DreadOut Remastered Collection Review

Survival horror titles of today don’t do much to scare, as much as they focus on more action in titles like Resident Evil 4 Remake or the recently released Silent Hill 2 Remake. Now, that is not to say that these games are bad—far from it.

However, the fact remains that the word “horror” is attributed to each, and rightfully so, but certain titles come along that lean a bit heavier into the scares. The kind of scares that will send shivers down your spine and leave you a sweaty mess as you round each corner, just waiting for monsters to appear. DreadOut is a game that certainly fits the bill.

DreadOut Remastered Collection celebrates the 10th anniversary of the cult horror franchise that has made waves in the indie horror space. Not only was the game a hit amongst survival horror fans, but also a triumph for Indonesian-based developer Digital Happiness. Indonesia is not known as a hub for video game developers, so the fact that DreadOut was released to sizable fanfare means that the Indonesian gaming scene has a chance to build from that momentum.

On a shoestring budget and a dream, Digital Happiness made their little game a reality following a successful Kickstarter campaign and plenty of determination. With that being said, the question is: is DreadOut Remastered Collection worth your money?

DreadOut Remastered Collection features enhanced versions of both DreadOut and the standalone DreadOut: Keepers of the Dark. The resolution and frame rate bump certainly add to the overall game experience, but I am glad that developer Digital Happiness decided to keep the core campiness intact.

For those unaware of what a B-movie is, it is a cheesy film with low production value that somehow tickles the fancy in a way that your average blockbuster doesn’t. Dreadout does not shy away from the fact of being a B-horror-film-inspired production. The voice acting is downright corny in all the right places.

You start the game in a shack in the middle of an unspecified town with nothing but your phone (dubbed the Irisphone) and your wits as you make your way out of there. At first, it seems to be just a bad dream you wake up from; however, that is not the case.

You assume the role of Linda Melinda, a high-school girl who finds herself in a truly horrific nightmare after a school trip leads her, her classmates, and her teacher to an abandoned town. To the dismay of Linda, this town is anything but. The class finds themselves trapped in the school where all sorts of ghastly events unfold.

If this is your introduction to the DreadOut world, it could be easy to pass this off as nothing but a Fatal Frame clone, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The game sets itself apart from the Koei Tecmo franchise with its own set of mechanics and lore based on Indonesian folklore. This is where the game truly shines.

Digital Happiness has done their homework and is extremely faithful to the apparitions that appear in-game. You can tell the team is extremely proud of their Indonesian roots, and it was a refreshing change of pace from the standard horror fare that we see in the West. The ghosts range from freaky to downright terrifying.

In the spirit of Fatal Frame, the gameplay in DreadOut is similar in that protagonist Linda uses her trusty Irisphone (as opposed to the Camera Obscura) to shine a light on the nasty poltergeists that have enveloped her and her classmates. In true survival horror fashion, this is your only means of offensive action, save for one encounter later in the game.

Some ghosts have different variations in how you take them down, but they are all defeated by taking pictures of them. Once the screen starts emitting static, that means you can snap a picture and deal damage to them. There are also a great number of different monsters between both DreadOut and DreadOut: Keepers of the Dark to sink your teeth into. Digital Happiness inspired me to learn much more about Indonesian folklore that I otherwise would have never known about.

While the game works like a glorified boss rush of a game, that’s only one half of the gameplay equation. You will be solving puzzles to gain access to the next parts of the story. This is where the gameplay falters a bit. You could argue this is a skill issue, but the game in no way holds your hand.

You will gain a little “objective, updated” pop-up that gives you a little context to work with in making your way to the next section. Some of the puzzles are clever, where you must line up certain objects in the room and take a picture to solve them, or you will be walking around aimlessly until you happen to stumble upon the next item you need to progress. There is no in-between.

There seem to be a lot of old assets that were not updated for the DreadOut Remastered Collection that are still intact. I don’t mind this personally, as it enhances the cheesiness of the game, but it could be a blunder to people expecting something a bit more modern-looking. The game was originally released in 2014 when there wasn’t a shortage of beautiful-looking games, so when the textures look like they were ripped from the PS2 generation, it can be a bit jarring to look at.

The archaic textures, coupled with the horrendous voice acting, make the whole package a chef’s kiss for fans of campy horror films. One thing is for certain: Digital Happiness did not skimp out on horror. Certain segments seemed straight out of an Evil Dead film, coupled with some light comedic moments where the ghosts try to get inside Linda’s head.

As someone who is a lifelong horror game enthusiast, I can say with certainty that DreadOut might be one of the scariest horror games I have ever played. That is impressive with the low-budget nature of the game. When playing games like Resident Evil or Dead Space, I feel some semblance of security playing as hardened badasses like Leon Kennedy or Isaac Clarke, respectively.

Playing as a high-school girl equipped with only a smartphone in some of the most unsettling environments I ever had, the “displeasure” (totally a compliment) of exploring gives this game ten scares out of ten. The number of times I have jumped out of my seat and screamed while playing means the team understood the assignment well.

This is horror executed successfully. The game doesn’t just feature jump scares for the sake of it; each ghost instills a level of dread that is hard to measure up to. From unnatural twitching movements to deadly force, I truly felt helpless at the worst of times. As much as I already enjoyed what the team implemented with the limited resources they had, I do wonder what Digital Happiness is capable of if DreadOut ever gets a full-on remake with a higher budget.

Only time will tell. DreadOut Remastered Collection features a decent amount of content for the price tag of $29.99. There are multiple endings in the first game, and Keepers of the Dark features a boss rush of sorts with eight unique beasts to take down.

DreadOut Remastered Collection also seems to have lingering bugs that have not been addressed. For the sake of spoilers, I will not be discussing specific encounters, but one or two of them have left me stun-locked in a corner until I died. Linda should be granted temporary invincibility when she wakes up, as opposed to getting knocked over and immediately downed until death.

Some textures seem to be missing at times as well. In another instance, Linda tries to open a door, but her hand moves past the handle, and at times, the noise from opening a door will repeat indefinitely, even when not touching the handle. Some of these issues are gone with a simple reload but should still be addressed.

The atmosphere of the game is almost as much a villain as the ghosts found within. The cavalry never comes to comfort you. Darkness, coupled with horrific moans and screeches, is the only company Linda has throughout the game’s runtime. Decent lighting effects from the Irisphone and improved framerates also enhance the much-outdated experience of the original releases of both titles.

With the release of DreadOut Remastered Collection on modern systems, you can now play the entire franchise on one console. The remastered collection is certainly worth your time if you consider yourself a fan of horror films and games alike. It is truly worthy amongst some of its bigger contemporaries.

At $29.99, DreadOut Remastered Collection is priced accordingly for the content offered within. You get two games: the first with multiple endings and the second, a boss rush title with new ghosts to defeat and additional story content that enhances the lore even further.

DreadOut Remastered Collection may not be suited for everyone if you aren’t a fan of campy horror experiences with cheesy plotlines or lack thereof. The cutscenes found within are always a little treat to watch as well, with a blend of horror and light comedic elements as well. Grab your Irisphone and explore the unknown as Linda Melinda in the 10th-anniversary celebration that is DreadOut Remastered Collection.