Outlast II

Outlast II is a survival horror video game developed and published by Red Barrels. An indirect sequel to the previous game, it follows Blake Langermann, a photographer who crashes in the Supai Region of Arizona, and must navigate through an unknown commune of religious fanatics in order to rescue his wife, Lynn.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Builds off of the terrifying atmosphere of the previous game, only now with more open areas and more subtle scares.
 * 2) Great voice acting, especially Shawn Baichoo who once again voices the main character, Blake, only this time, he actually talks.
 * 3) Enemies are a lot smarter in this game compared to the first Outlast. They won't waste time bashing down doors if they're not locked. They'll also search rooms more thoroughly if they know you're nearby, so you must keep moving from spot to spot in order to keep from getting caught. Think you're safe crawling through small holes or crevices? They'll still pursue you if they can fit in it.
 * 4) Improved game mechanics. You can now actually record video, which Blake will comment on, and use your camera's microphone to find out where an enemy is, even if you can't see them. The movement is also improved as Blake can swim, crawl, and can jump aside and backwards as a means to avoid enemies.
 * 5) Intriguing story. Now, instead of being trapped in a single mostly closed area, you're trapped in a vast and mostly open mountain commune, and being that it's mostly night, that makes it even more scary in a way as an enemy could be very close without you able to easily see them. While many would expect an overtly religious cult, there's also a cult of Satanists who are even worse in some ways even if they oppose the others. There's also traumatic memories from Blake and Lynn's past which haunt Blake throughout and lead to a legitimately saddening backstory.
 * 6) You can now explore plenty of different buildings throughout the commune, there's plenty of non-linear areas for you to explore for collectibles or supplies. Though caution is advised in doing so as some doors may be traps with an enemy that insta-kills you behind it.
 * 7) Unlike the first game, where you heal automatically, you need bandages in order to heal now, which makes the game a bit more tense as it's yet another resource you need to look for in order to survive.
 * 8) Sullivan Knoth has written out his own profane scriptures, which you can find throughout the world and give interesting and very disturbing insight into the beliefs of the fanatics.
 * 9) It deals with some more intense themes like rape, forced abortions, and child molestation, and does so without ever showing any of them and clearly vilifying all.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The game can be considered is step down in many ways.
 * 2) *The story might feel like a step down by comparison to the first, which had a more simple story and knew it. This story isn't terrible by any means (see WIR #6), but it can feel needlessly complicated at times and a little cliché. Plenty of things are never explained, even in the deeper lore.
 * 3) *The game is far more involved with outside spaces than the first one, which took place almost exclusively within the walls of Mount Massive Asylum. As such it's a lot less linear and it's more difficult to figure out where to go or what to look for, which could already be a confusing issue in the first game. Taking this to the extreme are the school segments, where there is no set "goal", and the single highly dangerous enemy does not obey normal enemy logic (i.e. occupying a single space and chasing from there, needing to be aggro'd before a chase starts, being fooled by hiding spots) that remains constant with all other encounters. Trial-and-error is pretty much enforced unless you take the easy way out and flick through a walkthrough.
 * 4) *The villains introduced aren't as interesting nor do they leave the same impact as the ones from the original as majority of them are given no backstory and seem to be nothing more than enemies who want to kill Blake.
 * 5) Cliché Storm: The game uses basically every horror trope there is, with varying degrees of humanoid abominations, tons of jump scares, cat scares, no way to defend yourself, a Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane situation, an ambiguous downer ending, having no way to contact the outside world or escape, implausibly strong killers, an evil influence, a main character with a dark secret, and a ridiculous amount of almost over-the-top Gorn (such as the piles of dead babies for a start), far more than even the first game. Although these were all traits present to some degree in the first game, it's taken up to eleven in this one.
 * 6) A rather confusing ending that's very open-ended and doesn't answer a whole lot of questions. Is Lynn's child really the Antichrist? Was the final shot really the apocalypse beginning and/or the Murkoff building exploding? That is, if the baby was real to begin with.
 * 7) *According to the comic book: Outlast: The Murkoff Account, Lynn's sudden pregnancy was actually a phantom pregnancy caused by the tower relays, meaning that the baby was, in fact, never real. The only reason Blake was able to see the baby was because he was brainwashed as well, explaining his frequent hallucinations. Speaking of Blake, he's still alive but is stuck in a catatonic state, and the explosion he witnessed wasn't the sun but actually the Murkoff building.
 * 8) Like the first one, it can feel like it relies on graphic violence a bit too much, even if it is a little toned down by comparison (only a little, though).
 * 9) *Despite that, found in the game files, is unused sounds of Jessica (Who is a minor) getting raped by Father Loutermilch. In which these sounds had a point in the story at one point, but was removed possibly due to how inappropriate it was and how pedophilic it is too.
 * 10) The section on a raft is pretty tedious as the controls are quite stiff and the movement is quite slow until you get in the rapids.
 * 11) While not a bad idea and serves as a way to give backstory on Blake's opinion towards religion and the backstory of his childhood friend, Jessica, there are far too many school segments as they just...happen while in the middle of some kind of chase or something significant. This in turn, messes with the pacing and thus makes the game feel all the more disjointed.

Reception
Outlast 2 received "generally positive" reviews from critics but received "mixed or average" reviews for the PlayStation 4 version.

Destructoid 's Nic Rowen scored the game an 8/10 with the consensus "Impressive effort with a few noticeable problems holding it back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth most people's time and cash."

James Kozanitis from Game Revolution gave the game a score of 4.5 out of 5 stars saying that "A good horror game should make you dread the idea of playing it, but keep you glued to the screen while you actually are. Outlast 2 is that game. While more involved fans might be disappointed as to how the story resolves, I found it hit the sweet spot between overly expository and frustratingly vague. Segments from Outlast 2 are forever burned into my memories, acting as much as a traumatic experience as it was an exhilarating one. The thematic elements present throughout make the game even more high-stakes, taking a toll on you as a moral human being. God doesn't love Outlast 2 – not like I do."

Louise Blain of GamesRadar+ awarded it 2.5 out of 5 stars stating that, "Horrific in completely the wrong way, Outlast 2 is a night-vision journey into frustration. An intriguing story just can't save the infuriating misery that awaits."

Lucy O'Brien's score of 8.3/10 on IGN said that "Outlast 2 is a terrifying successor to the 2013 original that keeps the scares coming at a relentless pace."

7.5/10 was Philip Kollar's score on Polygon with the consensus: "Outlast 2 may be the single most qualified recommendation I've given in my history of writing reviews, and not just because of its occasionally stilted design. This is a game that often left me feeling like complete trash. It brought up some of the most difficult memories in my life, issues I had buried long ago. My reactions to that anguish have run the gamut, but more than anything, I respect that Outlast 2 has the singular focus and intensity to dredge up those emotions; that alone made it worth the time spent for me."

Alice Bell's 6/10 score on VideoGamer.com stated that "Outlast 2 has some great design elements, and the night-vision handy-cam mechanic is still scary. But the jump scares and gore don't mix right with the elements of psychological horror, and the story retreads horror tropes that didn't need retreading."

The game was nominated for "Use of Sound, Franchise" at the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards.

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