Going into this, I had no idea it was a party-based dungeon crawler and it immediately hooked me. From the grotesque visuals that are so gnarly you can’t look away, to the strange cast of characters and the overarching mystery, everything was so lovingly crafted. Though its artistic style can be offputting, the game as a whole is a unique experience worth playing.

You are a resident of an apartment building during the apocalypse. Essentially, anyone that looks outside is turned into a horrific creature and few retain their humanity during the transformation and you must simply survive fifteen days until it’s all over. How you spend your days is up to you. You could stay inside and play video games, talk to your neighbor occasionally through a crack in the wall, make dinner and go to bed, or you can explore your apartment building. The other residents range from absolutely bonkers to relatively grounded and interacting with them is always a gamble because you never know what you’re going to get. The stories you uncover lead to some unexpected destinations and if you follow those threads, you might be surprised at what you find. Arguably, the main plot is the Astronomers and their quest to stop the calamity from continuing. My path through the game aligned with theirs and I found myself helping them gather visages of “The Visitor” (whatever was outside), but I ultimately failed. My actions didn’t help anyone, and I actually found myself satisfied with that ending despite my failure. Because you’re not given a mission or objective, what you do is completely up to you. This design usually doesn’t resonate with me as a curated experience is better than a choose-your-own-adventure narrative in my opinion, however, the gameplay and visuals had me on the hook from the get-go and the freeform story still felt meaningful as I continued playing.

So this is a party-based dungeon crawler, but no companions are given to you right off the bat. You have to find or stumble across other survivors to recruit them and while some can show up at your door, others are a bit more complex to obtain. I never had a full party and finished my game with a little girl and custodian on the roster. There was a homeless man as well that was on the crew for a brief stint, but I unfortunately lost him due to unforeseen circumstances involving a rat. Anyways, these characters aren’t too deep. They’ll sometimes comment on things back at your apartment or if something in the world relates to them personally. I found them serviceable, but also became attached to them through their effectiveness in combat.

Combat is a standard take-turn affair and while some characters fit into the age-old mage/tank/healer archetypes, the way they each contribute can differ. The little girl has a mechanic where she can play tricks on enemies, but only once she’s hiding, so she takes a bit of setup but her tricks are quite powerful. You can blind, stun or poison enemies and also perform sneak attacks for big damage. She’s kind of like an assassin in that sense, but more stylized to fit her character. Discovering the different recruitable part members and their abilities is part of the experience, so I’ll let you find the others on your own.

Exploration is a huge part of the game and it can be a bit frustrating at times. To save your progress, you need to go back to your apartment but only after you’ve explored a certain amount, otherwise you can’t save. I’m not sure why this is the case, but it did get on my nerves at times. I would sometimes find myself in a battle that I wasn’t strong enough to win and lose a lot of progress upon dying. However once I started actually using my items, this became less of an issue. You’ll find crafting components, food, weapons and equipment throughout your exploration and you should pick up everything you find. Resources can be scarce if you’re not actively exploring new areas, so ensure to do as much as you can in a day. Talking to different people will pull you in other directions for various quests, and what your mission is depends on you. Some areas require keys or planetary discs to access, and while there’s no correct direction to go, these help keep the player from getting into places they shouldn’t too soon. Also, the game rewards you with extra experience if you visit a bunch of new areas in a day, so take advantage of it as some of the bosses can be really tough.

Bosses are usually tanks with multiple phases and mechanics that differentiate them from one another. One took control of my dead party members and made them fight me, while another afflicted characters with multiple status conditions, so always be on your toes. The game does warn you if a fight is going to be tough just by saying that your character feels like you should run away. This warning is welcome, but if you have the right items, you can likely scrape by with a victory. Again, discovering the different bosses is part of the experience, so I won’t give too much detail on the others, but they’re all inspired in their mechanics as well as visually.

The biggest reason that this game has risen in popularity could be because of how it looks. It gives the impression of a classic game, but with some of the most twisted designs you’ll ever see. The disfigured people will definitely trigger some players’ fears or instill new ones in them. Teeth was one of the first motifs I encountered and it’s safe to say that I have at least minute dontophobia because of it. Some are so horrific, it’s hard to look away and I think that’s what makes this game a standout. Never have I seen such grotesque imagery and still felt compelled to stare it down. (This game gave me nightmares btw.)

Look Outside is not for the faint of heart. Its artistic vision is off putting in a way that makes it hard to look away. The characters aren’t too deep, but the way you can tackle the situation makes it as meaningful as you make it out to be. Combat can be brutal, yet rewarding, but the save system will likely frustrate some. The game ultimately had a vision of what it wanted to be and went for it, so I can respect it for that even if some won’t resonate with it. I did enjoy the game, despite the terrors imposed on my dreams, and would recommend it to any who enjoy a good dungeon crawler and have a strong constitution.