Believe it or not, I am more interested in the plot and overall themes of Outlast than anything else. Therefore, gameplay aside, I am laying out the reasons I think, for most people, Outlast 2 missed the mark.

Blake's situation and outlook on what is happening around him does not encourage the player to dive into the story of Temple Gate, its residents, or Murkoff's involvement in the bigger picture. Blake makes it apparent from the very beginning of the game that he isn't interested in finding out what happened to their Jane Doe ( Anna Lee ). While in the helicopter shooting an opening, Lynn mentions that this person was murdered to which Blake responds, "Hey, Lynn. I don't think you should say 'murdered'. We don't know that." He also immediately stops recording. It's pretty jarring. Lynn snaps back sarcastically, asking if they should just say that she strangled herself to death. Blake responds with "S'what the police report says." This is a defining moment for his character right at the beginning. It shows that, despite being an investigative journalist, Blake is willing to accept the police report at face value and NOT investigate further. Lynn, however has that detective spirit that another beloved protagonist of ours has, but more on that later. In short, even before the plane crashes, Blake has little to no interest in knowing anything about the case, the area, or the people in it. This theme continues throughout the game. He is so wrapped up in his own past trauma and task of finding Lynn that he doesn't give a damn about the story. Now, don't get me wrong. I think his response to the absolute massive trauma and torture he's enduring is totally reasonable. However, as a player of the game, we empathize with Blake... therefore we have difficulty having interest in the story either. Sure, the notes are there. The character backgrounds are... sort of around, but it makes it incredibly difficult to care at all. Combined with the disorienting nature of the game, there's no room for figuring out the story. In my opinion, this is a HUGE loss. (As a note, I would like to add that I think it would have been a better decision to make Lynn the main protagonist. Blake's story is interesting, but distracting from the main Outlast narrative.)

Let's talk about another friend of ours, Waylon Park. Honestly, he has a similar attitude to Blake when it comes to his situation. He's done his good deed by sending out the email to try to expose Murkoff, and now his priority is to get the hell out in one piece and rejoin his family. But why then, did the DLC not drag us into the pattern of not caring about the story or characters like Outlast 2 did? The answer is simple. Miles Upshur. Waylon is navigating familiar terrain. After all, we've been to Mount Massive before, and we can't wait to get our hands on some more dirt on Murkoff/ themes of the overall game in the form of interesting and well thought out characters.

Miles Upshur inspired this quest for knowledge in us right away. His goal is to dig up whatever he can at all costs. He's all in, and so are we. Not only does Miles find documents and interact with the characters around him, he also has an incredible tool in his belt. Empathy. He tries to figure out each character we encounter to a certain extent. He doesn't just want to know what Murkoff has done on paper. He wants to know what Murkoff has done TO PEOPLE. He wants to understand the organization completely from every angle. This detective spirit and quest for the truth that he shares with us (and what Lynn tries to share with us) is what made the story of the first game and the DLC so intoxicating. Not only is the game scary, but it's REAL. The consequences of capitalism, science, money, and faith, are very real.

If you made it to the end of this crazy explanation, congratulations. It's my hope that Red Barrels sees this and it gives them something to think about. Thank you for reading. I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts below!