The bizarre and incredibly engrossing horror RPG Look Outside is one of the best new games to hit Steam all year, and unfortunately, console gamers are missing out. Look Outside was developed by Francis Coulombe and published by Devolver Digital, landing on Steam earlier this year to an incredible reception from the platform’s users.
Since Look Outside released on Steam, it has earned “Overwhelmingly Positive” reviews from users. Professional critics have scored it high enough for Look Outside to earn an 84 overall rating on review aggregate site OpenCritic, while it has an impressive 83 on Metacritic. The user score on Metacritic has awarded Look Outside an 8.9, which makes it one of the highest-rated games of the year in terms of user reviews. All things considered, it’s safe to crown Look Outside as one of the absolute best RPGs that released all year, but fans may be surprised to learn that it’s not playable on PlayStation or Xbox.
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To date, Look Outside is a Steam exclusive, and no plans to bring the game to PlayStation or Xbox have been announced. It’s a shame, too, because Look Outside is the kind of unique experience that really should be available to as wide of an audience as possible.
Look Outside is a Brilliant Blend of Survival-Horror and RPG
To go into too many specifics would be to rob Look Outside of its ability to surprise and shock players, but the gist of the game is that something terrible has happened outside that is transforming people into horrific creatures. The player character has to contend with a ticking clock all the while trying to survive in their increasingly-dangerous apartment building.
In a sea of medieval and fantasy RPGs, Look Outside stands out. Set in modern day, the game features a first-person turn-based combat system where players have to use whatever they can find lying around the apartment building to defend themselves against the horrors they come across. Killing monsters gets you XP to level up like most turn-based RPGs, but players can also get stat boosts by playing video games, showering, browsing the web, brushing their teeth, and more.
I played through Look Outside on a ROG Xbox Ally X and it worked perfectly. Based on the Steam reviews, it seems the game runs quite well on Steam Deck as well.
Player choice plays a huge role in the Look Outside experience. Most NPCs can be outright attacked if players decide they can’t be trusted, while others can be bartered with or may play another role. Player choice gives Look Outside an incredible amount of replay value, so gamers will get their $9.99 worth and then some.
The Survival-Horror Factor
Even if you don’t consider yourself a fan of turn-based RPGs, Look Outside may still appeal to you if you are someone that’s into survival-horror games. Think of the apartment as the Spencer Mansion from Resident Evil 1. Players have to explore, find key items, and solve puzzles, all the while managing a limited inventory and making smart decisions about which monsters to fight and which monsters to avoid. It’s easily one of the best survival-horror experiences of the year, beyond being one of the best RPGs of the year.
Look Outside delivers its survival-horror/turn-based RPG cocktail with an engaging story, clever writing, and plenty of laughs and body horror scares. It’s a truly unique experience and if you are a fan of RPGs, horror, or both, it’s an absolute must-play. Here’s hoping it eventually makes its way to consoles because PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo gamers definitely need to see what all the fuss is about.
