In the town of Temple Gate and the figure of Knoth, who refers to himself as “the Modern Ezekiel”, the game implies a twisted version of Old Testament prophecies regarding the building of the Third Temple. It’s symbolism, though, is rich enough to be worthwhile. To that extent, Outlast 2 is a moderate success- even as it conveys its message with the nuance of a teenager, certain they’re the first and only person in human history hip to religious hypocrisy. It’s a game that quite rightly wishes to criticize the bloody foundation of a major system of faith, splattering the cross as a reminder of the torturous death it represents and evoking murderous extremists as a blown out, entirely unsubtle stand-in for the hate and horror so often carried out in the name of a loving God. The constant association of gore with Christianity’s chief symbol is overdone (it’s hard to walk five steps without finding some combination of severed body part and cross), but it’s also key to Outlast 2’s preoccupation with the religion’s violent underpinnings.
Alongside the human viscera and buckets of blood covering most every surface of the game’s environments, the crosses leave the game’s strongest visual impression. They line the walls of classrooms and hallways in flashback they dot graveyards, top houses and occupy spots of importance in Temple Gates’ many houses and community buildings. In the present day and nightmarish memory, Blake is surrounded by crosses. Amid the upfront creepiness of the fanatics who kidnapped Lynn, this theme is continued through flashbacks to Blake’s days in a Catholic high school when he failed to save a classmate from being sexually abused by a priest. On its surface, the obsessive Christians of Outlast 2 seem like a condemnation of religion.
Neither group sees Lynn as anything more than a decisive piece in a grand cosmic game. The Christians want the child killed immediately to ward off the False Messiah’s evil the others want it kept safe to ensure the opposite. (Lynn doesn’t look like she’s nine months along until the next time she’s seen up close during the game’s finale.) Knoth and Val’s followers are both trying to kidnap Lynn because they believe she’s carrying the Anti-Christ. She’s unexpectedly pregnant and is due to give birth at any moment, though this comes as a surprise to Blake and player both. Both groups are determined to abduct Lynn. Searching desperately for his fellow journalist and wife Lynn, lost after a helicopter crash stranded the couple in the canyons, Blake finds himself caught up in the grand eschatological designs of two opposing groups: the homicidally zealous citizens of Temple Gate who worship self-proclaimed prophet Sullivan Knoth and a sect of hazily defined Satan-worshipers lead by a heretical exile named Val. The last thing we see is a knife jammed into Blake’s crotch to the accompaniment of lustful grunts and panicked screams. The Christian grabs Blake, beating him about the head until he slumps to the ground. A moment of hesitation spent trying to decide whether to sprint further or hide and time runs out. Looking through his eyes, the player hops wooden fences and scans through the electric green static of a handheld camcorder’s night-vision for a rain barrel or rotted wooden closet she can tuck the terrified journalist inside.
Somewhere deep within a mountain canyon in rural Arizona, Outlast 2’s Blake Langermann runs through dust and darkness pursued by a Christian fanatic. Spoiler warning: this article discusses major plot points from the game.
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