Games of the survival horror genre is quite popular. And this is not surprising. Many gamers do not have enough in a life of thrills, and with the help of video games-horror movies to get a dose of adrenaline with no real threat to their health. Great games in this genre in recent years leaves a huge number, and to scare you can not only big-budget projects from big publishers (think the recent Resident Evil VII), but games from small indie studios. As, for example, Outlast 2, which I would like to talk today.
Independent canadian Studio Red Barrels can not boast a huge staff, because it employs only 17 people. But that didn’t stop the talented guys to release in 2013, the great horror Outlast, has won the hearts of gamers and game critics. The plot of the game journalist miles Upshur receives a mysterious letter in which he not called himself an employee of the Corporation “, Markoff” argues that within the walls of the hospital mount massive, conducted illegal experiments on human beings. Miles decides to conduct her own investigation and finds himself embroiled in a swirl of chilling events, out of which alive it will be Oh how difficult.
Outlast uses unusual mechanics, which excludes the possibility to damage foes. As miles Upshur is just a journalist, fight and shoot guns, he can not. Therefore, armed with a camera with night mode shooting, detective-taught saved from the mad patients, hospitals, doctors, perverts, horrible mutants and other monsters, while trying not to go crazy. The player can hide under beds and in empty lockers, move through the ventilation tunnels to escape from his pursuers, but it should be remembered that the battery in the camera, which you can see in the pitch dark, not infinite. Periodically it will have to change, otherwise you risk to lose his only chance for survival.
Not that such mechanics have not seen before in games. I was immediately reminded of a series of horror Clock Tower authored by Japanese Studio Human Entertainment in which the main character was forced to run and hide from a maniac killer. To fight she could not, therefore, only from time to time threw in his Stalker, something like a vase, slowing it down. Another similar game is Haunting Ground, which is the response of the publishing house Capcom on the Clock Tower. It is true there is the girl to contend with a serial killer helped the dog. In Outlast you have no friends from the word “all”. No vases to launch it at the enemy. There’s absolutely nothing. And this helplessness is particularly uncomfortable.
The story of Outlast 2 tells the story of a family couple of journalists Blake and Lynn Langerman. The couple travel to Arizona to investigate a mysterious murder case of a pregnant woman, whose body was discovered in the woods. On the way to the destination of their helicopter suddenly breaks down and crashes. Waking up, Blake discovers the burning wreckage of turntables, and there they crucified the pilot. His wife Lynn is kidnapped by members of the local cult, headed by a mad preacher Sullivan Notes. Armed with survivors camcorder, Blake goes in search of the missing half, simultaneously revealing new details of the horrific events taking place around us.
Developers do not hide that the plot of the game is the story of real American sect peoples Temple founded by Jim Jones. In 1978 in the community of Johnstown, where he settled members of the sect, at the same time committed suicide of 909 people. The circumstances of this horrific event are still controversial among specialists. Some believe that the priest actually convinced hundreds of people to commit suicide, while others insist that the human deaths were the result of a secret government experiment. Anyway, in the history of peoples Temple and the story of Outlast 2 there are many similarities. And this makes what is happening on the screen more realistic and therefore scary as hell.
Since the first part of the game became even more brutal and ruthless towards the player. The traditional greeting from the developers reads: “the Game contains scenes of serious violence, images of blood and dismemberment, sexual content and abuse. Enjoy!”. Well then tune in the desired fashion? The staff of Studio Red Barrels decided not to change anything in the well-proven game mechanics. Instead, they tried to bring up the quality of the new game, making it all around better than the original. And improve these immediately catch the eye. Especially those who are familiar with the first game of the series.
First, the game is much prettier in visual terms. I want to mention a more developed character models and their animation. The lighting is implemented just fine, and together with high-quality textures, sometimes you wonder – how realistic picture. Secondly, the game presents a much more varied and detailed locations. Events are no longer confined to a mental institution, so the main character happen to be in the forest, in the village of cultists, the slaughterhouse, an abandoned mine, and other creepy places. A change of scenery and went to play exclusively for the benefit as the first part of this plan sorely lacked diversity.
The game has become more brutal, bloody, and even in a sense, more disgusting and nasty. The developers did not hesitate to use all available means in order to affect the mentality of players, sometimes not disdaining even the most questionable methods. As you progress through the story, you will discover so terrible things that will be harder to resist and just not turn off the game in horror. Nervous in Outlast 2 will have a very hard time. In any case, don’t forget to read the many documents and papers in abundance scattered locations. They are complementary and reveal the plot, and allow you to get answers to many game raised questions. In addition, if you carefully read all the records, the ending of the game will not leave a feeling of incompleteness.
Another feature that differentiates the Outlast 2 game predecessor, was the parallel development of two storylines. From time to time Blake would fail in our memories of school days. Being in school, what he did remember in early childhood, he is to unravel the dark secrets of his past. These flashbacks are a kind of respite, allowing the player to relax from the nightmare that happens in the present. Even though in the past of the main character waiting for the real dangers. But they were significantly less than in the settlement of crazed religious fanatics.
The camera of the protagonist, in addition to night mode, familiar to us in the first game, has the ability to hear sounds and conversations through walls and obstacles. Thus it is possible to track the movement of enemies, without exposing himself thus from his hiding place. If the original Outlast protagonist periodically made notes in my notebook, pondering what he saw and experienced, in the sequel, the main character filming key scenes. After the scene is filmed, it can review the record and to hear the comments of the character about this. As before, you have to run away from his pursuers, lock or block the door, hide in barrels, in closets and under beds, solve puzzles. All the same eggs, only in profile.
The innovations in the game is also still there. For example, in the Arsenal of the protagonist has a couple new moves. He is now able to crawl through a narrow space, and with a running start to roll under overhanging obstacles. However, the enemies are no worse than him cope with narrow passages and also start to creep over you. Quite a controversial innovation is that now the protagonist is the scale of endurance and if it fizzles out, a chance to be caught by his pursuers committed to 100%. The camera is amazingly fast it eats batteries, since even super-sensitive microphone no longer eats extra energy. The developers have fixed this issue last patch, listening to players complaining about the high difficulty of the game. And she, believe me, is very difficult. Outlast 2 is also the opportunity to heal their wounds. For this purpose, the scattered locations of the bandages.
Seriously tainted the overall picture of the disgusting Russian localization of the game. The feeling that the game translated on Russian language eighth graders without any experience in such work. The translators confuse the kind of characters (all playing one of the female interpreters was considered a man), mistranslated expressions, confusing words. A vivid example of curve localization: the word “mercury” localizers translated literally as “mercury”, although it was elevated levels of “mercury” in the blood. The word “inexcusable” localizers somehow translated as “unforgettable”, that completely changes the meaning of the phrase. And such examples in the game is full. In General, anybody especially does not bother with the translation, which is why sometimes players will be quite difficult to understand what was going on in the dialogues and the discovered documents.
Pros:
- Great story, full of secrets and unexpected twists.
- The game became even more brutal, blatant and cruel.
- Strange ending, in which you need to understand properly.
- Significantly improved graphics, and character animation.
- New setting much variety of gameplay.
- As always, very interesting to read the discovered documents.
- The game is quite capable to scare even veterans of the genre.
Cons:
- The camera eats batteries with an incredible appetite.
- Endurance is extremely doubtful novelty.
- High complexity can someone scare.
- Russian localization is disgusting.
Outlast 2 is surprisingly deep and unscrupulous horror in the spirit of the old school that is sure to appeal to all fans of the genre. It resembles a nuclear mixture of the movies “Blair Witch”, “Report” and “Red state” with my favorite game Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth. Enjoy the story of the confrontation between a religious cult and journalists better at night all alone and using a good pair of headphones that provide hearing the slightest rustling. The story and an unexpected ending so entangled that to understand what is happening – a real pleasure. Despite the fact that, in General, a wonderful picture spoil some controversial moments, I give the game 8 out of 10 points.
Game review Outlast 2
Sergey Grey