Three years ago, developer/programmer Red Barrels gave players a first-person survival horror video game known as Outlast. The original game focused on a freelance investigative journalist known as Miles Upshur who investigates a psychiatric hospital in Lake County, Colorado. There is a sequel that takes place in the same universe appropriately titled Outlast 2, and it will have its release date later this year.
Last week, at the big E3 2016 video game convention at the Los Angeles Convention Center, there were demonstrations of Outlast 2. The word from many journals like Engadget was scary and downright freaky.
There is a video of it that you can see below that shows a lot of action that takes place in the dark. It takes place in the Arizona desert, and it looks very similar to the Supai region of its inspiration. Of course, not a lot can be seen, and the demo shows wandering around in a place that is full of religious symbolism like crosses, which means that cult activity could be afoot.
As far as the story is concerned, Outlast 2 stars two investigative journalists of Blake and Lynn Langermann, a couple who are trying to discover the murder of a pregnant woman known as Jane Doe. The game begins with a helicopter crash that Blake survives, and fortunately, his glasses did as well. He then wanders around looking for his wife.
The style seems to be imitating that of the found footage horror film The Blair Witch Project. That is, there is a character who has a camera that is more steady than the one from the low-budget 1999 horror film. Fortunately, the character has a camera with a night vision sight, when he has the batteries for it to work. Honestly, I'm not certain what is scarier, when the character is in the dark or when he can see. In the dark, there isn't anything around that is moving, particular one really terrifying pair of glowing eyes.
I haven't had much experience playing horror games, because they are honestly too scary for me. The idea is being able to turn and get a jump scare makes me terrified. I barely got through the first level of Slender: The Arrival. You know how in a horror movie, the protagonist goes places that the audience would soon avoid? That happens a lot in Outlast 2.
According to Red Barrel Games site, Outlast 2 will be available on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. There isn't really a specific release date, but this looks like a game that is made for Virtual Reality. That is, if the player can take it. Does anyone think the idea of an enemy that you will turn your head and see attacking something fun? If so, then this is your game.
