A girl has gone missing in rural Arizona, you’re documenting your wife Lynns investigation into this peculiar disappearance. While hovering over the desert a blinding light envelops the atmosphere and your helicopter crashes to the ground. The journey that follows takes you through a town plagued by religious fanatics, who’s leader ‘prophet knoth’ engages in community wide infanticide. Blake (you) endures Crucifixion, sexual assault, the contraction of syphilis and living through the horrendous activities of the community all the while reliving suppressed trauma of a childhood friends death. Outlast two weaves an intriguing plot into a cold, unforgiving game.
It’s reasonably obvious that the game looks great, opposed to the previous game more thought has been put into dramatic lighting and the way this can play with the audiences psychology, especially as this is in the context of horror. A scene I found genuinely beautiful; you have just escaped biblical level hallucinations, while a grotesque horror grabs at you from the depths of a lake, you reach land; you are greeted by rain, crimson red rain. Relief from danger momentarily, but no escape from the oppression , even brief moments of reprieve are dotted with cues that leave you uneasy. The game looks, hauntingly beautiful.
I have have complex feelings in regards to the narrative. The method of delivery is incredibly confused. It lays itself in a pretty straight forward manner; you discover more about the religion, the dichotomy between val and Knoth, the reasons for the murder of innocent children and most importantly, why they have taken Lynn. She is pregnant. Supposedly with the Antichrist. While you explore Blake deals with regular blacking out (often cued by the blinding light) and we slowly unravel his suppressed trauma in regards to the death of his childhood friend; Jessica. These are the most terrifying and fascinating parts of the game. The reason why I have issues with the narrative structure is that it doesn’t actually give direct answers, but it’s lain out in a way of which you expect it too. With a little more attention to notes and environmental story telling, more of the cryptic story can be ascertained, however it is still tenuous (there is no set in stone explanation) and very convoluted.
Outlast two is very scary, especially the first few hours are genuinely terrifying, it’s sound design is tremendous, it’s build up of tension flawless and it’s environment masterfully designed; but after you delve deeper into the game the game play does unfortunately get pretty stale, due to the very set paths you have to take, and the fact it’s trial and error, things tend to loose their fear factor after the eighth or ninth replay, instead of fear I felt frustration and boredom ( on some sections).
The themes of Outlast two definitely are challenging, it was banned in Australia even before release (see link below). It pushes the boundaries of what a horror game can be, it’s definitely worth playing, but by no means perfect.
Banned in Australia- https://www.gamespot.com/articles/outlast-2-banned-in-australia/1100-6448757/
Outlast 2- http://outlast.wikia.com/wiki/Outlast_2
Thanks
Robert Faux
Robert Faux 