Outlast II

Outlast II is a marked improvement over the original Outlast in almost every way. It’s still scary, yet utilises smarter designed scares to keep the tension high from beginning to end. The story is bound to be controversial, given the themes it tackles, but will easily demand and keep your attention from beginning to end. First person indie horror as a genre has lost its vision over the years, but Outlast II firmly stands tall as one of the best examples. It’s absolutely terrifying and a staunch improvement over the original.

While you won't feel any sympathy for an overly talkative player character, the story will intrigue you, your enemies will terrify you, and every scene will leave you awestruck with dread.

Forgiving a story that leans a bit too heavily on its forebears, Outlast 2 is an excellent horror game. It’s frightening, repulsive, and filled with the thrilling anxiety of the best games of its type. It does exactly what a sequel should. It delivers on all of the refinements and expansions you would expect to find three years from the original; and though its larger environments sometimes lead to repeated deaths, they also amplify the dread of being hunted. Outlast 2 made me uncomfortable...

While walking down a school corridor, lockers open and close of their own accord, like shutters in a strong wind. The walls bleed a deep red and pulsate like bulging veins. A girl’s melancholic voice sings a children’s song in the distance. Immediately, an overwhelming sensation comes over me: I know I’m not alone.

Republished on Wednesday 30th October 2019: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of October's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows.

Outlast 2 is visually beautiful, tense and boasts a grotesque but intriguing story. Unfortunately, the overabundance of atrocious chase sequences completely destroy any and all tension and fun the game has going for it.

Outlast II should have been everything that the first game wasn't. Instead, it's a bloated, overwrought, and incredibly frustrating survival horror game. Not terrible by any means, but not all that great either. Shame.

After several months of delays, the sequel to one of the most well-received survival horror games ever made is finally out. Does Outlast 2 live up to its predecessor or will it have you screaming for all the wrong reasons?