Fear not console folk! Well, actually do fear quite a lot – Outlast is available on PS4.

Rarely can an experience so be so accurately summed up in 30-seconds of play as is the case with Outlast. Pick up the pad and creep tentatively towards a door – in the knowledge that a mind-warping atrocity awaits for you on the other side – slowly push the door agape, scream like a small girl and pause the game to gather yourself.

Gasping and trembling, this moment has thoroughly convinced you that you will never play this game again. It’s not your thing. You don’t want to go anywhere near it. 30 seconds of calm pass and the pad is scooped from its resting point ready to go again. This cycle of adrenaline-soaked self-punishment is the perfect microcosm for the entire experience – it’s the kind of game that evokes love and hate in the blink of an eye and will keep you coming back time and time again.

For those who haven’t yet delved into the fun/upset of Outlast you can find a more detailed account of the underwear-tainting mechanics of the game in Joe’s review of the original version.

Much of the established horror-house iconography is presented here, but it’s the helplessness of Outlast’s interaction that makes this content as intimidating as the material should be. Tortured souls of malicious intention will always evoke fear as they linger in the shadows. But it’s because of Outlast’s inability to physically confront said nasty men, that the player is truly fearful. There are no weapons present here, only a simple camcorder. So it’s either run, or die. The ramification of entering the wrong room is definitive: death – which is a gripping if not rather unsettling reality.

In terms of the transition between PC and next-gen console, the process has been kind. The game has more than a few rough edges, but foreground textures and the all-important lighting look more than accurate enough to convince you that you’re in an abandoned asylum. Unfortunately.

The variations are slight between the two iterations, so it’s not as though the experience has been revolutionized. This is largely the same harrowing experience that PC players were subjected to last year, but for PS+ subscribers who get the game for free, this represents an especially excellent offer from the service.

A few thrown in gimmicks such as the changing light atop of the duelshock and the ability to read notes via the trackpad ensure there’s more than enough here to justify playing through what is a great horror game one more time. And if you’ve never dabbled in Outlast’s mind-warping horror, then this is a great way to pass a few lonely evenings – or well-lit afternoons, for those of you who don’t fully trust their bowel control.

© 2014, zero1gaming.com. All rights reserved. On republishing this article your must provide a link to this original post