- 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - 15/Jul 04:33

Out of Sight – Review

We’re a bit late to the party when it comes to Out of Sight, as the game made its debut on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox nearly two months ago. The Switch version, which we’re reviewing here, arrived on the eShop in June, but we were busy racing around the Mushroom Kingdom and conquering feudal Japan then. We’re happy that Out of Sight didn’t slip through the cracks though, as it turned out that this was a title well worth our time. Read on to find out why you should set your sights on Out of Sight yourself. Story Central to Out of Sight are the orphan girl Sophie and Teddy, her teddy bear. While Sophie is blind herself, she is still capable of seeing the world through the eyes of Teddy. Teddy is more than just Sophie’s means of seeing, though. The bear acts as the little girl’s confidant and her much-needed means of comfort and trust. Teddy’s importance to Sophie cannot be understated, as sinister things are happening at the orphanage. Sophie’s supposed caregivers are seemingly plotting to involve the girl in a dark ritual. Not even Sophie knows exactly what is going on, but it’s clear that she needs to get out of there, and fast. In true horror fashion, the story of Out of Sight is deliberately kept minimalistic and ambiguous. Most of the storytelling is delivered through environmental clues and overheard dialogue. This narrative ambiguity is one of Out of Sight’s strong suits, although some of the supernatural elements, like how Sophie is actually able to see through Teddy’s eyes, could have been fleshed out more. Graphics From an aesthetic perspective, Out of Sight absolutely nails what it sets out to do. The game is seen through Teddy’s eyes, either from a “first-person” view as he is being carried around by Sophie, or with a perspective shift when she puts him down to interact with the environment. Sophie is a little girl, and everything surrounding her feels imposing and oversized as a result. Lighting, in particular, is used to great effect. Most of the game is steeped in darkness, with shadows adding to the creepy atmosphere. This contrasts with the light of the moon occasionally shining through the cracks, showing Sophie the way outside. Visual storytelling is incredibly important here. Unfortunately, the Switch version of Out of Sight isn’t quite up to snuff compared with what the game looks like on other platforms, and much of its visual strengths are lost in translation. It’s still serviceable on the hybrid handheld, but the devs clearly opted for performance over presentation, resulting in a version that has less visual impact. Sound Sound is central to Out of Sight, particularly because Sophie is blind. She relies heavily on audio cues to understand her environment, which ties into the game’s mechanics. When booting up the game, you’re recommended to play it with headphones on, and it’s easy to understand why. Ambient noises like creaking floorboards, whispering voices, distant moans, and slamming doors are used to build tension and create a sense of constant unease. Music is used sparsely but in an extremely effective manner. It never overwhelms but instead accentuates tension. Voice acting is another highlight, with Sophie’s dialogue with Teddy in particular painting a wide range of emotions. Meanwhile, antagonists’ voices help with making the characters feel like actual threats, whether they come across as quietly threatening or completely unhinged. Gameplay When it comes to gameplay, Out of Sight delivers a mix of puzzle-solving, stealth, and light platforming, all built around that standout first-/second-person camera mechanic of Teddy’s vision. The result is one of the more unique survival horror titles we’ve played. There is no combat present here, which makes sense given Sophie’s vulnerability. Instead, the main gameplay focus is on environmental puzzles. When Sophie places Teddy down on specific pink or purple blankets, the game switches to a second-person perspective, where you see her from the bear’s stationary viewpoint. With her hands free, Sophie can then interact with her surroundings to overcome whatever environmental obstacle stands between her and freedom. The puzzles themselves are fairly simple and involve things like block-pushing and lever pulling. More often than not, you’ll need to shift Teddy’s location multiple times in order to get a full view of a puzzle to solve it. Navigating the orphanage poses a challenge in and of itself. Sophie needs to avoid the villainous adults who roam the halls. The girl needs to avoid their line of sight and hide behind objects. Audio plays another factor here, as knowing when to move is often tied to audio cues. Some stealth segments involve working around villains as they do tasks, adding tension without constant threat. There are also chase sequences where Sophie runs toward or away from the bear, creating dramatic camera shifts. The chase sequences are scripted, which does hurt the game’s overall replay value. To its credit, Out of Sight strikes a good balance between stealth and chases. Clocking in at between 2 and 4 hours, Out of Sight is on the short side. In addition, it is a very linear game. Once the credits roll, you’ll have seen everything it has to offer, and there is very little reason to return to it. At first glance, that may make it seem like the €24.99 price tag is way too steep. In this case, it’s a matter of quality over quantity. This is not a game about combat or complex systems. Instead, it’s about vulnerability, observation, and emotional tension, wrapped in a minimalist but impactful design, and it excels at it. Conclusion With its unique mechanics and fantastic atmospheric storytelling, Out of Sight delivers one of the most immersive survival horror games that we’ve ever played. The deliberate ambiguity behind the villains’ intentions, the vulnerability of Sophie, and the outright fantastic sound design will easily keep your attention throughout the game’s 2-4 hour runtime. We do recommend playing this one on any platform other than the Switch if you can, as the visuals do take a hit here. Other than that, Out of Sight is well worth checking out, despite its price tag and limited replay value.