When comparing Outlast vs Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, the Slant community recommends Outlast for most people. In the question“What are the best PS4 (PlayStation 4) games?” Outlast is ranked 82nd while Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is ranked 107th. The most important reason people chose Outlast is:
Outlast combines its tense atmosphere, creepy setting, stellar sound design, and a cast of horrifying inpatients to deliver a truly nightmarish experience. The developers even replaced the usual flashlight found in horror games with a camcorder, which has this really creepy nightvision mode.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Really scary
Outlast combines its tense atmosphere, creepy setting, stellar sound design, and a cast of horrifying inpatients to deliver a truly nightmarish experience. The developers even replaced the usual flashlight found in horror games with a camcorder, which has this really creepy nightvision mode.
Pro Unpredictable inpatients make exploration more tense
Outlast proves that people can be much scarier than ghosts. As you explore the dark hallways of the insane asylum, you’ll encounter many inpatients. Some of them good, some of them bad, but all of them crazy. So it’s sometimes really hard to tell which one will attack you. While some of them make it very obvious by holding knives or looking especially atrocious, sometimes they will attack unexpectedly. This uncertainty will creep inside your head, making exploration a lot more tense.
Pro Your character is really agile
Unlike most horror games where your character is clumsy and slow, in Outlast your character can actually move really well. Not only is your character fast enough to be able to outrun most enemies in the game, he also knows how to parkour. You can jump, grab ledges and climb them, and even slide over a table during a chase. This makes it a really refreshing horror experience.
Pro Convincing atmosphere
The dystopian setting with permanent police presence and derogatory comments from average citizens creates a depressing atmosphere.
Pro Engaging side quests
The side quests in Mankind Divided are almost as engaging as the main storyline. This is also helped by the fact that the NPCs who give these quests deliver their speeches in such a passionate way that makes you want to engage in their stories.
Coupled with the fact that this game has a constantly-grey morality and it truly feels like the player has the fates of these people in their hands.
Pro Great espionage-based gameplay
The game really shines when the players find themselves needing to infiltrate somewhere to complete a mission.
There's a myriad of ways to approach each situation and multiple outcomes depending on the approach. Hacking terminals, crawling through vents, and stealthily taking out enemies is what this game is all about.
There is a tangible tension to every move because if the player is caught by one of the enemies, the mission may come to an unexpected halt.
Cons
Con A little too reliant on jump scares
In some parts of exploring the insane asylum there are too many jump scares one after another. After a while it loses its scare factor and instead becomes somewhat annoying. This feels like a missed opportunity to build on the dark and gritty atmosphere of the insane asylum.
Con No substance, unrealized potential and utterly disappointing
Once you get past the jump scares, gore and shock value you might find that there's very little to keep you invested and going back for more. Boredom may sink in nearing the end, with a sense of longing for the game to just be over. However, the night vision mechanic was fresh and unique at the time and introduced a sense of suspense, which other developers have lent from Outlast since. If you're a fan of traditional western horror games you will not disappointed, but if you're looking for something more to your horror games besides learning paths and jump scares, you might want to steer clear of Outlast.
Con Cliche story
The typical horror story protagonist goes to investigate a location that simply oozes danger. As if the abandoned SWAT trucks, locked doors, and boarded up windows were not telling enough, the protagonist realizes his terrible mistake right when there's no way back already.
Con Relatively short
Mankind Divided is not as long as it should be. It can be completed in about 20 hours, and this is including most of the side quests. Doing just the main story would take even less than that.
Con Storyline feels hurried
While the first chapter of the game is quite slow and intriguing, it starts to become clumsier and unnatural as the player goes through the missions.
After heading out of Prague, the story starts to feel hurried. Characters are introduced and fall into the sidelines, only to return out of nowhere in crucial moments of the story with very little to no justification.
Con Side missions are hard to find
For people who want to complete every single side mission it can be hard to find them. They are given by NPCs which are differentiated from other, non-quest-giving NPCs by their name. Most are defined as "citizen", while those who have a quest to give have an actual name.
However, the only way to find these quest givers is by running up to every person in the game which is very time consuming.