Indie developer Red Barrels caught the attention of horror fans in a great way when it released its opus Outlast on PC this fall, and now, it's time for PlayStation 4 gamers to get in on the action. As of today, the game is available on the console for free with a PS Plus account. Now, as playing games online requires just such a subscription, I'm willing to bet dollars to doughnuts that most of you already have yourselves an account. Obviously, the price of the game is right, but in case you're debating squandering your precious PS4 memory, here are some early reviews to help you decide if the game is worth a few megabytes and soiled drawers.
IGN, 7.8/10 - "I can safely say that Outlast made me jump out of my chair more often in its four-hour descent into Hell than any other game ever has. It's a tense, brutal trek that strips you of any power to defend yourself as you try to avoid the deranged mental patients that roam the halls of this horrifyingly gorgeous world.You'll run, hide, and just generally be terrified as you discover the horrors that reside within Mount Massive Asylum. But in between the wealth of scares and beautiful environments, Outlast has a tendency to bog down via uninspired mission objectives and a few disappointing design choices...Outlast can stand proudly as a unique and terrifying survival horror game. Unlike many modern horror games, it remembers that the most frightening monsters are those that you can't kill, but have to flee from, and it creates an outstandingly creepy atmosphere that rendered me defenseless against its many well-paced jump scares. Annoying design choices and forced moments of repetition have a bad habit of spoiling the mood, but between them is an experience that's scary as all hell."
Official PlayStation Magazine, no score - "This is an experience with sights resolutely set on chills over thrills. Rather than focus on big monsters, action or huge boo moments, this expertly uses the gaps between the scares to let you torture yourself stupid with half seen shapes or definitely (probably) heard noises, while slowly opening doors like they could explode at any moment. Only to find nothing on the other side. That's not to say there isn't action and jumps. Oh there are jumps. Unpleasant things that fall in front of your face, unpleasant things that want to remove your face, and then just the unpleasant. Lots of unpleasant. Unpleasant all over the place...Somewhat limited by its own mechanics this is still a masterclass in videogame horror. The overuse of its core 'run away and hide gameplay' lessens the impact overtime but the visual and aural execution are flawless, making for a terrifying opening few hours, an unpleasantly distressing close and a satisfying exercise in fear throughout.
ShopTo, no score - "You know a game is far too frightening when you stop playing in the dark on your 42" LED TV and start playing via remote play on the PS Vita in order to dampen the impact. You can call me a wimp if you like, but considering the lack of a truly pant wetting title in the past few years, Outlast comes as something of a surprise. I'm not really sure what it is about Outlast that got me the most. The fact that you can't defend yourself is pretty frightening, although it's not helped by the fact that the night light on your character's video camera adds a scary green tinge to an already creepy surrounding. Add in the ever present music which adds to the tension tenfold, as well as the fact that your character is in the middle of nowhere in what seems to be a mass murder scene and it all gets a bit tense really...Outlast does have some issues with repetition should you fail at the tasks, which in turn will take away from the experience a little, however don't let that put you off because if you like horror then this game is most definitely for you, especially given the fact that it's free on PlayStation Plus. Be aware that you might need an adult nappy if playing at night, but apart from that you are good to go."
More reviews as they come in, but for now, if you enjoy being terrified, Outlast is right up your alley. Mind the asparagus if you want to make sure no one's the wiser.