Outlast is a first-person horror game developed and published by Red Barrels. It's available on PC, Xbox One, and PS4. Yeah, this is a video game and not an anime, but whatever, my site, my rules. This is the first 'actual horror game' I ever actually finished. Be wary of extreme violence and language. Was it worth my time checking it out, or should I have just fled in terror?
Story: The game takes place in an asylum, which is always a great sign of safety. You are Miles Upshur, a reporter here to bring to light the inhumane goings on that have been reported to take place here. However, the horrors here go far beyond anything you have expected. Horrible, insane mutants roam the halls, looking to make you their plaything. It's up to you, armed with your trusty camera to uncover the conspiracy that has taken place here, and escape with your life. The story serves well as a frame for the horror taking place here, and it's presented very well, not spelling things out entirely for you, forcing you to read every file you find to uncover the truth. That said, there isn't too much story here, but that's not really a bad thing. There is just enough to keep you interested, but too much where you have lengthy cutscenes. I would have liked more, but what we got was compelling. Story gets 7/10.
Gameplay: As is the current trend in horror games, you are entirely defenseless against the hordes of lunatics you are trapped with. All you can do is run and hide. I played the game on normal, so I could afford to make mistakes, but the higher difficulties are really punishing, and forces you to think about where you go, and what you do when you get there. With your camera, you can zoom in and use night vision, but night vision requires batteries. Batteries being required for your night vision makes hiding in the dark even more intense. Do you go through darkness now so you have more batteries later, or keep your lights on, hoping to get more batteries as you go along. Make sure to go through every room you can to get this resource, it's extremely important here. However, when you have ungodly monstrosities chasing you, you may just want to rush to the end of the area. You have no shove or anything, so hiding in the right locker, under the right bed, or running at the right time is all you can do to save your life.
You can hit R2 or L2 while standing still to peek around, while running, if you hit R2 on your controller, you can look behind you, which can help in a chase. However, I didn't find myself using it too much. It's such a thrilling experience, and on normal difficulty, with some common sense and a little bit of item management, you can get through it. It's not a very long game, you can finish it in one terror-filled night, but that means it doesn't outlast (heh) its welcome. Gameplay gets 8/10.
Graphics: The game looks really good, keep in mind I played on PS4, so it may not be as good as whatever insane PC settings you can get. The oppressive atmosphere really kept you from ever, at any time feeling safe. You are trapped with these crazies, and it looks good to match. The designs for the enemies, while not extremely memorable, did look really creepy, and you never wanted to know what they'd do with you when they caught you. The lighting is very bad, in a very good way. In many sections, it forces you to use your night vision, which looks like those found-footage horror movies. It's very effective.
I had no complaints with the graphics in this game, and the gore sure does make one feel ever more uncomfortable. It does its job well. 8/10
Sound: The voice acting in Outlast is pretty good. While you character never actually speaks, his screams and whimpers added to the atmosphere. The doctor sound sufficiently crazy, the Walrider mysterious, and the beefcake chasing you threatening. The sound cues for when you are discovered are reminiscent of Metal Gear Solid, and do the job of freaking you out well. The music is few and far between, but the few bits of music in the game are haunting, and lends itself to the atmosphere. The sound in the game is good, but nothing insanely good or memorable. 7/10
Sound: The voice acting in Outlast is pretty good. While you character never actually speaks, his screams and whimpers added to the atmosphere. The doctor sound sufficiently crazy, the Walrider mysterious, and the beefcake chasing you threatening. The sound cues for when you are discovered are reminiscent of Metal Gear Solid, and do the job of freaking you out well. The music is few and far between, but the few bits of music in the game are haunting, and lends itself to the atmosphere. The sound in the game is good, but nothing insanely good or memorable. 7/10
Overall: Outlast is a blast to play through, an exhilarating 'haunted house' throughout. While it was lots of spooky fun, there isn't really any replay value here unless you hunger for trophies/achievements. I got this game free off of Playstation Plus a while back, and it's not too expensive to begin with. I'd definitely say it's worth the price of admission, especially if you play it with a few friends. I give Outlast 7.5/10.