Outlast Trinity: Prepare to be scared
The survival horror genre, once considered a dying breed, has been undergoing a major resurgence as of late. Hits like RE7, The Evil Within, and Dying Light have all shown there’s a massive appetite for truly horrifying games.
While those games are certainly chilling, if you enjoy extreme scares I highly recommend you check out Outlast Trinity. This compilation, available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, packages together three of the most shockingly macabre games ever created:
- Outlast
- Outlast: Whistleblower
- Outlast 2
With over 4 million copies sold worldwide, horror fans (myself included) can’t get enough of this franchise. It’s eerie, it’s haunting, and it’s utterly grisly. Now you can experience the entire series with this hair-raising compilation sure to push your nerves to the limit!
Game DetailsPlatform(s): PS4, Xbox One |
Outlast
Originally released digitally in 2013, Outlast is where it all began. You play as independent journalist Miles Upshur who’s on his way to the remote mountains of Colorado. His destination: Mount Massive Asylum, a supposedly long-abandoned home for the mentally ill. According to a tip from an anonymous source, however, there’s more to this asylum than meets the eye.
Being a horror game, naturally things fall apart rather quickly. As Miles, you soon discover the facilities are overrun with all kinds of murderers, maniacs, and monstrous brutes. Worse, you’re trapped within the harrowing walls of this place with no apparent means to escape.
Camcorder – your only hope for survival
As luck would have it, on this particular investigation Miles brought along his camcorder—and it has night vision. This becomes your sole tool for survival in this blackened asylum where room lights are in very short supply. Of course, it wouldn’t be a survival horror game without scarce resources, so naturally your camcorder has limited battery power. That means you need to carefully manage your supply, and constantly be on the lookout for fresh batteries.
Further ratcheting up the tension is Miles’ (rather inexplicable) total inability to defend himself. To avoid becoming lunch meat, your main options are to hide inside lockers, under beds, or duck behind cover. Considering how many bloodthirsty killers roam the asylum, this is no easy task.
Terrifying trek
I’ve played tons of survival games before, and can honestly say no game has frightened me like Outlast. It’s absolute terror from start-to-finish (roughly 5 hours) with only the briefest of reprieves in between. There are no safe rooms like Resident Evil—just non-stop relentless horror.
As a huge fan of this genre, I couldn’t have asked for more. The pacing is superb, the mood is unsettling, and story is decidedly dreadful. Furthermore, it’s one of the best-looking and sounding survival horror games to date. Provided you can handle its extreme gore and shocking violence, Outlast is a must-play journey you won’t soon forget.
Outlast Whistleblower
The second game in this disc collection is Whistleblower, the bloodcurdling follow-up to Outlast that released as add-on DLC. It’s pretty substantial for DLC, clocking in at roughly three hours, which is about 60% the length of the original.
Whistleblower is so fascinating because it’s a prequel that explains how the Mount Massive incident happened in the first place. In it, you play as software engineer Waylon Park, a contractor for the shady Murkoff organization. After having seen (and participated) in Murkoff’s nightmarish research, Park decides to expose the company’s misdeeds to the world.
As you can likely guess, this doesn’t go over well with Murkoff, making Park their #1 enemy. At the same time, an inmate breakout occurs at Mount Massive that tosses Park straight into a living hell. From psychotic murders to a sinister organization out for blood, there’s no shortage of dangers that await you.
Fortunately, early on you’ll find a camcorder, which again becomes your guardian angel. That’s because like the original, the vast majority of areas are covered in almost complete darkness. Likewise, you’re also completely unable to defend yourself, so hiding and running are once again your only means of survival.
While I never thought it was possible, Whistleblower wound up being even more terrifying than the first game. There are less enemies overall, but the ones you do face are even more twisted and deadly. It’s a great story too, one that even stretches beyond the events of the first game to show the final chapter in Mount Massive Asylum arc.
Outlast 2
Last but not least, the final game included in the Outlast Trinity collection is the all-new Outlast 2. Released on April 25, 2017, this twisted new chapter journeys into the deepest and darkest parts of the human mind. You play the role of Blake Langermann, a camerman working with his wife Lynn to uncover the truth behind a brutal murder.
This harrowing adventure takes place miles into the Arizona desert where a reclusive group of religious zealots have taken up residence. Naturally, they’re a bloodthirsty bunch and don’t take too kindly to your sudden arrival.
Continuing Outlast‘s tradition, your only survival tool is your trusty camcorder with night vision. However, instead of being stuck in claustrophobic medical corridors, this game mostly takes place outdoors. As such, environments are much bigger with more areas to hide—but that doesn’t mean the game is any easier.
In fact, Outlast 2 is even more challenging with its A.I. that will stop at nothing to hunt you down. Enemies also seem more observant this time around, and some of them even have flashlights to spot you. To make matters worse, overall visibility is lower too with entire stretches covered in pure darkness.
The sequel is scarier too (notice a trend here?) with the blood and gore dialed up to eleven. There were numerous times when I jumped out of my seat, especially during the many unavoidable chase scenes. In particular, the cornfield segments are especially terrifying, reminiscent of movies like Children of the Corn and Signs.
While my favourite is the original Outlast, the Whistleblower DLC and Outlast 2 are still scary journeys worth taking. Moreover, while the first and second game are considered independent stories, there are hints of a larger story at play. With that in mind, I’m excited to see what comes next for this Canadian-made horror franchise.
Outlast Trinity – Final Thoughts
Outlast Trinity for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One is the scariest collection of games you’ll find anywhere on disc. The games are terrifying, grotesque, and utterly shocking in their execution. With that said, those brave enough to play will find 20+ hours of the most satisfying horror the genre has to offer.
+ Amazing graphics and sound
+ Bone-chilling environments
+ Truly frightening enemies
+ Intriguing stories
+ Scariest games ever made
– Too dark at times
– Some enemy encounters require monotonous trial and error
OVERALL
Gameplay: 4/5
Graphics: 4.5/5
Sound: 4.5/5
Lasting Appeal/Replayability: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4.25/5 (85%)
Get Outlast Trinity for PS4
Get Outlast Trinity for Xbox One
