Outlast 2

Outlast 2 (stylized as OULAST ^II) is an upcoming first-person survival horror video game developed and published by Red Barrels. It is the sequel to the 2013 video game Outlast, and features a journalist named Blake Langermann, along with his wife Lynn, roaming the Arizona desert to explore the murder of a pregnant woman, Jane Doe.^[2] Unfortunately, Blake and Lynn get separated in a helicopter crash, and Blake has to find his wife while traveling through a village inhabited by a cult who believes the end of days is upon them.

Shortly after the release and popularity of Outlast, Red Barrels announced the sequel. Gameplay demos were then released at both PAX East and E3 2016 on 22 April and 15 June respectively, with a release slated for Fall 2016. However, due to complications and development, the game was delayed to Q1 2017 soon after its demo releases.

The game is to be released in 2017 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Gameplay

Outlast 2 is a first-person survival horror game that, like its predecessor Outlast, is a single-player campaign. It is set in the Sonoran desert at night, also carrying over the found footage characteristics from the first game. The player controls freelance journalist Blake Langermann, who investigates a dilapidated rural area in Supai,^[3] near the Sonoran Desert.

Langermann is completely unable to fight and can only defend in scripted scenes similar to the original Outlast,^[4] and can hide in lockers, much like the first game. He only possesses a camcorder, which has night vision enabled, though the camcorder's batteries are also drained when night vision is used. Unlike the first game, Langerman's status as a cameraman means he has a much more advanced camera in his possession, one with clearer footage, zoom, and an audio detection system built into each speaker that can be used to detect distant footsteps. Spare batteries used to recharge the camcorder are spread throughout the locations.^[5] Langermann also wears glasses, which limits the player's vision if they fall off.^[3]

Plot

Blake Langermann, an investigative journalist and cameraman working alongside wife Lynn, crash-lands and roams onto the Supai region^[3] of the Sonoran desert while following the mysterious murder of a young, pregnant woman only known as Jane Doe.^[2] While searching for her, Blake must travel through a village cut off from society where a cult who believes the end of days is upon them has taken up residence.

Development

After the successful release and development of Outlast, Red Barrels confirmed the development of Outlast 2 on 23 October 2014.^[6] It was also reported that the characters and setting would be much different than the first, as players wouldn't return to Mount Massive in the sequel.^[7] In an interview with Bloody Disgusting, co-founder Philippe Morin stated that "we really want to keep improving our craft, but ultimately we'll approach things the same way."^[8]

On 28 October, on both Red Barrels' Facebook and Twitter accounts, a post featured a bulletin board with documents posted saying, "Classified", and the word "Tomorrow" across the picture.^[9][10] The next day, the teaser trailer for the game was released on their YouTube account.^[11]

On 26 January 2016, when asked about the possibility of being released simultaneously and pre-order, Red Barrels replied that it might be possible but are not exactly sure.^[12] 5 February, Morin was interviewed by Indie Games Level Up! about the game, in which he stated that it was largely based on the Jonestown massacre of 1978.^[13][14] On 4 April, a video named "Jude 1:14-15" was released by Red Barrels. Unlike other teasers, the video contains a cross of St. Peter across a background of clouds, with an ominous backmasked audio message. Played in reverse, the message reads:

Children, you lovers of God and registration defenders of His paradise—all our years of suffering come together now on this glorious day of peace... Peace! Even in the corrupt and filthy tongue of the Romans, in the Puritan city... On the fourth month and the twenty-second day of the sixteenth year of the third millennium, our reckoning begins. The spider-eyed lamb waits at the harlot's brace, hungry for this world! Ready your knives, for the good earth thirsts for blood, and we, like the angels, must show no mercy. God loves you.^[15]

At 23 April, the game demo was showcased and released at PAX East 2016^[16] and E3 2016 on June 15.^[5] On 26 August, Samuel Laflamme, the original composer for Outlast, officially announced his return to compose the game's soundtrack, as well as the upcoming possibility of another teaser.^[17]

Release

The game will be released in Q1 2017 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game was originally slated for Fall 2016 release as stated on the teaser trailer,^[11] however, on August 1, the company announced that the game's released would be postponed until Q1 2017.^[18][19]

References