When comparing Amnesia: The Dark Descent vs Outlast 2, the Slant community recommends Amnesia: The Dark Descent for most people. In the question“What are the best horror games for PC?” Amnesia: The Dark Descent is ranked 1st while Outlast 2 is ranked 22nd. The most important reason people chose Amnesia: The Dark Descent is:
Amnesia offers immersive puzzles to the player by creating interaction that comes natural to the player. When a door needs opened, the player must pull their mouse towards them to actually open the door, same goes for drawers as well. It is through these interactions that the player can feel as if they are actually manipulating these objects instead of just pointing and clicking like so many other puzzle games.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Immersive puzzle solving
Amnesia offers immersive puzzles to the player by creating interaction that comes natural to the player. When a door needs opened, the player must pull their mouse towards them to actually open the door, same goes for drawers as well. It is through these interactions that the player can feel as if they are actually manipulating these objects instead of just pointing and clicking like so many other puzzle games.
Pro Excellent, unnerving atmosphere
Much of the game is inspired by Lovecraftian horror wherein the player is constantly assaulted with their sanity being eroded as they try to regain their memories. Monster lurk within the game that are quite frightening and the whole game is sparsely lit with constant sounds surrounding them that could be eluding to their next encounter.
Pro Incredible use of sound effects
As has been mentioned, the atmosphere is incredible, and I was scared out of my mind the whole time. There's mostly silence. A floorboard creaks, a chain rattles, the shuffling of your feet on the floor, it all serves to take your experience to new, terrifying heights.
Pro Epitome of horror, but that's not all
The game manages to keep you tense at all times, but there's more. Even if the monster wasn't there, this would be a great game to walk around, solve puzzles, and read the letters. The atmosphere is just very well crafted.
Pro Tons of extra stories
Users can download and install mods/stories created by other users, which can extend the gameplay of the game by quite a lot. Being that these are custom stories, being able to find one that appeals to the player should be pretty simple enough. A good comparison of the top available stories can be found here.
Pro Scary gameplay
Using every horror genre trick up its sleeve, Outlast is a very scary game that will make the player jump plenty of times. The monsters in Outlast 2 look very creepy with a lot of disgusting details added. Even just the environment and sounds will keep your adrenaline levels up. For those that are looking for a creepy game full of jump scares, this should be right up their alley.
Pro Environment feels open
Outlast 2 is more open and has much more functionality in-game than its ancestor and many other horror games. Tall grass, rivers, labyrinths etc make it easier and more exciting to hide from enemies. Though these structures make monsters harder to notice aswell.
Pro Great graphics
The game looks great. It's easy to forget that you're playing a video game, since some environments and characters look very lifelike.
Pro The game is very popular amongst video game streamers
Outlast 2 is played a lot on Twitch.tv and countless gameplay videos are uploaded on YouTube aswell. This gives you an oppurtunity to go through the game with some of your favourite game-streamers.
Cons
Con Puzzles tend to be easily solved
Sadly the core of the game is the puzzle aspect but they tend to be easily enough solved, which makes for a bit of a let down for players who are used to or looking for difficult gameplay.
Con Character movement is not authentic
Though the game feels very real, the main character's movement sometimes ruins it. Though he can jump over ledges and climb over small walls, he sometimes can not move over tiny objects - this can frustrate the player and make the game feel less real.
Con Scripted chases - a lot of trial and error escaping
Quite often you find yourself escaping from an enemy in a scripted chase. You will have to get to a specific predetermined location to escape the enemy. This means a lot of trial and error - choosing different paths and dying, until you find the right one.
Con Story leaves a lot of open ends
The game asks way more questions than it answers. After the game you might feel like you wanted more questions to be answered.
Con The gore can be a bit too much
Though the game is M-Rated, instead of "Adults only", it contains a lot of gore and some nudity. Some players might feel like standing up and leaving the game at points just because the gore becomes unbearable.