Out of Sight is a terrifying and dazzling horror adventure

Out of Sight is a fable, a horror story, and a smartly designed exercise in testing the limits of what traditional game mechanics can evolve into. At just a few short hours in length, it's a near-perfect game that showcases how much can be made with very little.

At its core, Out of Sight is a traditional stealth platformer. A kind of throwback to the PlayStation 1 era that plays like a cross between 40 Winks, Silent Hill, and Metal Gear Solid. But it's the inventive minimalist storytelling and an atmosphere you could cut with a knife that make Out of Sight stand out on its own.

Story & Gameplay

Out of Sight is a second person adventure platformer. You play as Sophie, a kidnapped blind girl who realizes she can see through the eyes of her stuffed toy. Using her newfound ability, she sets out to escape from the clutches of a demented cult. But the mere act of escaping an old manor is a difficult one when you're a child, and soon Sophie realizes there's more wrong with this place than she could have imagined.

At only a few hours in length, Out of Sight is not a minute too long. If anything, it's so compelling that by the time it ends, I was aching for just a little bit more. This is one of the best paced games I've played in years. One that understands the ebb and flow of scares and how to ratchet up tension in a way that is exciting, yet never unfair. While many others aim to be cinematic through cutscenes and taking control from the player, Out of Sight feels immersive and grand because it allows us to play through each artfully crafted section ourselves.

Here, the minimalism comes into the forefront. Sophie can't fight or do much of anything beyond what an ordinary child can. Her power is that she can see through the eyes of her stuffed friend, and he's an inanimate object. Even with this fantastical element, Out of Sight captures the sense of helplessness better than almost any other game out there. In the darkest moments, the tension is so palpable it feels like drowning.

The puzzles themselves are simple enough, yet never too easy or too difficult. Out of Sight understands that when you're already scaring the audience, it doesn't do any good to frustrate them on top of that. Every room has an air of menace around it, because the game establishes very early on that Sophie is hunted by the occupants of the house. They might not be there in just a few seconds, but they're not far off, either. Every loud creak of the floorboards or bang of an object you have to move is another chance for them to catch you.

It's a wondrous and delicate balance the game toys with superbly. Though I could guess that a second play-through would reveal much of these sequences more scripted than they initially feel like. But that feels like a cheat to complain about, since Out of Sight is an intentionally directed experience that doesn't pretend to be made for multiple runs. Sometimes a single, exquisite, one is enough.

Accessibility

Sadly, Out of Sight offers almost nothing when it comes to accessibility settings.

While it's understandable (this is an indie title from a small team), I can't help but be a little disappointed about this. The gameplay itself is thoughtful and clear, and there are no sequences that involve demanding motor functions or that rely on audiovisual cues most can't parse.

But apart from the most basic settings, Out of Sight is bereft of even colorblind or highlighted modes for those who need help in picking out items that can be interacted with out of the background.

Thankfully, the minimalist writing itself works fantastically for the neurodivergent experience. Because Out of Sight has so little dialog, most of the story is interpreted and parsed through from contextual clues and dark insinuations. Personally, this kind of storytelling is more engaging, because it doesn't lean on neurotypical expectations of how people read others.

Technical Aspects

I tested Out of Sight on a medium spec PC (RTX3080, 32gb DDR4, i7-9700k) and found the experience solid and beautiful throughout. I even gave the game a spin with my Meta Quest 3 VR helmet, which proved an intense and terrifying experience.

I couldn't play through the whole game in VR as I found the movement to cause motion sickness, especially in the scenes where Sophie put "me" (as the stuffed toy) on a counter. Something about the combination of backwards motion and inability to control myself didn't sit right with me.

But if you're not prone to motion sickness, I can't recommend Out of Sight in VR more heartily. This is a game that thrives on its impeccable mood and atmosphere, and experienced with a good headset it stands out as one of the most intense thrills you can play at this time.

Who's It For?

Out of Sight feels like one of the great horror stories you heard as a child. It's morbid and full of dread, and some of its darker implications will terrify only those who know how bad the world can get. Yet, somehow, it's also accessible, fantastical, and deeply compelling.

This is a deeply empathetic game, one that understands the power of friendship (real or imagined), and the chilling cold of the void that is helplessness. The fact that it combines all of it into a working gameplay experience, one that builds upon existing tropes and traditional mechanics without feeling stale, is nothing short of staggering.

Yes, it's short, and yes, it's probably best only for the first time. But when the experience leaves behind lasting memories, is that really a bad thing? In a world where gamers keep crying out for this art form to compete with films, Out of Sight is the closest we've come to our own Babadook. Meaning that this is a smart, nuanced, and lyrical horror story that extends past the usual confines of the medium.

If you like thrillers, platformers, horror, or a combination of all three, you owe it to yourself to play Out of Sight. It's one of the best games of the year so far.