience like no other. Trying to hide from a lunatic underneath a bed while you can see or hear his feet shuffling across the room is incredibly breathtaking, and sneaking past any threat feels satisfying. You automatically grad onto corners while standing next to them en you can actually vault over objects and see your own feet, giving you the feeling you're not just a floating head but an actual, volnurable person. The best horror experience in years.… Expand
  47. Raziate
    Sep 4, 2013
    10
    Took a stab at this one having not viewed any playthroughs.
    A step up in the horror genre, and will keep you on the edge of the
    seat til the very end. Hopefully custom stories to come with this new
    visual mechanic.
  48. ITQuatro
    Sep 7, 2013
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So I have been following a large amount of the Horror games being released this year and next year but there was one game that really caught my attention out of all them that wasn't as big as Amnesia. That game was Outlast, a Survival Horror game developed by Red Barrels. To those not wanting spoilers, I will do my best to avoid them and still be able to sell you on getting this game sometime in the future. So the game straight up can be played in about 6-7 hours but instead of big titles being sold for $60 for the same amount of play time, but this is a wonderful title for a low price of $20. Even for a $20 title, it has some really great executions on somethings such as interesting government documents, a main character who somewhat has a personality with his writings but are only jotted down when your camera is out, and even for some great animations for your character (IE hand against the corner of the wall when standing so close to it or on the ground when you're crouching). Voice acting ranges from decent to pretty dang good when it comes to putting that worried/scared feeling into you as you play (great example is Trager). The scares, even if these most likely be opinionated, are there; too bad it slows down immensely around the middle of the game. No bugs witnessed during my first playthrough of the game so it must be stuff that you have to break on purpose which will be easier said than done. Now while I really enjoyed the game, there were some things I didn't like as much or wish was different. While the environment is great, you're only witnessed to different area here and there (you'll get about a couple of minutes outside in the courtyard or in a theater until you're put back on the linear hallways that look the same as the last). The lack of female models in the game is strange as well seeing that there are female characters mentioned in the game and the fact that you go to the female ward. The big hulk-ish guy seems to be everywhere and even though it's good that he becomes your enemy until the very end, it would have been great for different ones to appear because Trager and Billy had too short of camera time. The ending was pretty generic but still decent. Finally though, for a lot of people this game will not be "scary" to them. During the whole game, I felt more nerves and uneasy about continue because I was worried of dying. There were only a couple of parts that seriously scared me but the same jump scares were started to be used during the mid parts of the game. I would classify it more as a Thriller in place of the Horror title but there are people who are scared by a lot of things in the game (IE pitch darkness, claustrophobia, blood, etc.). Some bland models being overused a lot and a few bad textures but it's not really that noticeable.

    In the end though, this game is a wonderful game to pick up for the price range. The downsides to this game would definitely be something major for a $60 title, but from a new developer it is a wonderful introduction to gaming. Was not disappointed in the buy whatsoever and was a decent competitor (even if it doesn't win) for Amnesia.

    PS: The broken camera screen looks way too amazing! I spent like 10-15 minutes praising it!    … Expand
  49. Whatsittooya
    Oct 29, 2013
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Outlast is easily the best horror game I have ever played, better than "Amnesia A Machine For Pigs" in my opinion! Still gives me goosebumps even after I've completed the game, I would definitely Recommend it to anyone who wants to have nightmares about Insane Lunatics and Ghosts Ripping your organs out, not to mention a Big Fat Afghanistan guy chasing you around an Asylum. Did I mention this Contains Spoilers?… Expand
  50. WarpZone
    Sep 30, 2013
    0
    I will never understand the popularity of this game. It's not Amnesia... it's not even Doom 3. It combines the gameplay of the former with the aesthetics of the latter-- exactly the *opposite* of taking the strongest part of each game. The result is a lame brown next-gen sludge that isn't scary or even creepy at all, just obnoxious and loud and distracting.

    Aesthetically, the game is    I will never understand the popularity of this game. It's not Amnesia... it's not even Doom 3. It combines the gameplay of the former with the aesthetics of the latter-- exactly the *opposite* of taking the strongest part of each game. The result is a lame brown next-gen sludge that isn't scary or even creepy at all, just obnoxious and loud and distracting.

    Aesthetically, the game is a mess. Areas are not only well-lit, but it feels like light sources have been placed specifically to guide the player through the maps. The Zombies run like Olympic athletes and there's military corpses everywhere, which your character does not loot for weapons even though he feels his life is in danger. There's piles of blood and gore that don't really make you feel anything, and everything has a mundane explanation.

    The game is constantly playing super-loud panic noises instead of, you know, maybe gradually leading up to it. The much-praised "realism" works against the game, with tiny details not quite adding up right. Everything from highlights on skin to animations that are slightly out of synch. The Uncanny Valley has a place in horror, of course, but here it's applied exactly the opposite of where you want it. The characters

    Meanwhile your character is a friggin' mental patient himself, rubbing his hands all over filthy walls and rusty metal you would never touch in real life. I mean he absolutely *caresses* these surfaces, in a way that no human being ever would. I don't grope all the walls as I make my way through my own house, why would I do it in a video game? It's like watching a porno for mysophiliacs.

    The story constantly flops back and forth between nonexistent and forehead-smacking dumb. I'm sorry, did I call the enemies "Zombies" before? That was a mistake on my part. See, they're technically not zombies. They're just humans who have been given Captain America juice that makes them LOOK like Zombies. So, yeah. The antagonists in Outlast are actually "ugly men who want to kill you for no reason." Way to push the boundaries of creativity there.

    Overall this feels like someone's Unreal Engine deathmatch project, hastily converted into what passes for "survival horror" to the Dead Space generation. Seriously, guys. Don't buy into this garbage. Play some Amnesia, play some Silent Hill. Hell, even Submachine was more of a horror game than this is. Because it sucked you in with a world that appeared superficially normal but when you started to think about it, you slowly realized that the objects making up those rooms were just... wrong. Twisted. Subverted to an outsider's purpose, ineffable but silently implied. Like everything else in the horror genre, Outlast gets this exactly backwards. They start with an overdone trope (creepy old asylum,) and then pile mutilated corpses all over the place, without ever giving you a reason to care or wonder. You never feel curious or intrigued, you never suspect there MIGHT be a scare about to happen but then it never comes. The game is so busy mashing the panic button that it stops working entirely after the first five minutes of play. You become desensitized almost immediately, and from then on the game is a rote Execution Challenge. You're basically playing pac-man in the Unreal Engine with a few dirty wallpaper textures thrown in for flavor.

    This is not horror. This game is all blood and noise. If I wanted blood and noise I'd go play an action game. Red Barrels has somehow made a game that is mechanically a horror game, but which feels like a first person shooter. And in many ways, that is a much worse offense than your Resident Evil 5s and your Dead Space 3s.

    Outlast says "We know all the elements that make up a good survival horror game, and we deliberately chose not to use any of them." Thanks, Red Barrels, for turning a genre that was the last bastion of legitimate emotional connection in modern gaming into a pandering gorefest. I guess this is what happens when you take all your cues from Hollywood.    … Expand
  51. andarial6670
    Sep 5, 2013
    10
    This is a superman game. You play superman, but not as superman but as Clark Kent, the reporter. Your job is to acquire the best damn footage possible. The targets of your hunt are not very camera friendly and will all try to kill you, but it's k.
  52. joefresco
    Sep 6, 2013
    10
    I was skeptical when starting to play. I've played a lot of horror-type games and often remain unfazed. This is one of the few games that has successfully immersed me into the game and caused me to jump and my heart to skip a few beats. Well done.
  53. KratosITALY
    Sep 5, 2013
    10
    Probably the best horror game out there right now, maybe even better than Amnesia. I found this game more fast paced than Amnesia, creating an intense atmosphere with some really well-crafted jump scares.
    Recommended to all the horror fans. If you sh*t your pants easily, don't buy this.
  54. Ananas4
    Sep 8, 2013
    3
    It's a linear game without any puzzles. Instead it's full of jump scares. Graphics are nice and the camera effect looks cool but it could've been much more. It's short and has none replay value. I wonder if we ever again see actually good horror in video games or will everything just be jump scare after another.
  55. Gamesmagic
    Sep 5, 2013
    6
    I first got a look at his game, from a few people who got a chance to play the demo. I was really into what I saw. Beautiful graphics, solid and great looking gameplay. I was really looking forward to it. And I pre-ordered it. The day it came out, I downloaded it, and started it around 9pm that night. Headphones on, just so I'd get all of the scares I could. What followed, was the biggestI first got a look at his game, from a few people who got a chance to play the demo. I was really into what I saw. Beautiful graphics, solid and great looking gameplay. I was really looking forward to it. And I pre-ordered it. The day it came out, I downloaded it, and started it around 9pm that night. Headphones on, just so I'd get all of the scares I could. What followed, was the biggest let down ever. Okay, what you get with outlast, is a Beautiful game, with a hard to understand, but well kept story. Horrible, and stupid as jump scares. And for the first hour, good and clean scares that work and feel good to any horror fan. After that though..this game takes a major blow where it counts most. The game just stops being scary. Throwing the enemies at you every five seconds and doing little to keep the atmosphere when you run into crazy, yet friendly people...I guess? But, for a small price of 20 dollars, its a great game for people new to the horror genre. Not to scary, and good to ease you into the whole horror theme. I liked this game, and you are getting your moneys worth....but this is NOT for hardcore horror fans. Good length to the game, okay story, boring enemies, nasty and strange things. But over all, slightly above your average indie horror title… Expand
  56. AngelDragon
    Sep 30, 2013
    10
    Uno de los juegos que en mas tensión me ha tenido. Es increíble la forma en la que te mantiene pendiente de lo que ocurre, los alrededores EL SONIDO, el ambiente en si con todas sus aspectos gores que no hacen mas que aumentar la inmersión con la zona y su protagonista. MUY RECOMENDADOS PARA LOS AMANTES DEL TERROR Y EL HORROR.
  57. Grief
    Sep 6, 2013
    10
    Authors are extremely attentive to the details. Models, animations, textures, sounds, ambient and all other parts of the game are brilliant, developers did an amazing job! You can see you body during walking when looking down. When the character moves to the wall corner or doorway, he puts a hand onto it. He breathes heavily and sobs during scary moments. Music becomes intense in a severalAuthors are extremely attentive to the details. Models, animations, textures, sounds, ambient and all other parts of the game are brilliant, developers did an amazing job! You can see you body during walking when looking down. When the character moves to the wall corner or doorway, he puts a hand onto it. He breathes heavily and sobs during scary moments. Music becomes intense in a several seconds before the monster come to the room. Full and deep immersion and pure gameplay. 10 out of 10.… Expand
  58. HerrElak
    Sep 6, 2013
    10
    From an early age i have been watching tons of scary movies and played a lot of scary games. I guess i tempered my sense of horror and dont get scared that easily anymore. The only game i have been scared playing is Amnesia.. until now. This game is so scary that i cant play it! By reaction i press escape and find my self having a hard time getting back to the game. The camcorders nightFrom an early age i have been watching tons of scary movies and played a lot of scary games. I guess i tempered my sense of horror and dont get scared that easily anymore. The only game i have been scared playing is Amnesia.. until now. This game is so scary that i cant play it! By reaction i press escape and find my self having a hard time getting back to the game. The camcorders night vision mode makes the atmosphere and the fact that you dont have any weapons to defend yourself makes it even more scary. The controls are good. Easy flow and i like that I can look back while running to make sure no one is following. Buy this game and a pair of undies)… Expand
  59. xxxULTRAxxx
    Sep 6, 2013
    9
    Not gonna lie, this game is scary!! It has great atmosphere with some unique graphics and I really enjoyed the camera gimmick. Only reason it didn't get a 10 is because it was pretty short and has low replayability. But you can't go wrong with the $20 price.
  60. amplifie
    Sep 5, 2013
    9
    If you liked Amnesia, this is for you! For me it is the scariest game i have ever played, but for sure you have to play it with your Headphones on and lights turned off, if you really want to slip deeper into the atmosphere. However, be warned I had to stop playing and pause at some points, because it´s so freaking scary and that is really no joke! I´m also playing with Nvidia 3D VisionIf you liked Amnesia, this is for you! For me it is the scariest game i have ever played, but for sure you have to play it with your Headphones on and lights turned off, if you really want to slip deeper into the atmosphere. However, be warned I had to stop playing and pause at some points, because it´s so freaking scary and that is really no joke! I´m also playing with Nvidia 3D Vision (helix just added a fix at the geforce forums)... playing this game in 3D is absolutely stunning.… Expand
  61. dasparado
    Sep 6, 2013
    9
    This game is why PC gaming is so much fun. First you need the right setup to really appreciate this game. This game works perfectly on a 3 monitor nvidia surround setup. The difference between the 3 vs 1 screen is so huge I think if you have the means, get 3 identical monitors asap. If you are smart and/or selective you can get 3 quality monitors for the price of one top of the lineThis game is why PC gaming is so much fun. First you need the right setup to really appreciate this game. This game works perfectly on a 3 monitor nvidia surround setup. The difference between the 3 vs 1 screen is so huge I think if you have the means, get 3 identical monitors asap. If you are smart and/or selective you can get 3 quality monitors for the price of one top of the line new one. Combine this with a surround sound system and play in completely dark room.

    My wife was really excited about this one as she loves to watch me play games (especially scary games). We started last night. 30 minutes in and my usually fearless wife emoted "I just cant handle this anymore, I am freaking out over here" I also have to admit the ambience scared the heck out of me as well. Looking forward to continuing it tonight. I have not finished but so far I give this a nine out of ten if it can hold up. Brilliant game!    … Expand
  62. SweStars
    Sep 16, 2013
    9
    For anyone enjoying Amnesia, Penumbra or other FPS horror games get this game. I just finished it and it kept me constantly freaking out. A story that isn't that well told via files you find scattered here and there. The only "weapon" you have is your camcorder, which gives you the ability to see in the light, but not for an extended period since it drains AAA-batteries (like an iPhone)For anyone enjoying Amnesia, Penumbra or other FPS horror games get this game. I just finished it and it kept me constantly freaking out. A story that isn't that well told via files you find scattered here and there. The only "weapon" you have is your camcorder, which gives you the ability to see in the light, but not for an extended period since it drains AAA-batteries (like an iPhone) and you've got replenish them by finding them also scattered around, though in short supply.

    It's just a great game. I really recommend it to anyone who like games like Amnesia, Penumbra, perhaps the Resident Evil, Silent Hill series or others like them. BUT what differentiates this game from RE or SH is that you have to RUN and HIDE. No way to fight back.

    Just... get this game and see for yourself.    … Expand
  63. elitedata
    Jan 7, 2014
    10
    I never felt so helpless and scared while playing the game. Also I had never gotten such strong emotions (mostly fear) from the video game. This game is highly recommended if you want to try something new, and if you have enough balls...
  64. Xon
    Sep 13, 2013
    9
    Since I have very limited free time I prefer games that offer a great experience for 6 12 hours. This game takes less than 5 but it has all the right components to validade the entrance fee.
  65. meediocre
    Sep 24, 2013
    9
    Get a 2560 monitor or larger, make sure you only play at night with all the lights off (not even a candle or any ambient light if possible), stick some decent headphones on, make sure there are no distractions, and get READY for THE SCARIEST GAME EVER MADE. I don't say that lightly either, being a veteran of the first Amnesia game, FEAR games and several Resident Evil titles, as well asGet a 2560 monitor or larger, make sure you only play at night with all the lights off (not even a candle or any ambient light if possible), stick some decent headphones on, make sure there are no distractions, and get READY for THE SCARIEST GAME EVER MADE. I don't say that lightly either, being a veteran of the first Amnesia game, FEAR games and several Resident Evil titles, as well as Alan Wake and Slender etc.. The amount of times I literally jumped and had difficulty continuing forward was unprecedented for me. Ok, I admit that after a few hours or so the fear-factor subsides a bit, but still the tension and surprises continue. This is an excellent example of how horror and survival can be blended expertly into a game that does the best job I've ever seen of re-creating how it must feel to actually be in a horror movie. Ok, the story of medical experimentation and a hideous secrets in an old asylum won't win awards for novelty, but it terms of its FPS platforming-stealth/survival-horror gameplay it raises the bar I think. When you walk through a pool of blood you even leave footprints, and can see your hand and body, hear your heart-thumping and breathing. The camera, being your almost sole source of light at times, works wonderfully too. The cat and mouse games with the inmates though, as well as the fidelity and atmosphere of the environment, and constant good level-design choices is what has pushed this game up the list for me as a contender for non-AAA game of the year. I hate to say this, but please punish us some more with some sequels or DLC!… Expand
  66. PsychoGamer
    Sep 8, 2013
    10
    Exactly what I wanted from the game. Its not your pants scary, but the atmosphere and setting do a good job of maintaining a creepy vibe throughout the whole game (which is only about 4-5 hours btw). The game does a little repetitive by the end but that should not stop anyone from experiencing this amazing game.
  67. MitroPan
    Sep 7, 2013
    10
    What can I say? A beautiful, gorgeous I would say game! For such a game the graphics were astonishing and the engine extremely powerful. Not to mention the plot of course. The plot was brilliant! And what an ending! WOW. I was starring at the PC monitor! How much work and what detail. We had a lot of time to see a woth-playing horror game like this.

    The negative scores were given due to    What can I say? A beautiful, gorgeous I would say game! For such a game the graphics were astonishing and the engine extremely powerful. Not to mention the plot of course. The plot was brilliant! And what an ending! WOW. I was starring at the PC monitor! How much work and what detail. We had a lot of time to see a woth-playing horror game like this.

    The negative scores were given due to Amnesia. A lot of gamers have surely played it and found it terrifying. We have also seen Markiplier, Pewdiepie, etc playing it so when this game was released the bad critics were bound to this. The hide and seek, jump scares and stuff were similar to that. I dont get it though. There is are hundreds of similarities between horror games. Let us not forget that this is why they're called horror games.

    They other thing that botherd me were the bad-plot comments. Really? I mean yes at the beginning you already knew what was going to happen. The power's out let's go downstairs to fix it.... (Don't want to spoil the fun) My point is that you know what you're going to face from stage 1. Well...not exactly. I mean that you already know you're getting yourself into trouble. So, if you know what follows then dump the game dont play it. And don't dare, I mean it, dont dare write anything negative about the game if you have played 10 minutes of it.

    Overall, it was a fantastic experience and it worths every penny. I would say 5-6 hours of gameplay or more I am not so sure. A wonderful experience and spooky till death. Sometimes you won't be able to see in the darkness and screaming sounds will make you helpless. You can't just simply close the game as it lures you into the story more and more so you become one with the poor journalist.

    Buy this game!    … Expand
  68. Dorby1988
    Sep 8, 2013
    9
    Outlast is a first person horror game made from Red Barrel, that consists of ex-employees from EA and Ubisoft. You are a journalist who gets stuck in a mental asylum where there is deformed people and other things creeping in the night. On this game, much like Amnesia, you have to avoid the enemies because you cannot fight back, but that is where the similarities end.

    Outlast has    Outlast is a first person horror game made from Red Barrel, that consists of ex-employees from EA and Ubisoft. You are a journalist who gets stuck in a mental asylum where there is deformed people and other things creeping in the night. On this game, much like Amnesia, you have to avoid the enemies because you cannot fight back, but that is where the similarities end.

    Outlast has inspiration from the film REC, where you use a camcorder's night vision to see the creatures trying to find you in the dark. If you are in a dark the night vision comes in handy, because you can see the creatures, but they cannot see you. The night vision though has it cons. For one your field of view is lower so you cannot see as much, the batteries die fairly quickly so you need to look for more, and the creatures eyes glow when looking in your direction. The game adds all of this to make it quite terrifying. This game does not let up either you are constantly be tracked down or chased. You would think seeing these creatures again and again would make it less scary, but no, it never loses it's fear factor.

    The controls and fluidity of your characters movement also feel great. The controls are quite simple, but feel at home on the mouse and keyboard. The level layout is great as well with so many hiding areas and long creepy hallways to keep the tension up. The movement of your character and his controls have much inspiration from Mirrors Edge. You can leap over tables and bars and slam doors shut behind you to slow your pursuers, or hiding under a bed. When being chased you can use items to block doors, which can be used against you as well. You might be being chased and the door you need to go through is being blocked by a heavy object, that when it is being push slowly out of the way you can hear the voices and clamping of feet coming up behind you.

    Outlast is up there with horror games like Amnesia and Slender when it comes to sheer terror. Yet has its own style that is unique to horror titles. This is one game that does not let up from beginning to end. The terror starts almost at the very beginning and does not end until the end credits. This is a horror title to be remembered.    … Expand
  69. crayzubian
    Sep 11, 2013
    10
    This game is awsome about ghrapics,horror story and more.This game is more better then I think.This is the best horror game in the world and the universe.
  70. Damascusrose
    Nov 1, 2013
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is absolutely awful. As I was playing it, all I could feel was an intense frustration, and I was constantly hoping it would just end. The story- it's complete There was nothing in this game that came close to a coherent storyline, from beginning to end. The only I could understand was the most cliche bs I've EVER seen. Even the whole premise is garbage; you go to this insane asylum cause some anonymous guy tips you off. You get in there, and then as soon as you get in you are told to leave. But you can't leave from where you came because someone locked a door. This is just absolute garbage. There's no intriguing storyline to keep me interested at all, and the ending was I dont even have words it was so bad. God what the HELL? And the gameplay- it has a nice premise (definitely 'inspired' by amnesia...) but it fails at implementation. The camcorder gimmick doesn't work at all because nowhere in my whole playthrough did I run out of batteries, or find myself saving batteries. And yes my gamma was very low. This game has the dead space problem, the monsters just love being shown at any possible moment. This game doesn't understand that what you can't see will scare you more, and on the topic of monsters they weren't even scary. The big fat dude had me laughing my ass of at how stupid he looked and sounded. And having to go through sections after dying because the monsters never go away is incredibly annoying, absolutely destroyed my immersion after my first death. The jumpscares were really lazy and lame, not scary at all just annoying. The puzzles were ass, all they did was block progress. Seriously how many keycards and valves can you jam into one game? The linear gameplay was incredibly frustrating. Graphics were nice and sounds were ok, but the levels got really old because they don't change much. the only reason I gave it this high of a review is because it's just OK. It's not like garry's incident level of ****tiness, it does actually work and have decent production value, but don't buy it cause it sucks. If it was free I might recommend it just for funsies, but its 20 bucks so all i can is NO. play some amnesia if you want a good horror experience, just not the second one.… Expand
  71. Darian4
    Nov 9, 2013
    10
    This game is... excellent! It's a horror based on crazy people which is a good idea and the Asylum is well done. Very good graphics, I like them most, also the story is exciting, but sometimes it's really, really scary and intense. I hope you will make some more games like this one in the future!
  72. Marbil
    May 31, 2014
    10
    The game together with the dlc makes a wonderful and incredibly spooky gaming experience. The plot is well made, the scary atmosphere is fantastic and the graphics is outstanding! At first I wasn't that happy with the ending, but the dlc took care of that problem!:)
  73. LifeHistory
    Apr 20, 2017
    0
    Fail and a boring idiotic idea of a game. You will use the camera the whole game and you will have nightmares not because of the horror in the game but because of the green color... Its like you playing the game with a broken video card.

    And the game is far from scary, its a jump-scare game. And whats stupid is that jump scare does not accomplish the word "horror". jump scares are not    Fail and a boring idiotic idea of a game. You will use the camera the whole game and you will have nightmares not because of the horror in the game but because of the green color... Its like you playing the game with a broken video card.

    And the game is far from scary, its a jump-scare game. And whats stupid is that jump scare does not accomplish the word "horror". jump scares are not the way to do a horror game.

    This game is a rip off the game Amnesia, that game was the original FPS horror of its kind and it did things the right way not like this trash.    … Expand
  74. Bewarden
    Sep 5, 2013
    10
    If you don't set up your environment to immerse yourself in this game, than you are better off not playing it because that's the most critical point of horror games. I highly recommend you to play this game in dark and with headphones (surround sound support if you have it). Make sure you have the volume turned up and the gamma turned down. You will get a lot more out of the game thanIf you don't set up your environment to immerse yourself in this game, than you are better off not playing it because that's the most critical point of horror games. I highly recommend you to play this game in dark and with headphones (surround sound support if you have it). Make sure you have the volume turned up and the gamma turned down. You will get a lot more out of the game than "cheap" jump scares. Now to review the actual game. The sounds are phenomenal, graphic is great, and the atmosphere is fantastic. The story is crazy but in a good way. I would love to see this game modded for custom stories like Amnesia.… Expand
  75. SenshudoTV
    Sep 6, 2013
    8
    The ambient sound and Environment really does make this game stand out on it's own but the horror starts to disappear after the first hour. Graphics are nice as well.
  76. mijxero
    Sep 4, 2013
    9
    For a horror game this pretty much does a great job, being a fan of Amnesia I was hoping for something along the same lines. This does many of the same things right and even throws in a few things extra, some enemies seem to linger around making me constantly look around hoping they are in the room I think they are and not behind me. I would say a great game for a very low price.
  77. Oblivion2500
    Sep 8, 2013
    8
    One of the most scariest games I have ever played. The fear factor is not as great as Amnesia the Dark Descent, the fear factor gets too repetitive halfway into the game. The graphics are beautiful and so are the camera effects. I love the story and its have a very well story driven game play.
  78. Vallnketh
    Sep 28, 2013
    10
    I love the horror genre of gaming and this title did not disappoint. From the moment you step into that god forsaken asylum, your fear and panic takes root. The design and graphics were something I would expect from games costing 3x as much. For those players who said the fear effects were repetitive or played out obviously didn't play the game in the dark with head phones on as suggestedI love the horror genre of gaming and this title did not disappoint. From the moment you step into that god forsaken asylum, your fear and panic takes root. The design and graphics were something I would expect from games costing 3x as much. For those players who said the fear effects were repetitive or played out obviously didn't play the game in the dark with head phones on as suggested (and probably had their gamma turned way up). From beginning to end this gem of a game grabbed me by the throat and did not let go. I had to stop playing multiple times as it would become too intense. Thank you Red Barrels for a great, if not the best ever horror survival title. I am eagerly awaiting Outlast 2!!… Expand
  79. HonkAbby
    Sep 9, 2013
    3
    It doesn't take long into the game to look past the pretty visuals to see that the scares and atmosphere are painted on. From the title screen we already begin to experience some problems, there are no advanced graphical options (which to me was a problem as I have a fairly low-end PC luckily this game has great optimisation and I could run it 60fps on highest). There is also no soundIt doesn't take long into the game to look past the pretty visuals to see that the scares and atmosphere are painted on. From the title screen we already begin to experience some problems, there are no advanced graphical options (which to me was a problem as I have a fairly low-end PC luckily this game has great optimisation and I could run it 60fps on highest). There is also no sound options other than master volume. The experience has been on level with a haunted mansion ride predictable, repetitive, non threatening and frustrating jump-scares. It seems the reactions they got from the easily shocked by the body jump-scare behind the door were so fantastic that they decided to reuse the spooky door jump scares over and over and over. It began to be incredibly annoying and laughable that things kept appearing behind doors, fizzling out the suspense completely. Enemies pose absolutely no threat. At one point I ran away from an enemy with a weapon, that, surprisingly, was behind a door. He walked up to the locker I hid in, pulled me out, hit my character in the face and then threw me in the direction to run away, where he never ended up following me. Any true veterans of the horror genres will yawn as this game constantly tries to shock you. This game does nothing new, its story is on par with Killing Floor and the only thing it has going for it is its great optimisation and a cool camera gimmick. I was hoping more but I never expected much, your money is better spent elsewhere.… Expand
  80. supervbnz
    Sep 5, 2013
    10
    Very scary game, better than amnesia.
  81. EnnMorbid
    Sep 8, 2013
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Outlast is okay so far, I had fun with it.
    The atmosphere and the story are good, but in my opinion it isn't really scary, I had no "jumpscares" or so.
    I think 6/10 is fair enough.    … Expand
  82. copi111
    Feb 24, 2014
    2
    I have bought this game on steam, it is a waste of time and money in my opinion. this game is not scary at the very least, i never felt any tension mainly because once you realize that your pursuers are sluggishly slow, you understand they pose no actual threat meaning you can really breeze through the game and all its predictable jumpscares.
    i bought this game because i wanted a good    I have bought this game on steam, it is a waste of time and money in my opinion. this game is not scary at the very least, i never felt any tension mainly because once you realize that your pursuers are sluggishly slow, you understand they pose no actual threat meaning you can really breeze through the game and all its predictable jumpscares.
    i bought this game because i wanted a good scare but i was sorely disappointing. this game fail on both aspect of horror, shock and psychological.    … Expand
  83. rambozsolt
    Sep 19, 2013
    1
    this is a low budget game i dont get why is this poppular it is not good at all. its graphic is OK but i seen better battle field 3) and you walk solo. what the point goind solo where is your team mates? i also dont find multiplayer option maybe they hide it? and the most annoying thing in FPS: it means FIRST PERSON SHOOTER but who you can shoot?? without guns?? srsly? i played about 4this is a low budget game i dont get why is this poppular it is not good at all. its graphic is OK but i seen better battle field 3) and you walk solo. what the point goind solo where is your team mates? i also dont find multiplayer option maybe they hide it? and the most annoying thing in FPS: it means FIRST PERSON SHOOTER but who you can shoot?? without guns?? srsly? i played about 4 hour but i could not pick up a single weapon no pistol in this game!! i even seen a m4a1 but couldnt pick it up! instad of this you have a camera with no use. video recorder is total useles you cant kill zonbies with it..

    NEGATIVES:
    - no guns srsly this game is shame of FPS genre
    - atrocious story line
    - no achievements
    - very scary
    - no inventory
    - no weapons

    ill wait for the DLC which provides me pistols and then i play this out.. but now.. i stop playing    … Expand
  84. gypsygib
    Feb 15, 2014
    7
    Scarier than the scariest movie, which means it holds the tittle of the scariest game but by the time you near end it just drags on far too long.

    Could have been a 9/10 if they just ended it sooner. Turned from running for you life to fumbling in the dark. 1 hr less and this game would have been master piece.
  85. jld89
    Feb 5, 2014
    0
    This game was a total waste of money for me. I expected a different, though still fine tuned atmosphere in concert with the music as Amnesia The Dark Descent. I was thoroughly disappointed. This game is made of cheap scares to the fullest. Being set in an Asylum is already far from original for a terror game. The same plot than so many games about a uber evil corporation doing experimentsThis game was a total waste of money for me. I expected a different, though still fine tuned atmosphere in concert with the music as Amnesia The Dark Descent. I was thoroughly disappointed. This game is made of cheap scares to the fullest. Being set in an Asylum is already far from original for a terror game. The same plot than so many games about a uber evil corporation doing experiments blah you know the drill. Almost ALL scares I had where predicted before hand: "Oh this door is closed, I bet there will be a 5000db sound that will scare me to death." Every every time it happened. Seriously go buy Amnesia the dark descent instead of this veteran-made mainstream unoriginal terror game.… Expand
  86. Hitman41165
    Nov 19, 2013
    0
    Read this review before rating,you might change your mind.Its FOUR hours long,when Amnesia is a whole 8 hours,or 9 if you're a completionist.Its around 20 euros on steam,when you can get Amnesia for 15.Amnesia knows how to build an atmosphere and how to play its cards,while this game only uses jumpscares.Amnesia's atmosphere was based on the spooky,dark nature of everything,theRead this review before rating,you might change your mind.Its FOUR hours long,when Amnesia is a whole 8 hours,or 9 if you're a completionist.Its around 20 euros on steam,when you can get Amnesia for 15.Amnesia knows how to build an atmosphere and how to play its cards,while this game only uses jumpscares.Amnesia's atmosphere was based on the spooky,dark nature of everything,the environments,the noise,the jumpscares being very few and away from eachother,its monsters,wich you have to hide from,wich really gives you the sensation that you had as a child,when the lights went off and you were afraid of monsters getting out of your closet,and the story is just perfect in all details,while Outlast's is boring.Amnesia had gameplay in the form of puzzles,wich helped you wonder what will be in front of the mysterious locked door,while Outlast only had QTEs… Expand
  87. DOSfan
    Sep 10, 2013
    8
    surprisingly fun.
    felt like a stealth game, with a horror theme and secondary detective theme.
    if it were a bit longer i'd have probably rated it higher. it was also pretty easy.
    the only time's i died were because i missed something stupid a few times in a row, then kind of a derp moment.
  88. TheHorrorAnthem
    Sep 10, 2013
    8
    Howdy folks! You like blood? Violence? Freaks of Nature? Well then come on down to Mount Massive Asylum in Colorado! Seriously, two words, two beautiful but overused words that at one time got a lot of true blue horror junkies excited, but now have more so just become a matter of "time will tell," and these two intriguing words are "survival" and "horror" placed back to back. All thingsHowdy folks! You like blood? Violence? Freaks of Nature? Well then come on down to Mount Massive Asylum in Colorado! Seriously, two words, two beautiful but overused words that at one time got a lot of true blue horror junkies excited, but now have more so just become a matter of "time will tell," and these two intriguing words are "survival" and "horror" placed back to back. All things move towards their end I suppose, just like how monsters and horrible mere shadows of former selves come along and ruin it for everyone, and then boom, the modern generation becomes a mockery of what once was. However, survival horror is still alive thankfully, though it limps, and boasts its scars, and at times even the mighty fall here and there, its black heart still beats, and with games like Outlast, the beat is pretty damn satisfying to march to. Hopefully it marches in the very direction this genre needs to go, and beyond. Outlast can proudly join the grown ups table among this generations finest horror games, and even earns the right to wear the true label of "Survival Horror." Quite honestly, it doesn't even really have to be considered of "this generation," as it really does stand among the all time greats. Now don't get me wrong, this is not a masterpiece or a genre bender, as most of its cues come from previous titles, but it does what it does so well, and has done its horror homework so well, and knows its audience well enough and sticks to its guns well enough, to deliver a satisfying, scary, exciting, and just wicked good time all the way 'round. Outlast tells the tale of one very unfortunate soul (you) who by night, breaks into an asylum after having received an email telling you that there is one hell of story and cover up going on inside. Well seeing as you are a journalist and in need of a shocking, jump starting story, why not investigate? Oh, if you only you knew how sticky the web you crawled into really was, and if only you knew just how venomous that big black spider on the other side really is...but, that's the beauty of it, that is the sadistic and menacing side to it that will make you either smile or quite minutes in. Outlast is one of those games that truly lets you know what kind of horror fan you are. Will you spend the game screaming, sweating, ducking the computer, pausing frequently to breath? Or will you find yourself smiling, enjoying the weather, and wanting to catch every gruesome detail on camera? Oh yes, enter the camera. No, not like Fatal Frame, oh no, no, this is one incredible gimmick that works wonders and gives the entire game its identity. After countless horror films have now been made starring digital video cameras, it finally hits the gaming world. Honestly, if you are like me, the thought makes you groan, and feel almost exhausted at the cheap gimmicky idea, enough already. If you are like me, you were wrong. Red Barrels has put the camera to excellent use here. Think of it as your lantern from Amnesia, the game that Outlast borrows the most from, and it is just as, if not more important than that lantern. The camera is not just so you can witness what it is bumping in the night, but with it, you will document, zoom in on threats and solutions, forward much of the story, and most importantly, use its night vision to see in the dark, which can either be as simple as stumbling through the corridors, or playing hide and seek with three bloodthirsty escaped inmates in a twelve by fifteen room in complete darkness. It is as fun and as nerve racking as it sounds. Outlast is a gruesome, and to some, shocking game. It does not care how much gore is on display, they want Mount Massive asylum as sick, dark, wet, bloody, and even perverted as possible. The great thing is, the developers achieve this without ever once turning the game into shock horror shlock. It seems odd to say, but the game remains almost tasteful, even during a rather unexpected close up of male on male necrophilia. The game stumbles slightly with screen tears here and there, and a few of its greatest ideas get stuck on repeat, but honestly, that wasn't what I was thinking as I ran for my life, grinding my teeth, hammering my fingers on the mouse, every time one of the unharmable enemies was breathing down my neck, while I fumbled trying to get that damn camera out and into night vision mode, and oh the horror when you run into a door that doesn't open, or your crawling under a pile of debris just it see everything stop as whoever is chasing you has you by the foot, and begins to drag you back out, all the while screaming and laughing out of his mind. This is a survival horror game, and a good one. The story is intriguing, the music and atmosphere are fantastic, the lighting works wonders, and the tension is high. Not without faults, and sometimes easy to call when your safe and can breath, but when everything comes together just right, you are afraid, plain and simple. That's showing em, Outlast.… Expand
  89. v00d00m4n
    Sep 6, 2013
    9
    Did you lost faith in parkur adventure, horror and stealth genres? Did you lost hope to see realistic, immersive and HARDCORE AAA game without press x to win kill streaks and cluttering UI? Outlast will restore your faith in everything mentioned and game industry! It also will prove you that indie team of 10 men can do AAA-Indie titles without greedy publishers that killing their creativeDid you lost faith in parkur adventure, horror and stealth genres? Did you lost hope to see realistic, immersive and HARDCORE AAA game without press x to win kill streaks and cluttering UI? Outlast will restore your faith in everything mentioned and game industry! It also will prove you that indie team of 10 men can do AAA-Indie titles without greedy publishers that killing their creative freedom and forcing them to make a Call of Duty and Gears of War accessible for wider re-tar-ded audience.

    No no no, this game is not accessible to wide audience, it will scare out of most players not only because its good horror, but also because it realistic and hardcore stealth just like Thief was and its damn hard for brain-dead Call of Duty Xbox 360 generation, thats why its damn pleasant for old school gamers such as me who loved realism and challenge in older games before its almost gone from modern games.

    If you love hard challenge, innovative, realistic and purely immersive games such as Alone in Dark 2008, and if you hate YOBA call of duty style FPS games, you will love this one! If you love true survival horrors where survival is very hard because you cant even fight back, and if you love Amnesia you will love this game as well, and if you love old Splinter Cell up to Chaos Theory and loved Thief and remember that scarry part in catacomb, you will love this game too!

    I love this game, its not perfect however, but its almost what i dreamed about for many years. Oh yeah, did i tell you that its one of rare games with full body awareness and every action in game totally animated?

    What you waiting for BUY THIS GAME ALREADY! I cost twice cheaper than most of recent Mediocre AAA games like Tomb Raider 2013, Bioshock Infinite, Resident Evil 6, Splinter Cell Blacklist, Call of Duty BO2, Metro Las Light, Far Cry, Assassin's Creed 3 and so on, but it brings more fun and joy than all of them together. Before this game 2013 year was a year of dissapointment (if you count only AAA type of games), but Outlast game changed it for me! 10 men can do job better than over 100 men in big companies, and glory of this game puts all big companies to shame!

    And a bonus: no pre-cut DLC, no season passes, no achievements and stupid unlocks that turns game intro retarded grind, and most important this game is MOD-FRIENDLY and allows to tweak AI and Difficulty a lot, nothing locked, and critical patches was released just next day after bugs was reported! Truly old-school PC-specific way of doing business with respect to customers!

    P.S. devs of this game worked before in Ubisoft, EA, Eidos, THQ and WB (all Montreal studios) on such titles as Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell, Thief, Dead Space, Assassin's Creed, Army of Two and Uncharted, so you can see where roots of this game goes from, als Red Barrles seems to be tired of all that games that gone into wrong direction recently due of lack of creative freedom in big studios, so the decided to say "Go to hell, we will make our own game with blackjack and hookers" and unleashed their creativity in their own little indie studio, that kicked balls of major studios and other indies by showing how indie game made by few guys can be all AAA and better than major AAA tiles made by big teams.

    After Outlast it would be shame for indie and major studios to not do games as good as Red Barrels did!
    Fully animated body awareness and pure realism and true immersion without UI, XP grind and stupid kills-streaks and with AI that can hear and see almost anything should be a new trend since now! Its damn 2013 not 2003 after all!    … Expand
  90. Soujirop
    Sep 27, 2014
    8
    The challenges presented in the game are a bit repetitive and usually they revolve around running from pretty much the same few monsters over and over again. The lack of puzzles makes the game too easy. And in summary it does not add anything knew to the fp survival horror that we haven't seen already on the Amnesia series.

    However, the experience is still pretty horrendous. The    The challenges presented in the game are a bit repetitive and usually they revolve around running from pretty much the same few monsters over and over again. The lack of puzzles makes the game too easy. And in summary it does not add anything knew to the fp survival horror that we haven't seen already on the Amnesia series.

    However, the experience is still pretty horrendous. The addition of a videocamera gives a lot to immersion, and the story of the asylum was interesting enough to make me search for every peace of data available.

    Overall, this is a recommended game, and a must have for horror lovers.    … Expand
  91. Subject98
    Sep 11, 2013
    8
    This was probably the most fun I've had playing a horror game in a good while, which surprised me because I really wasn't expecting much out of this one. Jump scares are definitely not the only things that will give you the chills, this game has strong atmosphere, and lurking around to avoid being seen by enemies can be some of the creepiest parts of the game, and can be terrifying whenThis was probably the most fun I've had playing a horror game in a good while, which surprised me because I really wasn't expecting much out of this one. Jump scares are definitely not the only things that will give you the chills, this game has strong atmosphere, and lurking around to avoid being seen by enemies can be some of the creepiest parts of the game, and can be terrifying when you're being chased. The game also has enough meat to it to put all of it's mechanics to good use without ever feeling underplayed or gimmicky. I also feel that the game does a good job of making you care about the main character's well being, he goes through so much crap in this game that it makes it all the more motivating to keep going and see what happens next. I wont say more, overall I highly recommend this to horror fans, it's pretty awesome.… Expand
  92. Cinetyk
    Oct 11, 2014
    6
    This is a solid survival horror game, with good production values, but, ultimately, it falls a bit flat on the storytelling and on the gameplay side of things, which is a shame.

    You play as a journalist that received information from a whistle-blower about "wrong" things happening on some mental asylum, and decide to go in and investigate, bringing your camera along. Without spoiling,    This is a solid survival horror game, with good production values, but, ultimately, it falls a bit flat on the storytelling and on the gameplay side of things, which is a shame.

    You play as a journalist that received information from a whistle-blower about "wrong" things happening on some mental asylum, and decide to go in and investigate, bringing your camera along. Without spoiling, as you arrive to the huge facilities, the place seems deserted, and soon enough, as you would expect, you encounter some pretty gory and disturbing stuff and the sh** hits the fan. So, a very cliché setting.

    The "horror" side of things is provided mostly with the atmosphere, the gore, and some jump scares (which are a bit predictable), nothing out of the ordinary. What is quite interesting here is the camera mechanics. You'll need your camera's night vision to navigate the numerous dark sections of the game, but also (and more importantly) you need the camera to record the events that you see. Only with your camera up will you be able to record your "notes" that you can read on the menu and provide some insight on what's going on. Problem is, using the camera, and night vision in particular, consumes batteries, and there's a limited supply of those around. Those notes and some scattered documents that you can search for throughout the game comprise most of the exposition you'll ever get.
    It sounded good, but, I felt that these documents and your "notes" are either a bit cryptic or otherwise not very informative or engaging. Also, you mostly encounter faceless zombie-like people, which you don't care much for. You'll also meet some characters, but there's hardly any dialogue or character development, and no cutscenes, which makes progression a matter of "do this, go there" where you don't have much agency or motivation other than because it's the way the game is. And basically you spend most of your time chasing after a character that seems to go out of his way to put obstacles between you or goes in the most bizarre labyrinthic path. I also found that the places you traverse along the way have little personality or "history", despite the potential of the setting and location. The setting and plot had much potential for more exploration of the characters, locations and stories.

    Outside of that, the game mechanics involve stealth, trying to stay out of sight and earshot or hide so as to manoeuvre around enemies, while finding keys or other objects, or activating some things to be able to progress. As you're just a feeble journalist, you cannot do any fighting whatsoever. While in theory it sounds good and oppressive, because you have no way to distract an enemy, it boils down too much to trial and error, which ultimately is more frustrating than scary as you are caught and die over and over again. After the first encounters you'll quickly realise this and it rapidly goes from scary to frustrating.

    Visually, it's very good, the visuals are very high quality with very good effects, especially the lighting system and your camera's night vision, which truly lend to a disturbing and scary atmosphere. There are multiple dark sections and the rainy sections on night vision are absolutely stellar. The sound is also on par, except that sometimes I found the positional audio a bit off, making it difficult to sneak around and understand the position of enemies with sound.

    In closing, though the production values are there, I found the storytelling a poor and the gameplay quickly went from providing tension, fright and scares to frustration and annoyance over its trial and error nature.    … Expand
  93. BrosefStalin
    Oct 13, 2013
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. My biggest problem with Outlast is that it doesn't do what it was made to do. At least not very well. I played through the game in one sitting, had the lights off, headphones on etc. and after the first hour of gameplay the scares felt boring. There were many times where the game showed potential by building up suspense, but those moments were wasted with tiny jump-scares, leaving me unsatisfied.

    *SPOILERS*
    There were some moments in this game that felt truly genuine. Moments like that would include going outside in the rain and the dark, and seeing the Walrider for the first time. In that moment I didn't exactly feel scared but I did feel uncomfortable, which is a feeling not many games can deliver. Another good example would be the scene where the player is captured by, and escapes, from Trager. Both of these scenes were good, but they were short lived and eventually became wasted potential.

    The plot in Outlast was interesting at best. Reading through most of the notes is necessary to understand the story, which is expected. After reading all the notes I could find, I felt confused by the end. The ending of the game was the most disappointing part. Outlast was a game that could have been so much better, but fell short in almost every aspect of the game.    … Expand
  94. von_Werra
    Sep 8, 2013
    8
    Hi. Outlast is a very good game. It starts very creepy, but, as the game advances, all this vanishes until is not a scary game anymore. At last it results so, so fun. Bye.
  95. Storm1672
    Jan 2, 2014
    7
    Outlast is a polished experience. It's a great scare and it does what its job quite nice. It's just that it's job is not quite stretched for a full fledged game. It's a rollercoaster in a lunatic asylum. It has good visuals, great sound (and music) and some pretty basic stealth gameplay. That's it. The story is a mess (there isn't one), as it doesn't develop at all and beside the "hide inOutlast is a polished experience. It's a great scare and it does what its job quite nice. It's just that it's job is not quite stretched for a full fledged game. It's a rollercoaster in a lunatic asylum. It has good visuals, great sound (and music) and some pretty basic stealth gameplay. That's it. The story is a mess (there isn't one), as it doesn't develop at all and beside the "hide in the corner, wait for him to turn his back, now go" there is no gameplay at all. It reminds a bit of Mirror's Edge without the cool moves or level design. It lasts about five hours and at about 2 hours in you will see the limitations of the enemies, so the fear effect won't affect you any more.

    It's great for some good scares, it has some great baddies and it creates pure tension, but it's hollow. You'll do the "collect 3 stuff" or "flip 2 switches" 5 or 6 times and that's the game. I must say I was hyped for this game but utlimately I can't help but feel disappointed. I expected at least a better story development and some puzzles. There are none. Nevertheless, it's got a ton of jumpscares and it's great if you want to use it for that. I disliked the battery searching, it didn't feel "survival genre" at all. It felt survival when I was being chased.

    At least the checkpoints are good and the polish level is unexpected for this type of (indie) game. The night vision effect looks suberb and everything looks and sounds as it should.

    It is scary, it has atmosphere, but it doesn't qualify as a full game. It just feels hollow.    … Expand
  96. Jodeth
    Dec 7, 2014
    9
    Not as scary as I had hoped, but everything else surpassed my expectations! Aside from the occasional glitch or hiccup, Outlast is a horror masterpiece. It sets the gore bar higher than any other game I've seen. Graphics are sweet and optimization is great. It would've been nicer to have an easy option to disable the film grain effect that is present at all times. I use a mod that disablesNot as scary as I had hoped, but everything else surpassed my expectations! Aside from the occasional glitch or hiccup, Outlast is a horror masterpiece. It sets the gore bar higher than any other game I've seen. Graphics are sweet and optimization is great. It would've been nicer to have an easy option to disable the film grain effect that is present at all times. I use a mod that disables it and I must say it looks much nicer without the effect. It's sad to see that some people think its potential is wasted. I enjoyed it a lot, as well as Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Slender: The Arrival. The reason I said it wasn't as scary is because hiding from the crazies is too easy. They never thoroughly check lockers or under beds. I feel like there should've been a more challenging hiding system that affects the outcome. Anyone remember the hiding system in Manhunt 2 on Wii? Outlast should've adopted something similar, perhaps like keeping the mouse in line with something while some crazy a-hole is looking directly at you in pitch black areas. It never hurts to build on the stealth. Oh well. Great game either way.… Expand
  97. SexyPCbuilder69
    Sep 7, 2013
    9
    All I can really say is you defiantly get your bang for your buck. I would pay upwards of $60 for this and I may not have finished it yet, but just wow.
  98. nemahsys
    Sep 6, 2013
    7
    I feel like the people who are rating this game an 8+ must have only played for about 90 mins. The game does scary very well but it wears off so quickly that you really start to nitpick the rest of the game once its gone.

    The textures on pretty much all the people you meet in the game are exactly the same. The facial scaring etc.. are so reminiscent of Fallout's ghouls that it made me    I feel like the people who are rating this game an 8+ must have only played for about 90 mins. The game does scary very well but it wears off so quickly that you really start to nitpick the rest of the game once its gone.

    The textures on pretty much all the people you meet in the game are exactly the same. The facial scaring etc.. are so reminiscent of Fallout's ghouls that it made me chuckle more than disturb or upset me in anyway.

    The story isnt really there. just sort of a walk along and read the odd note and chat it up with the poorly voice acted priest a few times.

    The run and hide mechanic gets really old once you realize you can sprint through every level picking up what you need with no real risk of ever dying or getting caught. You can literally run in circles around the games powerful nemesis "Walker" who chases you throughout your whole play-though. Seriously this guy loses all scariness once you make him do a few 360's.

    Admittedly Im not quite finished so maybe something else will happen to perk me up a bit, but overall I feel this game fell short in its mission of being the scariest game ever made. They really needed to add in a few more mechanics besides sprint and hide. Once you're no longer afraid of being caught or killed the only thing there to make it scary is the soundtrack which actually gets pretty damn obnoxious after an hour or so and most people I imagine will end up turning the volume down.

    Here's hoping machine for pigs delivers better.    … Expand
  99. Mushishi
    Sep 7, 2013
    7
    Desde que Amnesia pego el bombazo con su sistema de juego y ambientación. Aunque hubo títulos similares en el pasado, parece que ha vuelto la moda de juegos de horror donde el protagonista solo puede esconderse, huir y poner todo lo que pueda enmedio de sus perseguidores. Este juego sigue esa senda, y todo hay que decirlo. Lo hace bien.

    Sus monstruos son perturbadores, sus escenas    Desde que Amnesia pego el bombazo con su sistema de juego y ambientación. Aunque hubo títulos similares en el pasado, parece que ha vuelto la moda de juegos de horror donde el protagonista solo puede esconderse, huir y poner todo lo que pueda enmedio de sus perseguidores. Este juego sigue esa senda, y todo hay que decirlo. Lo hace bien.

    Sus monstruos son perturbadores, sus escenas macabras (Gráficos muy buenos), la inteligencia artificial está bastante pulida, el control es suave y no da muchos problemas excepto quizás en las escenas Quicktime. Los monstruos te persiguen sin trabarse, si saben que estás escondido en una de las taquillas te sacan arrastras de alli. etc. Una buena historia, quizás algo vista pero que se suple con los personajes secundarios tan "amigables" que te encuentras.

    Lo malo es que peca de una duración corta (es fácil, 5 horas y media), te dan demasiados golpes de limite (no necesitas buscar botiquines ni nada de eso, sino que recuperas la vida sino te golpean de seguido) y el entramado no te permite mucha exploración, demasiadas puertas cerradas y pocos cambios de escenario. Su precio es 18 euros, que yo los pague con gusto, creo que es rejugable aunque solo sea por revivir algunas de las escenas verdaderamente siniestras.    … Expand
  100. frits999
    Sep 7, 2013
    10
    It's an awesome game, if you haven't played it yet, do it 4-5 hours of fun, Good jumpscares, nice graphics and awesome gameplay! Play it f*** the haters just play it!
Page:

Awards & Rankings

52
#52 Best PC Game of 2013
20
#20 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
12
#12 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 59 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 50 out of 59
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 59
  3. Negative: 0 out of 59
  1. XGN
    Feb 21, 2014
    80
    A game that is not as innovative as you would hope. It is very old school. Nevertheless, this is a real horror-game and we can guarantee that you will freak out. It may be old school, but it is still a very good game that will blow you away.
    Read full review
  2. GameOver.gr
    Dec 5, 2013
    80
    This is probably the most horrifying experience in videogames, ever!
    Read full review
  3. Riot Pixels
    Oct 31, 2013
    80
    On one side, you have linear gameplay, at times simplistic game design and plenty of clichés. On the other – an exciting opportunity to star in a very cool horror ‘movie’.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »