Thanks to Capcom for the new Outlast
The announcement of the seventh serialized part was very unexpected at the time. The game didn't look too similar to any previous games. Some family of crazy people in some old house, some story about rescuing a wife from some sect. Where are the zombies? Where are the Umbrella viruses? Where are disasters on an apocalyptic scale and endless action like in Six?
But everything falls into place when the gameplay begins, during which you just want to periodically say, “Yes, damn it, this is the same Survival and the same Horror as it was in the first parts.” Instead of a mansion there is now a big house, instead of a pursuing Tyrant there is an indestructible Jack Baker, and episodes with chases. And despite the fact that the game is very similar in visuals and design to Outlast II, it feels exactly like Resident Evil. It may be a completely different game, but the formula still works! There are even recognizable gameplay elements from previous parts, such as save rooms, magic chests, crafting and a plantain that can not only replenish HP, but also reattach a leg in place.
The story is not the strongest part of this game. In general, for me, Resident Evil and a good plot have never been even close, but here at least it’s not stupid. It starts out like Outlast II, ends like F.E.A.R., and in the middle it looks like episodes from the Saw movies. There is also a problem with the presentation of the story - the developers spent the whole game hanging riddles and understatements, only to dump all the answers on the player in the form of a dozen notes at the end before the final boss. And the main character Ethan does not evoke any emotions, because he himself is an emotionless log who does not react in any way either when his hand was cut off, or when he beat his wife with an ax.
This is a good game that surprisingly brought the series out of a dead end and gave a big impetus to the further development of the series. The scariest resident, especially if you go through VR.