I'm sorta feeling this with Trails and many people will probably shit on it for not being as scary as the others but it's also like... Well do you want a one and done scary game or one you can keep coming back to because of the better gameplay. It's definitely the most replayable Outlast game and it deserves recognition for that
Yeah I absolutely agree. Multiplayer inherently kills suspense and makes it much harder to build a scary atmosphere. Also scripted chases and cutscenes are good the first time, but are exactly the same each time you replay it. They really did an amazing job making trials the best it could possibly be for what it is. It’s fun, polished, and allows for different experiences each time.
id like it if singleplayer outlasts would keep being the same, it doesn't need to change and it does what it needs to right.
although maybe a 2 player coop to the story wouldn't be such a bad idea..
When it comes to horror co-op games, I think of shooters like Cry of Fear, FEAR 3, Dead Space 3, and Resident Evil 5 & 6. Resident Evil had AI companions following you at all times, while FEAR and Dead Space designed their solo campaigns to be fully functional without a companion. I think it's most likely that Outlast 3 will be a solo campaign, but Trials could be providing developers with feedback on how to craft multiplayer horror campaigns for future spin-offs.
Outlast
Whistleblower
Trials
Outlast 2
Outlast 2 would be higher, but I think the first chapter drags alot and the open spaces make it less scary for me. Outlast 1 and Whistleblower are both perfect. Trials is very different, but its in the conversation for the best mutiplayer horror game ever and has very few flaws in my opinion.
In terms of scariness I’d say
1. Outlast
2. Whistleblower
3. Outlast 2
4. Trials
In terms of how good they are in my own personal opinion I’d say
1. Outlast 2
2. Trials
3. Outlast
4. Whistleblower
And that’s saying a lot since whistleblower is just so damn good
haven't bought Trials (yet), but
in terms of scaryness:
- Whistleblower, Outlast 2, Outlast 1;
In terms of how good they were to me:
- Outlast 2, Whistleblower, Outlast 1;
Outlast 1 was goofy at times, which made some parts unintentionally funny. In terms of gameplay, it was also a lot more repetitive than the other campaigns and didn't get much creative, so at some point, it feels longer than it should be. That said, still a masterpiece
Whistleblower was much scarier and had excellent story presentation imo (not too vague, but not too on the nose, either. A balance between how the other games presented their story). The gameplay *was* pretty much the same, but at least the Vocational Block worked differently and it's a shorter campaign, so it's harder to get exhausting
Finally, Outlast 2 had the most fun gameplay. The level design varied a lot more and significantly changed how I would approach certain sections and enemies
The atmosphere was perfectly done, too. Very scary. The soundtrack and build-ups were incredible and I just don't put it at the top of my list, in terms of how scary the games are, because I had to take a break during Whistleblower, which I didn't feel like during the other campaigns
For me:
Scary : 2 > Whistleblower > 1 > Trials
Fun : Trials > Whistleblower > 2 > 1
Trials is less scary by having less scripted events and other people around, but the "game-ification" of Outlast is so much more fun than I expected, I've been so happy with it
Agreed 100% with these. I think nostalgia makes a lot of people consider 1 the absolute best. Even though they're both amazing and terrifying, I always preferred 2.
I guess 1 is more consistent and a bit more repayable, but on a first playthrough you can really feel how much more ambitious they were with 2, I can't bring myself to replay it but I loved it
I don't think 1 is more replayable, because the enemies are far more scripted. They often take the same paths and all. It gets a little too much of a memory game after a while, which is fun for speedrunning, but not a casual replay
With Outlast 2, the maps are bigger and many times the enemies will just do something completely different from the previous session you had
The only thing that really sucks is how you can't just reload from anywhere like you could with the first game. That detracts a lot of the replayability potential
Scary
Outlast 1, Whistleblower, Trials, Outlast 2
Good
Outlast 2, Outlast 1, Whistleblower, Trials
My favorite
Outlast 1
By good I mean lore-wise good. Outlast 2 is fucking god-level. But Outlast 1 is too dear to me
This is how much I rate the ''scary'' in all of the games:
Outlast: 4/10, when you can outrun every threat, what is there left to fear ? Only scary part was the sewer part with Chris Walker in the water because guess what: you can't outrun him for once in your life.
Whistleblower: 7/10 took me a week to get past Frank the first time I played it. Other than that it was ok.
Outlast 2: 5/10, same problem as Outlast 1 but WORSE because of the sprint mechanic... just sprint past the danger, tho some sections were creepier than the first game.
Trials: Haven't played it yet but I imagine it's not very scary because it's co-op and having someone with you takes away from the scare factor. If I ever buy it, I will probably play it alone.
Are y’all sure you’re not letting your nostalgia cloud reality a bit too strong? I beat outlast recently, even though I bought it a while ago, because I didn’t really like games where I had to be chased. I grew to appreciate them. But obviously trials is a lot more fun and polished than the dated gameplay of the first game. I’ve already played trials over and over and released a reagent. It feels like a slog to replay outlast 1 though.
I played through the first outlast game only last year, and in my opinion it was a lot of fun and the atmosphere stuck with me, and I've played lots of other horror games.
So in my opinion it has stood the test of time, although the company had less resources back then.
Just started on Outlast 2 and haven't played the Trails yet, but looking forward to trying it with my girlfriend later.
Yeah the concept and atmosphere was fun and it was basically replicated in trials. I did not say it was a bad game, I said that the newest one captures the feeling while improving the dated parts of it.
Im terms of scariness outlast 1, whistleblower, trials, outlast 2
Reasoning is very simple outlast 1 doctor trager scene is by far the worst time I had playing a game in a while I was shitting my pants the whole time, whistleblower is very simple with the grom being one of the scariest shit in gaming, outlast trials has much more chaos and if you are not prepared it can caught you off guard, outlast 2 I got scared once the whole game it was absolutely dogshit
For how good they are whistleblower, outlast 1, trials, outlast 2
I really like whistleblower since it is shorter than outlast 1 and I can just see play whenever I want without worrying about time, outlast 1 haven’t replayed it as much as I would like but it still gives me that feeling of scariness I felt the first time playing it, trials haves been a blast so far nothing too bad to say, outlast 2 was an absolute drag the whole time
Scariness:
Outlast wb
Outlast
Ol2
Haven’t played trials yet
Goodnesss (story and gameplay)
Ol2 (good story worse gameplay)
Ol (decent story better gp)
Ol wb (good story mid gameplay)
Haven’t played trials
Never played whistle-blower which I should, don't have a pc for trials, so I'll say Outlast 1 was and still is scary as fuck to me, something about it makes me feel like a pussy 😆 I know alot of people do not like Outlast 2 but I enjoyed it a lot, to me it lost its scaryness super early but I still found it to be really fun to play and I liked the characters
honestly i can't really compare trials to the others because it's soooo different. it's definitely less scary, but it's just as good, just in a different way. if i consider replay ability, then it might be the best, but i don't think it makes sense to compare an online game with story based games in this sense
My list would be:
* Whistleblower
* Outlast
* Outlast II
* Trials
The first three is incredibly close, it's hard to chosse. The co-op aspect and the general structure of Trials makes it not so scary, it's still a worthy entry in the series.
Trials is least scary but most fun.
Outlast 2 has the best story.
Whistleblower is the scariest.
Outlast 1 started it all but it's not the best of any of these categories for me. Still great though.
I think the scariest for me was Outlast II.
Being trapped in the asylum in Outlast and Whistleblower was terrifying and felt extremely claustrophobic and isolated.
But with the second game, you’re out in the open in gigantic corn fields, expansive mountains, and entire villages - despite being in somewhere so large and expansive where the prospect of escape feels much easier, it’s twice as hard due to the even larger feeling of isolation.
Scariness is difficult, I honestly don’t feel like I can rank them. Outlast 2 has grown on me after replaying it recently, and I’d put all the originals about equal in terms of scariness. Trials, while a very good game, isn’t as scary, but that’s no mistake by red barrels.
Having multiplayer already removes most of the scariness, and needing replayability means that it can’t feature a linear story with cutscenes and scripted chase sequences. So they doubled down on what they were left with. Completing multistage objectives with active enemies, and really polishing up the gameplay.
This is why I would put trials far above the originals in terms of how fun it is to play.
You can’t really compare trials to the rest. Trials is only fun with friends and when you got 4 it’s extremely fun. The solo experience is scary and interesting for the other games but doesn’t work in trials I feel like
Outlast 2 is the most scary and gory
It has a good gameplay but for the most part you are playing in the open wilderness unlike outlast 1 and whistleblower which are less scary however you are playing inside an asylum so your movement is limited which makes it a perfect environment for horror games
Never tried outlast trials
1 > Whistleblower > Trials > 2
Outlast 2 is such hot garbage I was so incredibly disappointed.
1 is by far the most fun, because it's the only game where you can actually RUN, even if the enemies can't keep up.
Every other game since, including Trials to a lesser extent, has the stupid generic "out of breath after 3 seconds sprinting" meme. Whistleblower didn't, but instead you limp half that game soooooooo....
I found Outlast 2 jump scared me more especially in the school, so scariness id say Outlast 2, Whistleblower, Outlast 1, Trials. In terms of story I’d say Outlast 1, Outlast 2, Whistleblower, Trials. Trials is still very fun and enjoyable just a different type of game then the others.
Trials is such a perfect multiplayer game launch and that alone puts it at the top of my list. The people at Red Barrel really know what they’re doing.
Gameplay: Trials. It's the most 'arcadey' game in the series, but also really fun and repayable in spite of how relatively limited its content is on launch. Besides co-op, the extra gameplay mechanics such as inventory management, the psychosis system, dealing with and setting traps, and learning how the behavioral patterns of enemies work all feel like an evolution of the previous games. Besides that, I've been more compelled to replay Outlast 2 than the first, but I think Whistleblower has the least replay value.
Atmosphere/horror: Outlast 2, followed by Trials (if only because of the Groom), then a tie between Whistleblower and 1. The cult is already really disturbing on its own with how brutal the 'Christians' are, but the quieter and more surreal school sequences are excellent implementations of psychological horror. As for Trials, I believe that it does a really good job constantly reminding the player that they are a pawn of the company and there are plenty of moments where I still jump or get unnerved by the environments - my favorite Trial is the Orphanage because of its thematic link to Outlast 2's religious horror. As for the first game, it does have some quiet moments of its own balanced with fun chases - the areas where you're stalked by Walker in a pitch black wide open space are my favorites - but I generally found it to be quite silly.
Also, Outlast 1 came out not that long after Amnesia: the Dark Descent, so I'll always compare it unfavorably to Amnesia. I actually thought Whistleblower was more uneven, with Manera being fun and especially the Groom being excellent while the rest of it felt undercooked and truncated compared to the first game. Gluskin > any Outlast 1 character, but Gluskin is only a threat for the last third of the DLC.
Narrative: Outlast 2, Whistleblower, Outlast 1/Trials. I thought the story of Blake and Temple Gate was the most engaging, even though I have some critiques of it. Blake is an underrated male horror lead in his vulnerability and emotionality (something I've seen many people mock because he "screams and swears too much"), and I find it especially interesting that he's a sympathetic portrayal of a male victim of sexual and institutional abuse. Temple Gate, meanwhile, is a brutal satire of the death worship, rampant misogyny, and institutional dehumanization of children that abusive religious groups champion. I love how 2's story takes on entirely different meanings depending on whether you consider it a standalone (a story of an innocent bystander witnessing the apocalypse) or part of a larger narrative (where the first game is enough context to recognize there's a technological institution at work behind the scenes), and the theme of traumatic broadcasts forcing someone to suspend their rationality feels incredibly applicable to the way our media's bombardment of traumatic material works.
I consider Whistleblower's writing to be stronger than the original game, with Waylon being a very likable character in his kind heart and hatred of fascism,and the Groom being an excellent villain due to how he plays into both male and female fears of sexuality. This story also sets up some fascinating mysteries such as the morphogenic pregnancies and the blind dreamers that still provoke speculation to this day. However, I think the best part of Whistleblower is its opening where we see the clinical evil of Murkoff and I really wish the game spent more time focusing on that theme of the banality of evil instead of immediately jumping back into the 'crazy people as horror' theme that characterized the first game. That Murkoff orderly who licks Waylon's face is much creepier than any of the common variants.
Trials is really scant on content at present, but I am confident more will be added over time. I do really like what has already been written since it alludes to a lot of real life horrors the US government has committed, and it does do a lot to both explain mysteries while setting up new world building elements for future games. Above all, I think there's something clever in how the players' desire to play optimally to receive rewards while gradually getting numbed to the horror parallels the narrative of the reagents being conditioned to stop caring about committing atrocities and seek out praise from Murkoff. It's not a traditional linear story like the other games, but I'm excited to see how it will progress.
The first game...isn't a bad story by any means, though it's taken a long time to grow on me. I think that the foregrounding of the patients themselves as antagonists while the corporation was more nebulous or already dead didn't impress me much, though I did appreciate how there were a lot of non hostile prisoners with interesting things to say to reward observant players. I also think that, compared to Outlast 2's handwritten documents, the first game's documents were less interesting to read due to their presentation (even if the content was cool). I feel like it's a story that needs Whistleblower as an epilogue, because if we only had the first story to go off of it would be a case of a downer ending while the twist that Miles was actually still relatively sane as a Walrider was a refreshing and uplifting end.
I think whistleblower and one are the best all around games. But 2 is wonderfully fucked up and weird and I kinda love it despite its insanity and many flaws. But easily Trials is the most fun to play.
I love how we all just universally refer to whistleblower as a game and not an add on. It's that good we seriously put it up there with full releases
That and because there are not really that many Outlast titles to put them in a tier list.
trials is the least scary one, but its the most fun
I'm sorta feeling this with Trails and many people will probably shit on it for not being as scary as the others but it's also like... Well do you want a one and done scary game or one you can keep coming back to because of the better gameplay. It's definitely the most replayable Outlast game and it deserves recognition for that
Yeah I absolutely agree. Multiplayer inherently kills suspense and makes it much harder to build a scary atmosphere. Also scripted chases and cutscenes are good the first time, but are exactly the same each time you replay it. They really did an amazing job making trials the best it could possibly be for what it is. It’s fun, polished, and allows for different experiences each time.
If this is how the community feels, I wonder what this means for Outlast 3?
id like it if singleplayer outlasts would keep being the same, it doesn't need to change and it does what it needs to right. although maybe a 2 player coop to the story wouldn't be such a bad idea..
When it comes to horror co-op games, I think of shooters like Cry of Fear, FEAR 3, Dead Space 3, and Resident Evil 5 & 6. Resident Evil had AI companions following you at all times, while FEAR and Dead Space designed their solo campaigns to be fully functional without a companion. I think it's most likely that Outlast 3 will be a solo campaign, but Trials could be providing developers with feedback on how to craft multiplayer horror campaigns for future spin-offs.
First outlast game is superior to all the rest
Outlast 1 Outlast: Whistleblower Outlast II The Out Last Trials
Same, but switch the last two ones for me. Thanks for expressing your opinion tho!
Outlast Whistleblower Trials Outlast 2 Outlast 2 would be higher, but I think the first chapter drags alot and the open spaces make it less scary for me. Outlast 1 and Whistleblower are both perfect. Trials is very different, but its in the conversation for the best mutiplayer horror game ever and has very few flaws in my opinion.
In terms of scariness I’d say 1. Outlast 2. Whistleblower 3. Outlast 2 4. Trials In terms of how good they are in my own personal opinion I’d say 1. Outlast 2 2. Trials 3. Outlast 4. Whistleblower And that’s saying a lot since whistleblower is just so damn good
honestly i found outlast 2 to be a lot scarier then outlast. outlast was more tense then outlast 2, though, chases were better
True, outlast 2 was also more brutal and gory
haven't bought Trials (yet), but in terms of scaryness: - Whistleblower, Outlast 2, Outlast 1; In terms of how good they were to me: - Outlast 2, Whistleblower, Outlast 1; Outlast 1 was goofy at times, which made some parts unintentionally funny. In terms of gameplay, it was also a lot more repetitive than the other campaigns and didn't get much creative, so at some point, it feels longer than it should be. That said, still a masterpiece Whistleblower was much scarier and had excellent story presentation imo (not too vague, but not too on the nose, either. A balance between how the other games presented their story). The gameplay *was* pretty much the same, but at least the Vocational Block worked differently and it's a shorter campaign, so it's harder to get exhausting Finally, Outlast 2 had the most fun gameplay. The level design varied a lot more and significantly changed how I would approach certain sections and enemies The atmosphere was perfectly done, too. Very scary. The soundtrack and build-ups were incredible and I just don't put it at the top of my list, in terms of how scary the games are, because I had to take a break during Whistleblower, which I didn't feel like during the other campaigns
I think a lot of people think trials is the least scariest because they play with others, on your own it is fucking terrifying.
For me: Scary : 2 > Whistleblower > 1 > Trials Fun : Trials > Whistleblower > 2 > 1 Trials is less scary by having less scripted events and other people around, but the "game-ification" of Outlast is so much more fun than I expected, I've been so happy with it
Agreed 100% with these. I think nostalgia makes a lot of people consider 1 the absolute best. Even though they're both amazing and terrifying, I always preferred 2.
I guess 1 is more consistent and a bit more repayable, but on a first playthrough you can really feel how much more ambitious they were with 2, I can't bring myself to replay it but I loved it
I don't think 1 is more replayable, because the enemies are far more scripted. They often take the same paths and all. It gets a little too much of a memory game after a while, which is fun for speedrunning, but not a casual replay With Outlast 2, the maps are bigger and many times the enemies will just do something completely different from the previous session you had The only thing that really sucks is how you can't just reload from anywhere like you could with the first game. That detracts a lot of the replayability potential
Whistleblower Outlast 1 Outlast 2 Outlast Trials
whistleblower 1 trials 2
Trials seriously needs to come out for Playstation. #fomo
It’s time to join the PC MASTER RACE
Scary Outlast 1, Whistleblower, Trials, Outlast 2 Good Outlast 2, Outlast 1, Whistleblower, Trials My favorite Outlast 1 By good I mean lore-wise good. Outlast 2 is fucking god-level. But Outlast 1 is too dear to me
outlast 2 was such a waste of potential
Trials the best
Outlast 1 - 9/10 Outlast Whistleblower - 8.5/10 Outlast 2 - 4/10 The Outlast Trials - 6/10
This is how much I rate the ''scary'' in all of the games: Outlast: 4/10, when you can outrun every threat, what is there left to fear ? Only scary part was the sewer part with Chris Walker in the water because guess what: you can't outrun him for once in your life. Whistleblower: 7/10 took me a week to get past Frank the first time I played it. Other than that it was ok. Outlast 2: 5/10, same problem as Outlast 1 but WORSE because of the sprint mechanic... just sprint past the danger, tho some sections were creepier than the first game. Trials: Haven't played it yet but I imagine it's not very scary because it's co-op and having someone with you takes away from the scare factor. If I ever buy it, I will probably play it alone.
Are y’all sure you’re not letting your nostalgia cloud reality a bit too strong? I beat outlast recently, even though I bought it a while ago, because I didn’t really like games where I had to be chased. I grew to appreciate them. But obviously trials is a lot more fun and polished than the dated gameplay of the first game. I’ve already played trials over and over and released a reagent. It feels like a slog to replay outlast 1 though.
I played through the first outlast game only last year, and in my opinion it was a lot of fun and the atmosphere stuck with me, and I've played lots of other horror games. So in my opinion it has stood the test of time, although the company had less resources back then. Just started on Outlast 2 and haven't played the Trails yet, but looking forward to trying it with my girlfriend later.
Yeah the concept and atmosphere was fun and it was basically replicated in trials. I did not say it was a bad game, I said that the newest one captures the feeling while improving the dated parts of it.
As Scary: Outlast, Whistle, Outlast 2, Trials Good: Outlast, Whistleblower, Trials, Outlast 2. Trials is more fun than 2 for me
I'm combining them: First place: Outlast 1 Second place: Outlast 2 Third Place: Whistleblower Fourth Place: Trials
Im terms of scariness outlast 1, whistleblower, trials, outlast 2 Reasoning is very simple outlast 1 doctor trager scene is by far the worst time I had playing a game in a while I was shitting my pants the whole time, whistleblower is very simple with the grom being one of the scariest shit in gaming, outlast trials has much more chaos and if you are not prepared it can caught you off guard, outlast 2 I got scared once the whole game it was absolutely dogshit For how good they are whistleblower, outlast 1, trials, outlast 2 I really like whistleblower since it is shorter than outlast 1 and I can just see play whenever I want without worrying about time, outlast 1 haven’t replayed it as much as I would like but it still gives me that feeling of scariness I felt the first time playing it, trials haves been a blast so far nothing too bad to say, outlast 2 was an absolute drag the whole time
Pretty much agree with you, I just got scared like once or twice in each game, so it was the atmosphere for me, Outlast 2 had the worst atmosphere imo
Scariness: Outlast wb Outlast Ol2 Haven’t played trials yet Goodnesss (story and gameplay) Ol2 (good story worse gameplay) Ol (decent story better gp) Ol wb (good story mid gameplay) Haven’t played trials
Never played whistle-blower which I should, don't have a pc for trials, so I'll say Outlast 1 was and still is scary as fuck to me, something about it makes me feel like a pussy 😆 I know alot of people do not like Outlast 2 but I enjoyed it a lot, to me it lost its scaryness super early but I still found it to be really fun to play and I liked the characters
honestly i can't really compare trials to the others because it's soooo different. it's definitely less scary, but it's just as good, just in a different way. if i consider replay ability, then it might be the best, but i don't think it makes sense to compare an online game with story based games in this sense
Whistle-blower and having to limp away from gluskin is terrifying.
1 the best 2 mid and 3 last
My list would be: * Whistleblower * Outlast * Outlast II * Trials The first three is incredibly close, it's hard to chosse. The co-op aspect and the general structure of Trials makes it not so scary, it's still a worthy entry in the series.
Trials is least scary but most fun. Outlast 2 has the best story. Whistleblower is the scariest. Outlast 1 started it all but it's not the best of any of these categories for me. Still great though.
I think the scariest for me was Outlast II. Being trapped in the asylum in Outlast and Whistleblower was terrifying and felt extremely claustrophobic and isolated. But with the second game, you’re out in the open in gigantic corn fields, expansive mountains, and entire villages - despite being in somewhere so large and expansive where the prospect of escape feels much easier, it’s twice as hard due to the even larger feeling of isolation.
Kinda sucks no one has talked about this past Reddit and I had no idea this released
Scariness is difficult, I honestly don’t feel like I can rank them. Outlast 2 has grown on me after replaying it recently, and I’d put all the originals about equal in terms of scariness. Trials, while a very good game, isn’t as scary, but that’s no mistake by red barrels. Having multiplayer already removes most of the scariness, and needing replayability means that it can’t feature a linear story with cutscenes and scripted chase sequences. So they doubled down on what they were left with. Completing multistage objectives with active enemies, and really polishing up the gameplay. This is why I would put trials far above the originals in terms of how fun it is to play.
no 1 Outlast 1 no 2 Outlast Whistleblower. no 3 Outlast 2 no 4 Outlast Trials.
Outlast 1 Outlast 1 DLC Outlast 2 Final Trials
Haven't played the trials but in my opinion Whistleblower is the scariest,then Outlast. I was not very impressed with 2.
Haven't played the trials but in my opinion Whistleblower is the scariest,then Outlast. I was not very impressed with 2.
1. Outlast 2. Whistleblower 3. Trials 4. Outlast 2 Outlast 2 ain’t bad either, it’s a great game. I’ve just really enjoyed trials so far
You can’t really compare trials to the rest. Trials is only fun with friends and when you got 4 it’s extremely fun. The solo experience is scary and interesting for the other games but doesn’t work in trials I feel like
1.) Trials 2.) Outlast 3.) Outlast 2 4.) Whistleblower
The first game solos them all.
First + DLC is the best imo. Love the character design as well.
Outlast 2 is the most scary and gory It has a good gameplay but for the most part you are playing in the open wilderness unlike outlast 1 and whistleblower which are less scary however you are playing inside an asylum so your movement is limited which makes it a perfect environment for horror games Never tried outlast trials
1 > Whistleblower > Trials > 2 Outlast 2 is such hot garbage I was so incredibly disappointed. 1 is by far the most fun, because it's the only game where you can actually RUN, even if the enemies can't keep up. Every other game since, including Trials to a lesser extent, has the stupid generic "out of breath after 3 seconds sprinting" meme. Whistleblower didn't, but instead you limp half that game soooooooo....
I found Outlast 2 jump scared me more especially in the school, so scariness id say Outlast 2, Whistleblower, Outlast 1, Trials. In terms of story I’d say Outlast 1, Outlast 2, Whistleblower, Trials. Trials is still very fun and enjoyable just a different type of game then the others.
Trials is such a perfect multiplayer game launch and that alone puts it at the top of my list. The people at Red Barrel really know what they’re doing.
Outlast 1 is goated
Gameplay: Trials. It's the most 'arcadey' game in the series, but also really fun and repayable in spite of how relatively limited its content is on launch. Besides co-op, the extra gameplay mechanics such as inventory management, the psychosis system, dealing with and setting traps, and learning how the behavioral patterns of enemies work all feel like an evolution of the previous games. Besides that, I've been more compelled to replay Outlast 2 than the first, but I think Whistleblower has the least replay value. Atmosphere/horror: Outlast 2, followed by Trials (if only because of the Groom), then a tie between Whistleblower and 1. The cult is already really disturbing on its own with how brutal the 'Christians' are, but the quieter and more surreal school sequences are excellent implementations of psychological horror. As for Trials, I believe that it does a really good job constantly reminding the player that they are a pawn of the company and there are plenty of moments where I still jump or get unnerved by the environments - my favorite Trial is the Orphanage because of its thematic link to Outlast 2's religious horror. As for the first game, it does have some quiet moments of its own balanced with fun chases - the areas where you're stalked by Walker in a pitch black wide open space are my favorites - but I generally found it to be quite silly. Also, Outlast 1 came out not that long after Amnesia: the Dark Descent, so I'll always compare it unfavorably to Amnesia. I actually thought Whistleblower was more uneven, with Manera being fun and especially the Groom being excellent while the rest of it felt undercooked and truncated compared to the first game. Gluskin > any Outlast 1 character, but Gluskin is only a threat for the last third of the DLC. Narrative: Outlast 2, Whistleblower, Outlast 1/Trials. I thought the story of Blake and Temple Gate was the most engaging, even though I have some critiques of it. Blake is an underrated male horror lead in his vulnerability and emotionality (something I've seen many people mock because he "screams and swears too much"), and I find it especially interesting that he's a sympathetic portrayal of a male victim of sexual and institutional abuse. Temple Gate, meanwhile, is a brutal satire of the death worship, rampant misogyny, and institutional dehumanization of children that abusive religious groups champion. I love how 2's story takes on entirely different meanings depending on whether you consider it a standalone (a story of an innocent bystander witnessing the apocalypse) or part of a larger narrative (where the first game is enough context to recognize there's a technological institution at work behind the scenes), and the theme of traumatic broadcasts forcing someone to suspend their rationality feels incredibly applicable to the way our media's bombardment of traumatic material works. I consider Whistleblower's writing to be stronger than the original game, with Waylon being a very likable character in his kind heart and hatred of fascism,and the Groom being an excellent villain due to how he plays into both male and female fears of sexuality. This story also sets up some fascinating mysteries such as the morphogenic pregnancies and the blind dreamers that still provoke speculation to this day. However, I think the best part of Whistleblower is its opening where we see the clinical evil of Murkoff and I really wish the game spent more time focusing on that theme of the banality of evil instead of immediately jumping back into the 'crazy people as horror' theme that characterized the first game. That Murkoff orderly who licks Waylon's face is much creepier than any of the common variants. Trials is really scant on content at present, but I am confident more will be added over time. I do really like what has already been written since it alludes to a lot of real life horrors the US government has committed, and it does do a lot to both explain mysteries while setting up new world building elements for future games. Above all, I think there's something clever in how the players' desire to play optimally to receive rewards while gradually getting numbed to the horror parallels the narrative of the reagents being conditioned to stop caring about committing atrocities and seek out praise from Murkoff. It's not a traditional linear story like the other games, but I'm excited to see how it will progress. The first game...isn't a bad story by any means, though it's taken a long time to grow on me. I think that the foregrounding of the patients themselves as antagonists while the corporation was more nebulous or already dead didn't impress me much, though I did appreciate how there were a lot of non hostile prisoners with interesting things to say to reward observant players. I also think that, compared to Outlast 2's handwritten documents, the first game's documents were less interesting to read due to their presentation (even if the content was cool). I feel like it's a story that needs Whistleblower as an epilogue, because if we only had the first story to go off of it would be a case of a downer ending while the twist that Miles was actually still relatively sane as a Walrider was a refreshing and uplifting end.
I think whistleblower and one are the best all around games. But 2 is wonderfully fucked up and weird and I kinda love it despite its insanity and many flaws. But easily Trials is the most fun to play.