Set to release sometime in spring 2017, Red Barrels Games’ “Outlast 2” is a follow-up to 2013’s “Outlast,” a first-person survival horror game set in a rundown asylum.
A demo for the sequel was released on Oct. 4 and takes about a half hour to get through.
This sets the stage for how the full-release will play and what it will be about. Rather than being an investigative journalist being trapped in a horrifying asylum, the demo for “Outlast 2” puts players in the shoes of another investigative journalist looking for his wife after a plane crash. Blake Langermann, the character’s name, stumbles his way through a seemingly abandoned village, and somehow make it into an abandoned high school setting.
The demo messes with the player character’s head, and in turn messes with the player’s head. Prior to the abandoned high school, the player has to escape being chased by a group of villagers with torches and pitchforks. Upon escape, the player falls down a series of plateaus before being knocked out. After waking up, the player sees they’re in the character’s old high school.
Visions of dark phantoms flying at and around the player, creepy ambient sounds playing, and the total darkness save for the night vision on the character’s camera make for a tense and unnerving environment.
The demo ends in a predictable manner, but it’s understandable why it does so. The tone set by the thirty minutes of gameplay bodes very well for the quality of the full-release. While the full game isn’t available to play in time for Halloween, the demo is certainly a creepy and enjoyable experience to spend a half hour on.
Playing the first “Outlast,” followed by the “Outlast 2” demo would be a great way to spend a night leading up to Halloween.
Look forward to “Outlast 2’s” release in the spring of 2017, to be available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
