It has been a long, winding road for Outlast 2 developer Red Barrels but finally, at long last, its follow-up to the 2013 original will be ready to scare the socks off anyone brave enough to rise to the challenge on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 or PC come April 25. Given the very real chance that your dreams will be haunted incessantly by nightmares from tomorrow until the day comes that you either give up or make it to Outlast 2‘s conclusion, Red Barrels is easing you into the terrors that await with a tense launch trailer.
Dilapidated, fog-filled countryside barns? Check. Torture racks? Double check. Bizarre instances of blood expelling itself out of everyday appliances. You can count on it. Any and all potential restraint that Red Barrels may have placed on itself with the original Outlast certainly seems absent here, the game’s, let’s say, more explicit moments having contributed to the sequel being refused a preliminary classification from Australia’s rating’s board back in March. Whatever the specific cause for concern that led to that hiccup, things seemingly ironed themselves out in the end, as it’s all lights green for those living Down Under to get their hands on Outlast 2 like everyone else.
2017 sure is shaping up to be a great year for horror enthusiasts. Besides the imminent arrival of Red Barrels’ sequel, earlier this year saw the release of Resident Evil 7, marking Capcom’s triumphant return to the series’ roots with a truly memorable cast of characters and a genuinely, if short-lived, intriguing story. Here’s to hoping that there are more delightfully dark stories waiting in the wings to scare us senseless this year.
