Developed by Francis Coulombe and published by Devolver Digital, Look Outside is an unusual blend of survival horror and turn-based RPG that manages to make an ordinary apartment building feel like one of the most unsettling places imaginable. The premise is straightforward but effective: something mysterious has appeared in the sky, and anyone unfortunate enough to look outside has transformed into a grotesque creature. Playing as Sam, a seemingly ordinary resident, players must survive the next fifteen days while trying to understand what has happened to the world. With the building becoming increasingly populated by mutated former residents, strange visitors and other horrors, finding a way to stay alive is only part of the challenge. The mystery surrounding the incident is best experienced firsthand, and the game does a good job of keeping its revelations unpredictable without relying entirely on conventional horror tropes.
One of the game’s biggest strengths is its cast of characters. Not everything encountered in the building is necessarily hostile, and some of the creatures retain enough of their former personalities to communicate, request assistance or even become valuable allies. The mysterious Sybil, who communicates through an eye embedded in the wall of Sam’s apartment, is a particularly memorable example of the game’s wonderfully bizarre approach to character design. Decisions made throughout the adventure can have considerable consequences, influencing relationships, available story paths and the eventual ending. There are several different outcomes to discover, giving players a good reason to revisit the building after completing their first playthrough. The writing also finds an interesting balance between disturbing horror, strange humor and occasional moments of genuine humanity. Not every encounter is equally compelling, but the sheer variety of personalities and situations makes exploring the building an entertaining experience.
The apartment itself serves as a relatively safe place to recover between expeditions, and managing everyday activities becomes an important part of staying alive. Cooking, eating, washing, crafting equipment and even playing video games all contribute to Sam’s condition and statistics. These seemingly mundane activities provide a welcome contrast to the horrors waiting outside, while also giving the player meaningful reasons to return home. Exploring the building is essential for gathering supplies, finding weapons and uncovering more of the story, but spending too much time away from the apartment increases the danger. The longer an expedition lasts, the greater the risk of running into something that Sam simply isn’t prepared to handle. Returning home also rewards players for taking risks, making each trip a balancing act between gathering enough resources and knowing when it is time to retreat. This system works particularly well because it encourages experimentation without making exploration feel entirely consequence-free.
Combat is handled through first-person, turn-based encounters that borrow familiar elements from traditional RPGs while adding a few interesting survival horror touches. Enemies can approach from a distance, gradually closing in and becoming increasingly dangerous, which means positioning and timing are important considerations. Players have access to melee weapons, firearms, improvised throwing objects and special abilities, although equipment is not particularly reliable. Weapons deteriorate through use and can eventually break, making it important to think carefully about which resources to spend during each encounter. There is also the option to communicate with certain opponents rather than immediately resorting to violence, reinforcing the idea that not every creature in the building has become completely mindless. The system offers enough variety to keep encounters interesting, although the underlying turn-based structure can occasionally feel rather conventional. Some fights are also noticeably more difficult than others, and an unexpected defeat can be especially frustrating when it means replaying a substantial portion of an expedition.
Exploration is another important part of the experience, although it requires a degree of patience and attention. The building gradually opens up as the days pass, revealing new rooms, characters, obstacles and secrets. Progress often depends on finding specific items or interpreting clues hidden in conversations and notes, while the absence of a proper map means players must rely on their own memory to navigate the corridors. This contributes to the atmosphere, making the apartment complex feel like an increasingly disorienting labyrinth, but it can also become a source of frustration when trying to remember where a particular character or locked door was located. The interface doesn’t always help matters either, with menus that can feel cumbersome to navigate. The basic controls and interaction systems are functional, but the overall presentation of the menus could have been more intuitive. Players who prefer clearly marked objectives and constant guidance may find the relatively hands-off approach less appealing.
Visually, Look Outside makes excellent use of its retro-inspired pixel art. The presentation initially suggests a relatively conventional 16-bit RPG, but that impression quickly disappears once the game’s more disturbing inhabitants begin appearing. Francis Coulombe has created an impressive collection of grotesque creatures, with mutations involving distorted limbs, oversized eyes, strange growths and all manner of other anatomical nightmares. The contrast between the relatively ordinary apartment interiors and the increasingly disturbing things found throughout the building is particularly effective. Combat encounters and certain story sequences also benefit from the game’s more elaborate creature artwork, ensuring that even relatively simple pixel animations can leave a lasting impression. Naturally, the deliberately rough aesthetic won’t appeal to everyone, but it suits the subject matter remarkably well. Rather than attempting to create realistic horror, the game uses its visual limitations to make its monsters feel even stranger and more unsettling.
The audio presentation further reinforces this atmosphere. Unsettling noises, distant cries and occasional moments of silence make the apartment building feel like a place where something terrible could happen around every corner. The sound design is particularly effective during exploration, when the absence of clear information about what lies ahead makes even relatively ordinary noises feel threatening. The soundtrack provides additional support, although it isn’t quite as consistently memorable as the visual and creature design. Nevertheless, the combination of environmental sounds and music does a good job of maintaining tension without constantly relying on loud stingers or predictable horror cues. It is another example of how Look Outside manages to create an effective atmosphere without needing an elaborate presentation.
The PlayStation 5 version brings this distinctive survival horror RPG to consoles with the additional content associated with the game’s Final Vision update, including new areas, bosses, endings and a challenge mode. There is plenty to discover beyond a straightforward run through the main story, and the different decisions and possible outcomes provide meaningful replay value. That said, the occasional difficulty spikes, cumbersome menus and sometimes frustrating consequences of losing a battle prevent the experience from being entirely smooth. Some encounters can feel unnecessarily punishing, particularly when resource management and character statistics leave players with limited options. Still, these shortcomings don’t undermine what makes the game special. Look Outside is an imaginative and often genuinely disturbing adventure that combines resource management, exploration, character interactions and turn-based combat into something that feels considerably more distinctive than its modest presentation initially suggests. Its strongest moments come from the unpredictable inhabitants of the building and the constant temptation to venture just a little further into the unknown. For fans of unconventional horror and RPGs that reward curiosity, this is a particularly worthwhile addition to the PlayStation 5 library.
Score: 8.2/10