Hands on Outlast 2

Many of the videogame fans still have the terrifying images of the first Outlast printed in their minds, released in 2013. Finally, to the delight of all fans, the second chapter has been announced and, in the past few hours, The Outlast 4 demo has also been made available to all PlayStation 2 users. The new title will be placed in the same universe as the previous chapter of the saga, but there will be different settings and characters. The co-founder of the software house also stated that the development work will last a long time since the team is made up of only 12 people, therefore falling into the category of indie developers. The new adventure by Red Barrels will therefore take you into a new nightmare inspired by the Jonestown Massacre of '78. We at Resources4Gaming have analyzed the trial version and these are our impressions.

Before talking to you about the actual demo it is right to make a brief introduction to the plot. In this videogame you will play the cameraman Blake Langermann, who works in the sector accompanied by his wife Lynn. The two are journalists specializing in the paranormal and luckily they find themselves involved in these terrifying events. In Outlast 2 the theme of religious fanaticism and violence reigns, crosses and satanic symbols will accompany you throughout the experience, so get ready to see scenes so macabre that even the bravest of users will shiver. In this world, evil is king and faith in an evil and bloodthirsty god reigns supreme. The game opens with a sharp fall that brings you to a creepy village. The only support you will have will be that of your video camera, be careful not to download it because it will be your only source of light: to avoid this you can collect the batteries scattered around the map. This mechanic will be essential in some cases because, in addition to seeing through the dark, you can take advantage of the zoom on what will attract your attention. The trial version is fairly linear but this does not affect the gruesome atmospheres that reign supreme throughout the experience.

Doors that creak with the force of the wind, the darkness, the sense of not knowing what is going to happen in a few seconds; these are all elements that having been matched in the right way have created the feeling of being constantly hunted by a dark presence. The commands, other than the aforementioned camera, are reduced to the bone: You can run, jump, retrieve items and hide from monsters in hiding places such as lockers and trunks. Basically you will find everything you left in the previous chapter, only this time they have been reintroduced with the necessary graphic improvements. The silence of the night will dominate throughout the demo and you will be called to go further and further into this inhabited center. You will soon realize that the local population has gone far beyond the concept of religious fanaticism, resulting in a crazy context without any reason. Basically in this phase you will have to hide and escape from your pursuers but, once everything is completed, the real journey will begin that will lead you to lose your reason.

After the first phase, which will end with your fall into a well after you have been dragged down by a giant tongue, the second will begin. You will be literally catapulted into a school, where a fully lit classroom will give you a slight feeling of peace and relief. Rest assured, it will only be a matter of time before you resume your nightmare in the dark corridors of the building. Outlast 2 in this demo it has not brought big news compared to its predecessor, proposing almost the same identical mechanics and the usual scarejumps. Despite this, the title immediately sets the record straight, proposing a setting to make you shiver and with a narrative premise that should not be underestimated. As we know, the biggest flaw of the first chapter was the continuous repetitiveness that led the user to understand certain dynamics, weakening the feeling of terror. What we basically hope from the new title is the variety in dealing with different situations, so as to remain glued to the chair with the fear that something could happen at any moment.

Twenty minutes of demos are very few to understand the true nature of Outlast 2, but they were enough to see how macabre and gloomy atmospheres continue to reign supreme. Unfortunately, as previously mentioned, the developers have not included any big news and therefore, in the long run, it could be a problem if this defect were also present in the full title. The story, previously inspired by the Jonestown massacre where 913 fanatics of a religious sect lost their lives resulting in the largest collective suicide known to man, seems to be in line with the general themes addressed in the video game. The work focuses on the evil born from the obsession of a certain religion, you players will be called to investigate and unravel the mystery that arises from the occult. Certainly the topics covered by the videogame are really very strong and thinking that it is an adventure suitable for everyone is almost impossible. We just have to wait for the official release to draw the necessary conclusions.