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Beckett vs: Outlast 2 on PlayStation 4

The release of Red Barrels’ most recent entry of the Outlast franchise was a gutsy move. From the controversial subject matter to the gruesome imagery depicted throughout the campaign, Outlast 2 paints a terrifying picture of a deranged religious cult and offers an edge of your seat experience while not quite reaching the heights it boldly strives to achieve. If you’re familiar with the original Outlast, you’ll know that at the time of its release there were very few video games like it – since when had someone played a game where you were forced to survive with only a video camera? Outlast 2 builds on the core pillars of what made the first game such a success and expands on the formula with the addition of a lengthy campaign, a visceral story, and frantic chase sequences.


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Outlast 2 puts you in the shoes of Blake Langermann, a journalist investigating the murder of an unnamed pregnant woman somewhere in the Arizona desert. Blake is accompanied by his wife Lynn, until he is separated from her in the game’s opening moments. It doesn’t take long for Blake to recognize how dire his situation is upon realizing his wife has been kidnapped by what appears to be a religious cult preparing for the End of Days, prophesying Lynn as being the vessel for the birth of the Antichrist. To make matters worse, Blake seems to be experiencing repressed memories of a disturbing childhood event and finds himself wandering the empty halls of his old elementary school in flashback sequences. The game’s story starts out to be very compelling, but becomes muddled through these flashbacks to Blake’s childhood, and relies heavily on the player to locate notes and files to obtain a clearer understanding of the game’s events, past and present. Without spoiling anything, the finale is a bit open-ended and will definitely leave some players with more questions than answers. Personally, this is something I don’t mind as I appreciate when game developers leave the interpretation to the player, within reason. But for some, the lack of a solid explanation may inhibit their enjoyment of the title overall.

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Outlast 2’s graphical presentation is breathtaking, from the moon reflecting off rippling water to flayed men displayed on a cross. The visuals tend to make the stomach churn, due to the often extremely detailed scenes Blake encounters throughout his search. Furthermore, the visuals compared to the first Outlast show a marked improvement, and the graphics look as if they’d be seen in a AAA game.

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The gameplay of Outlast is fairly simple for series familiars – instead of a weapon you have your trusty digital camcorder which allows you to find your way through the darkest places with its night vision mode. The drawback is that night vision uses batteries. Since Blake prefers to use old but proven technology, he opts for replaceable batteries instead of rechargeable ones, so the player must seek these out in the environment and will often go off the main beaten path to do so. This adds further tension as it is challenging to find your bearings again.

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Failure became frustration, and I found that the chases became more about trial and error – with every death came more clarity on the correct path to take.

The chase sequences are a welcome addition, although they are not well executed. During my first chase sequence I found myself elevated by how this action event furthered the story. As the game carried on, however, the sequences became increasingly repetitive. I found that I would get stuck on invisible rocks or uneven ground that would abruptly end the chase in my death. Failure became frustration, and I found that the chases became more about trial and error – with every death came more clarity on the correct path to take. During these sequences, I felt locating the exit to the next area was difficult. As time went on I eventually learned where to look if I was stumped, but there were numerous times where I spent 10 minutes or more exploring the same area to find the way out.


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My personal approach to any horror game is to usually attempt my first playthrough on a difficulty higher than the default “normal”, as I enjoy the challenge. Upon starting Outlast 2 in “Nightmare” mode, I found the experience almost unplayable when encountering a certain enemy that follows you throughout the course of the game. For example, there was one instance early on in the game when I silently rounded the corner of a wagon I was hiding behind (at this time the enemy wasn’t in view, but was around the corner of a house farther away), and it immediately became aware of my presence and proceeded to kill me. After multiple attempts at getting around this, I eventually gave up and switched the difficulty to “Hard” mode, which was still difficult, but playable.

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Outlast 2 is a very well-intentioned yet slightly flawed sequel that tries to expand and improve on nearly every aspect of the original game, but doesn’t fully succeed in doing so. Despite this, there are some genuinely memorable terrifying moments that would be hard to find in any other game. Fans of horror and the prior series installments will feel right at home throughout their playthrough, and newcomers are lucky to start their terrifying journey with the most accessible title in the franchise. However, those who have an aversion to religious cults, excessive amounts of gore and graphic imagery, or dated camera technology, should be advised to steer clear, as this game is not for you.

FINAL SCORE: 7.5

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©2023 by beckett van stralen. all written content within belongs to the writer.

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