Outlast 2 is getting a more laid-back 'Story Mode'

Outlast 2, aka the horror game which features a "charred baby pit", was notoriously hard at launch. Studio Red Barrels did end up dialing back the difficulty a few months after its early 2017 release date, and having played it since then, I can confirm it's not as bloody frustrating as it was at first. But for those who prefer story to nail-biting monstrosity evasion and, uh, dying, there's a Story Mode now.

But unlike Soma's recent non-lethal playthrough option, you'll still be able to die in Outlast 2's story mode, and there will still be monsters. "It is still possible to die," the notes read, "but we’ve decreased the number of enemies and have lowered their speed, damage and perception."

Changes have also been made to the pacing of the game, allowing more passive players to poke around the game's sinister environments. But more importantly, the update has also lead to the introduction of more grimness.

"Also, we’ve taken the opportunity to reinsert some of the things we had to remove from the original game in order to get an M rating. These changes are not drastic in our opinion and do not impact gameplay, but they had to be made to avoid an Adult Only rating."

Could this removed material be the reason Australia's classification board initially refused to classify the game?

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.