A survival horror taking place in a single apartment building, Look Outside tasks you with figuring out what happened to your neighbors while fighting to stay alive. And whatever you do… don't look outside.

We all love staying at home some days. Enjoying the comforts of a familiar location is a nice and relaxing experience, especially when the weather isn't good. But what would you do if you couldn't go outside? What if something happened that prevented you from leaving your apartment block or even from looking out the windows or doors? Well, that's the main premise of Look Outside, a survival horror game that takes place in a single apartment building while chaos descends outside. Like any good survival horror, players must explore and loot a limited amount of supplies to figure out what exactly has happened to cause everything to go sideways.

Taking on the role of Sam, players wake up one morning as an unknown event unfolds across the world. As Sam goes to open his curtains, he's warned against doing so. After a conversation with his neighbor, who explains what's going on elsewhere and advises that whatever is happening should subside in 15 days, we get to explore Sam’s apartment and the rest of the third floor where he resides. But not everyone in the apartment building is as fortunate as Sam, who was living as an unemployed recluse before the events began to unfold. Many of the building’s residents have fallen victim to the mysterious event going on outside, resulting in them mutating into all kinds of abominations and then getting trapped in their homes or various other rooms within the apartment block. As time goes on, the number of residents dwindles, leaving Sam as one of the few remaining survivors.

*You’ll need to go out and socialize if you’re ever going to figure out why you can’t look outside*

Time passes if you stay at home and take part in a number of different activities, such as cooking, showering, or playing video games. I have heard it’s possible to stay inside and play video games until things return to normal (how very meta), but I can’t imagine it being as fun as actually experiencing the game. However, the quickest way for time to pass is to explore new locations for the first time or participate in combat. Every trip outside the safety of Sam’s apartment feels like it could be the last one you make, but that is what makes the exploration so much fun. The bid to push yourself just a bit further in the hopes of finding enough healing supplies to get through the day or a new weapon to replace the one that just broke in your last combat encounter is something you'll be trying to convince yourself you need to do, and it's something you'll do often as you progress because the next room might have just what you're looking for or you might not make it out.

Look Outside features turn-based combat, which isn't overly common for the genre, but it really adds to the experience. As players progress through the game and the various rooms and apartments, they'll eventually come across a wide variety of NPCs that can be recruited to their party, each with their own levels, abilities, and gear. Some of these party members will turn up on your doorstep when you're at home between excursions, and if you're anything like me, you won't answer the door to the majority of folks. Though not everyone who turns up means to do you harm, as occasionally you'll have traders turn up. It's up to you to make a judgement call and engage with them, or pretend like no-one is at home until they go away. Like a true anti-social adult! It took me until I reached the ground floor from the third floor before I got my first companion, which was no easy feat.

*Fighting multiple enemies quickly takes its toll if you aren’t stocked up on supplies or have anyone else on your team*

While resources are scarce, there are a couple of vendors who choose to take advantage of the ongoing chaos to mark up the price on the goods they have, and it’s up to you to decide if you want to splash the extra cash while you have it or save it for when you might really need some supplies. Exploring a neighbouring apartment can net you a crafting kit to keep back at home and mix up some deadly cocktails or some juicy healing supplies. If you’re running low on health, return home and cook up a delicious meal with the food you take from your neighbour’s fridges. The longer you explore, the more time passes, and the more time passes, the more experience earned when returning to the apartment.

It’s an addictive gameplay loop that is difficult to break once it has got its hooks into you, but that’s yet again part of the charm. Every floor I progressed through, every room I looted, left me feeling like there was more content just waiting for me around the next corner. And when I assumed I cleared a floor or an objective, I found more reasons to go back and ensure I was as thorough as possible in my explorations.

*Just who exactly are the astronomers, and what are they up to?*

There is a lot of content in this stunning little indie title, and the more time I put into it, the longer I want to play and explore more. The story is intriguing and leaves me desperate to figure out what is going on and why. Like traditional survival horror games, it doesn’t hold your hand with story beats, encouraging you to try and figure things out on your own, with only cryptic hints from other NPCs to decipher. And while there’s the option to let 15 days pass, I don’t want that to be my experience. The game has multiple different endings, so players will be able to play through again and again if they want to see how each unfold. I have already put in about 8 hours and I and eager to dive in for more every chance I get.

I’ve played playthrough through Steam Deck on my breaks, on public transport, or even a few minutes before sleep every night. Throughout my game time on Steam Deck, I haven’t encountered a single issue with the game or the device itself. It’s still early in the year, but I have a feeling I already have a strong contender for my personal Game of the Year, and I just know I’ll be planning a full review at some point. But until then, Have You Heard Of This?

I created this website as I feel the state of the games industry and games reporting as a whole has gotten overly negative and full of clickbait. While I understand both of these are a great way to generate engagement, it’s a detriment to those gamers (like myself) that are just trying to enjoy games and not have to worry about the negativity of the current state of the gaming industry. I want a space where gamers can come for unbiased news that doesn’t rely on clickbait or rumours with a dash of humour and have the opportunity to share their passion for games.

Look Outside

Tokyo Xtreme Racer