E3 2016 - Outlast 2 Preview and Interview

One of the most popular indie horror games to come out in the past few years was Outlast, a true survival horror game where you must escape an asylum with only your wits, your camera, and a variety of hiding places. Outlast exploded on YouTube, becoming a popular choice for YouTubers as many horror games do, and was well-received not only for being truly terrifying, but for its memorable characters and incredibly in-depth DLC, Whistleblower. Red Barrels announced last year that Outlast 2 was in the works and started demoing the game at PAX East. This year at E3, TechRaptor got the chance to try out the demo and talk to Red Barrels co-founder Philipe Morin about the development of Outlast 2. 

Outlast 2 takes us to an Arizona desert town, away from the comfort of Mount Massive Asylum. You play as Blake Langermann, who finds himself stranded and searching for his wife, when the two attempted to investigate the murder of a pregnant John Doe. This is where the demo starts, directly after an unfortunate crash where husband and wife are separated. Similar to the original Outlast, you are accompanied only by a camera, and your weapon appears to be your own two feet. However, the setting is entirely new, as you wander through a dark, near abandoned town that seems to house a fanatic cult. Also new are far more supernatural elements at play; you're dragged into a wall by a giant tongue, which lands you in what appears to be a normal looking school. From there you end up in a field, running from the cultists until eventually you seem to get away ... only to be caught yet again, in likely the most gruesome way you can. Like Outlast, Outlast 2 promises truly inventive gore and horrific imagery that will exceed even that found in Whistleblower. 

Outlast and Outlast: Whistleblower had several very memorable characters but at least in the beginning, none seemed superbly monstrous in appearance, though many appeared mutated by the experiments done at the asylum. Outlast 2 takes it in a different direction, as Blake seems to run into monsters at every turn. It is everything that made Outlast good, now exploring a whole new setting.

TechRaptor got to talk to Red Barrels founder Philipe Morin, who worked on the original Outlast, and says the new one pushes the limits of what is terrifying and disgusting. Morin talked a bit about what is new in Outlast 2, primarily the environment, though he says Blake will have some more capabilities than his predecessors. There will also be some new features in the camera and some more choices offered to the player. We asked if Outlast 2 may see a virtual reality release and Morin said they were looking into the possibility. 

Check out the video below!

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