A lot of us who have enjoyed playing the first Batman game in the Arkham series will know that it could be seen as a sort of horror due to the first game being completely in the titular asylum. Places like those can be scary, but not for ol' Bats of course. That isn't to say that all games set in an asylum are like what is depicted in the Arkham games. Most of them (and appropriately so) are scary games with jumpscares and all sorts and these two games are just some of the many that you can play on PC and various consoles. So let's get prepped up as we enter another asylum based game series:
Outlast
The first game of the series has you play as a freelance investigative journalist known as Miles Upshur (voiced by Shawn Baichoo) who one day decides to venture into the remote psychiatric hospital known as Mount Massive Asylum which is located deep in some mountains somewhere. One thing that may put people off from playing this game is that much like very similar horror games, it's told through a first-person perspective which is a known thing to put people off from playing. Along with the usual tropes that come with this kind of game, you don't have a health bar nor a means to attack enemies. There is a huge emphasis on stealth which is basically the only way you'll be able to avoid enemies as you navigate the asylum to find a way out. As well as that, you will be relying on a camcorder with night vision which drains batteries over time so basically find more batteries as you press on which the game will provide plenty of them if found. But as well as night vision, you can use it to photograph things and also collect documents that provide some lore and backstory. And yes there is a DLC which expands on things that are told at the beginning. This is a very good game. Scary in almost every way and of course it would make sense that the main character can't fight as he is only a reporter. But yes a great horror game and its DLC is pretty good too. 9/10
2
So in what is becoming a new way to tell stories, the sequel is not a direct continuation of the first game but rather a different story with different characters and settings, but similar in terms of the horror content. The game sees journalist Blake Langermann (voiced by Baichoo) and his wife Lynn (voiced by Erika Rosenbaum) roaming the Arizona desert to explore the murder of a pregnant woman with no name. But the pair get separated after a helicopter crash which forces Blake to go find his wife while navigating through a village of deranged beings that believe that the end is upon them. Gameplay is largely the same as with the first game, but with the addition of stamina which players need to keep an eye on. In addition, the camcorder is much more advanced this time as it can do clearer footage, zoom and has a sensitive microphone that can detect movement. Combat this time around is limited only to scripted scenes as opposed to none at all. Pretty much close to being the same game but with obvious differences. Compared to the first game, I find the idea of exploring a village in the dark is less scary than an asylum. But despite this, the enemies can be unpredictable as a result. This is sort of good in a way I find as it means we have to think a bit more about how to survive. So yeah a good sequel, but could have done with more things added. 8/10
With another game on the way in 2021, this is a pretty good series. It shows that you don't need a lot to make a scary game because you can make found footage games scary just as you would with many others. So yeah definitely give them a try especially if you dread the idea like I did. 9/10
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