Resident Evil 7: Biohazard vs. Outlast, Who did it Better?

Resident Evil 7's return to its survival-horror roots has been met mostly with positive acclaim. However, fans of the genre already know that it feels very similar to another indie horror hit called Outlast. Instead of completely mimicking Resident Evil Survivor's interface the developers at Capcom deciding to provide limited menus and fewer weapons compared to other games in the franchise. This works and heightens the game's atmosphere and the limited movement restricted the player to quickly avoiding enemies. However, did Outlast do it better back in 2007?

Fighting Back

One of the major differences between the 2 games was the ability to fight back. In Outlast the player was only limited to hiding from the hostile inmates within the asylum. This lead to a lot of tense moments of fleeing and hiding, but also vexing moments of being caught and trying again. Resident Evil 7 does away with this by providing both options.

In many situations, Resident Evil 7 has you faced with an enemy you cannot kill. In these events, the player can use their resources to defend themselves or flee. I wasn't strong enough to kill Jack Baker but the option to shoot him and temporarily disable him made Jack feel that more threatening. Where in Outlast I was limited to hiding and waiting. In Resident Evil 7 if hiding failed I could run out, shoot the enemy with a shotgun, and flee before they got up.

Fear of Death

The Bakers were terrific antagonists that helped skyrocket Resident Evil 7 into a lot of people's hearts. However, they were short-lived and eventually drowned out by the constant annoyance known as the Molded. While disgusting and dangerous eventually these slimy creatures become cannon-fodder, unlike the inmates at the Mount Massive Asylum.

While you cannot defend yourself against them each new adversary has their own uniquely threatening persona. Unlike the Bakers, these enemies stand against you for the entire game, with new inmates being introduced over the course of the campaign. What also helped was that Outlast's death scenes were brutal, even when compared to Resident Evil's 7. 

Conclusion

Both games offer adequate story but Resident Evil 7 remained consistent, where Outlast did not. What started as a descent into the supernatural and a religious cult took a scientific route at the end to explain everything. I felt cheated by the end.

Resident Evil 7 didn't attempt to travel down an unfamiliar path. Instead, the game's story remained loyal to the franchise by offering various examples of bioweaponry and links to corporations. By the end, I had felt something new had started and a journey I wanted to see more of. Ultimately, an ending is a matter of taste but the feeling of satisfaction I got from finishing Resident Evil 7 was absent when I finished Outlast.

Which game do you think is better, Outlast or Resident Evil 7: Biohazard? Let us know in the comments below! While you're here check out our predictions for Resident Evil 8 and our no commentary walkthrough for Resident Evil 7.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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