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'Outlast 2' is all about documenting your own mental breakdown
Philippe Morin wants to break your brain. As a creator of the grotesque, critically acclaimed horror series Outlast, he delights in dissecting the psychology of terror and dreaming up new nightmares for video game fans. Look at Outlast 2. Morin's latest project -- due out for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 this spring -- promises to play with the idea of isolation in unexpected ways. The game throws players in the middle of the sprawling Northern Arizona desert, but the setting isn't designed to generate the feeling of freedom. If Morin gets his way, this vast environment will make players feel claustrophobic, crushed by all the open space and consumed by fear of the horrors it might be hiding. "This time we could afford to pursue a little more thoroughly the psychological layer," Morin says. "Internally what we've been saying is, the first Outlast was meant to take away your physical integrity, and the second Outlast will take your mental integrity."
'Outlast 2' drops you in a desert for a fresh batch of nightmares
The Outlast 2 demo made me jump and shriek in the middle of the E3 show floor, in Microsoft's rowdy Xbox space where I was surrounded by swashbuckling pirates, roaring racing games and joyous fans. With my clammy fingers gripping an Xbox One controller, headphones hugging my ears, Outlast 2 sucked me in. Its setting, a pitch-black northern Arizona desert, was impressively immersive -- not to mention accurate to the actual Supai region that inspired it. I should know: I've backpacked through the area. The Outlast 2 demo is horrifying, wonderful, gruesome and downright marvelous -- in a bone-chilling kind of way.
Terror returns in 'Outlast 2,' confirmed for fall 2016
Outlast was one of the most horrifying games of 2013 -- and perhaps of all time. Our review called it a "perfect nightmare" of gore, mental strain and tense sound design, and the Whistleblower DLC, which followed in 2014, was similarly heart-pounding. Just two days before Halloween 2015, independent studio Red Barrels has unveiled Outlast 2, due next fall for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Mac. Details are scarce, but we know that this sequel will be a brand-new beast. "The game will be a survival-horror experience and it will take place in the same universe as Outlast, but it will have different characters and a different setting," Red Barrels co-founder Philippe Morin outlined in October 2014. A brief teaser trailer released today suggests Outlast 2 will continue the franchise's theme of haunting religious imagery.
Outlast promises new demo at PAX, doesn't promise to clean your pants
Outlast was placed front and center as part of the PS4's love letter to indie games, and as we mentioned when we saw it at E3, it's pretty damn creepy. But perhaps you're made of sterner stuff. Perhaps you consider yourself unshakeable. Unscareable. Just that damn brave. Well, challenge accepted, says developer Red Barrels, who's giving you a few different options for testing your mettle against the frightening confines of Outlast's abandoned Mount Massive Asylum. First, they'd like to bribe you with a discount. Starting today and stretching through the game's PC launch on September 4, you can snip 20% off the $19.99 asking price if you pre-order on Steam. If that's not enough to entice you, you could attend the "Guide to Survival Horror" panel at PAX Prime next week, where Outlast developer David Chateauneuf will explain how he goes about trying to get players to wet their pants. That option has Joystiq's own Susan Arendt (that's me!) thrown in as an extra bonus. (I'm also on that panel.) If neither of those are enough to sway you - well, frankly, my feelings will be a little hurt that you don't want to come see me - Red Barrels will also have a brand new Outlast demo on hand. If it's anything like the last one, it will make you yelp like a small dog and question the life choices that brought you to that booth.
