Game Review: Outlast 2 Demo
Share:
Why did I do this to myself?
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, after about four hours of biting my nails and contemplating whether it was worth buying new underwear, I downloaded the Outlast 2 demo, which is now free on Steam.
Completely separate from the first game, we go deep into Arizona, into the canyons of the desert, late at night. You are a reporter, much like in the first game, with your wife, reporting on a woman who was eight months pregnant and found in the middle of the desert. It is then revealed that the woman took her life when admitted to hospital, amid mindless babbling.
The two are riding in a chopper as the game opens, but it goes haywire and crashes.
And you wish you’d gone with it.
With your wife missing, you head towards a town nearby, in hopes of finding her. But what you find is… something else entirely.
We’ll avoid spoilers, simply because it’d be a shame to foil it.
So let’s talk gameplay.
It plays very similarly to its predecessor, but has less focus, I felt, on using the night vision. The outside environment is sparsely lit, but you’ll need to save your batteries for when you get to inside segments. Also, being outside does nothing to hinder the horror of the game. If anything, it helps. Because you feel as though there should be an escape. You should be able to just turn around and leave. But you never do.
There are jump-scares galore, and the atmosphere is oppressive, and with sound design as good as it is, you never feel alone. There are rustlings in the bushes on the paths. Footsteps and moving gravel on the ridges above you. You are being watched.
The end of the demo is quite gruesome, so if you’re squeamish, beware.
It also tells you very little.
You have no idea what’s going to happen. You don’t know what you’ve dipped your head into. But we’re excited to see where it goes.
It’s a really decent demo, and only takes about half an hour to complete.
We look forward to the full release!