PoN: Outlast vs Amnesia

Welcome to PoN. This edition, it's not so much a preview as a review, looking back at the latest two big releases in the survival horror genre, and helping you decide - which one do I choose? As both are in roughly the same price bracket, I'll do my best to offer a fair comparison, with pros and cons for both!

Our first game is the the first sequel to the ever-popular Amnesia. Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs was developed by The Chinese Room, and published by Frictional Games, who developed The Dark Descent. Set in the same universe as Brennenburg Castle, it features an entirely new setting, time period, and a brand new cast of characters to be tormented by the supernatural.

The player character is Oswald Mandus, who just happens to be a butcher and participant of the industrial revolution, who has been plagued by strange dreams about a dark machine upon his return from Mexico.

The game features a number of enemies, most common of which are the Manpigs. These are similar to the Servant Grunts from the original – unkillable, patrolling creatures which are drawn to the light of Mandus' lantern. Additionally, the Teslapigs, more similar to the Brutes of the original, function as minibosses, and the Kaernk (also known as the water monster) makes a terrifyingly welcome return.

Overall, there aren't too many changes in gameplay. The most significant is the removal of the inventory, which changes the puzzle style to require more environmental interaction, and removes the need for oil and tinderboxes. Sadly, the sanity mechanic has also been removed, meaning that remaining in darkness and looking at the Manpigs are actions with little consequence. Heath, additionally, recovers over time, unlike the requirement to use laudanum in The Dark Descent.

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs has received mostly positive reviews from critics.

Our second game is Outlast. Developed and published by Red Barrels Games, it has been released for PC, and has a PS4 release date set for early 2014.

The main character is named Upshur, a freelance journalist, and like Mandus, is incapable of combat – you will spend most of the game running from the antagonists. You carry a video camera, which allows you to use the “night vision” function to see – unfortunately, it seems to consume batteries at a rather alarming rate, and although replacements are readily available in the asylum you will need to decide what times it is appropriate to expend your battery life in order to avoid running out at a crucial point. Health regenerates over time, provided you do not take any further damage.

The game is set in a psychiatric hospital which appears to have been attacked, with Upshur finding the bodies of most of the staff strewn around the building. Upshur investigates, and the horror is happy to deliver, with the game featuring suspense, body horror, jump scares and chase sequences in a gore-filled joyride that will either have you laughing hysterically or wetting yourself in terror.

Again, Outlast has received overall positive reviews from critics.

The question therefore remains – which game is better? Purely going by Metacritic scores, Outlast is a marginal winner, having a score of 80/100 compared to Amnesia's 71/100. Outlast has also won a number of awards at E3 2013, including the “Best of E3” award – quite a good indicator!

However, if you're looking for a sense of familiarity, and old-school supernatural horror, Amnesia may be the better game for you. I'd be reluctant to recommend this title to anyone unfamiliar with the adventures of its predecessor, as a great deal of its joy is to re-experience the creeping fear that made The Dark Descent so good.

My recommendation goes to Outlast. It exemplifies some of the best elements of the genre, and while it's hardly a revolution in graphics, it's certainly pretty to look at – generally