1. Outlast 2

Outlast 2 Intro Gameplay

Following Outlast’s amazing success, developer Red Barrels began work on a sequel that would carry forward the same core gameplay elements but in an entirely different context. As a new protagonist (Blake Langermann), you find yourself stranded in a mysterious farming community in rural Arizona when the helicopter that you and your journalist wife were on crashes.

Regaining consciousness and setting out to find your wife, you gradually discover that the village is inhabited by an insane cult of god-fearing murderers.

As your wife’s personal cameraman, you thankfully (once again) have a trusty camcorder by your side. It will be vital not only for its night-vision and ability to magnify sound, but also to document all of the disturbing and terrifying things you witness in the hidden town of Temple Gate.

Extremist religious belief replaces the theme of human experimentation; a fully voiced protagonist takes over from the first’s silent one; and the claustrophobic halls of the asylum are traded for an open, rural, and more original feeling setting. Having your character speak actually gives a lot more emotional weight to the story, and the more open level-design allows for way less predictable scares. Altogether it makes for a very powerful, spine-chilling experience—and a very worthy sequel.

Sweet home, Arizona: Outlast 2 trades the original’s asylum setting for a rural farming village

Ah, childhood memories: the story is interspersed with sequences of the nightmares that haunt Blake (your protagonist)

There, that should be enough to keep you disturbed for awhile... 

All of these games take similar gameplay elements and are able to whip them into entirely unique and original horror experiences, just like Alien Isolation did. It really has proven to be a winning format for horror—arguably taking it beyond what horror movies are capable of. Rather than watching frightening things happen to other people, these experiences put you directly in the situation yourself. At times, especially with such advanced graphics, interactive environments, and overall realism, it can even trick the brain into forgetting that it’s just a video game—and that is something truly special.

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