Look Outside

Great game

I've decided to rewrite my review of this game, seeing as I'm now on what is technically my fourth play-through. Here's my up-front caveat: I think this game is DRASTICALLY more enjoyable on Explorer difficulty. My first crack at it was on Survival difficulty, and the amount of repetition I was forced to endure by its punishing save system made Look Outside pretty much an automatic 5/10 for me. I am the kind of gamer that likes to experiment with minimal min-maxing ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ outside of what I can fluidly manage while still having a good time. Save scumming is a crucial ingredient for this type of gameplay, and Explorer allows that without diminishing anything else about the game. Take that as you will. Now, onto the rest. Look Outside has continuously surprised and delighted me with its story and its writing in particular. The prose describing what you're experiencing is florid in the best way, and pairs wonderfully with the horrific, surrealist art and design of the many, MANY unique creatures you'll run across, both as friends and foes (and sometimes both!). The music is in the MIDI style we've all come to expect from games featuring pixelated graphics, but even if that's not your jam (like me), it still works because the compositions are rock solid and vary wildly, creating tension in one moment and stupefying dread in the next. What I have to praise above and beyond all else is the sound design. It is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ disgusting, and it works SO WELL to sell the setting you're exploring. Every snapping bone, every squish and splash, every pained moan, the rustling, the hissing, it's CONSTANT and really makes you feel like you're trapped in a place that is rapidly becoming unrecognizable to you. There are some jump scares, but they used very sparingly, and some I would argue barely count as jump scares because, if you're paying close attention, they are telegraphed to you in one way or another. That's another beautiful thing about Look Outside: the cohesion AND the chaos. No two of my runs have been the same. I've found different companions, weapons I'd never seen, discovered special moves I didn't know existed, and my last run made it clear eventually that I'd done some things REALLY early and other things REALLY late, which now explains why some of the boss fights seemed damn near impossible while some of the ones the game basically TELLS you are going to be tough, I just breezed through. There's limitations, but the elasticity of the narrative is mind-blowing at times. There's so much you could easily just overlook. It reminded me a lot of Silksong in that vein. Provided you have no issue with playing on "easy" mode (the game is still plenty challenging), I would say Look Outside is a 9/10 experience for me due to its uniqueness, its willingness to take bold risks, and its profound love for player experimentation within its world and narrative. Plus, as a cosmic horror aficionado, this game was like catnip to me from the first time I heard about it, and good lord, it does NOT disappoint. Give it a try. Go on. Look outside.