Outlast: Bundle of Terror

Outlast is a generous package of finely crafted survival horror thrills. It looks and sounds great on Nintendo Switch, and while its brand of hide-and-seek gameplay occasionally falters, it'll still keep you playing right until the grisly end.

The Nintendo Switch is starting to build up a nice library of horror titles and, as with Outlast 2, this is one of the better offerings the console has to offer. But, it’s not without its problems. Coming in at around five hours for the base game and another two hours for the included Whistleblower downloadable content, you have yourself a game that doesn’t outstay its welcome. However, it must be said that there is a huge difference in fear, enjoyment and overall quality during the first half of the game compared to the second.

Outlast: Bundle of Terror is a marvelous contribution to the Nintendo Switch catalog which represents a very welcome addition in the field of horror games with its well-crafted atmosphere and plot. The game is simple and the action may be limited but the overall quality sets it very much above the average and players will easily spend many hours in its horror-filled environment.

The Switch version of Outlast works fine, in the sense that Red Barrels achieved the maximum result with the minimum effort. The game is a 1:1 porting, virtually identical to the previous releases (except for the frame rate locked at 30 fps), an experience not suitable for the faint of heart, extremely emotional and always scary.

This adds a sense of stress that you just don't feel from many other games in the genre. While the Switch port does have some minor slowdown and jarring load screens, it doesn't detract from how horrifically wonderful the game is. With the emphasis back on horror and survival, Outlast is a welcomed return to what made the genre great to begin with.

Over the years, Outlast has aged well thanks to its production design and ultra-violent spectacle. The simple act of hide-and-seek is still engaging and the adventure's length does not overstay its welcome, something that hurt the overly long sequel. Mount Massive Asylum is a memorable and grisly place and the wide cast of maniacs to meet in the core game and DLC chapter leave a lasting impression. This is a very linear horror game that is heavily scripted and is elevated thanks to the imaginative scenario. There are tons of weapon-less horror games these days and more often than not they tend to be more annoying than scary. Outlast is one of the few that just barely gets by without irritating too much. Perhaps it's because of the brevity and pacing of the game that keeps things tense and exciting so its more obvious shortcomings become much less apparent.

If you are looking for a thrill ride and a decent scare, look no further, for Outlast is here

The total lack of new features and some graphical issues don't make it less appealing for those who didn't play it in the past. Core survival horror gameplay for a disturbing experience.