Textual Analysis: Week 05

Was environmental storytelling used in an effective and interesting way in your chosen game(s)?Why/why not?

The environmental storytelling used in "Outlast" was effective and interesting as it set the eery tone for the game very clearly.
At the start of the game, the outside of the building appears a well kept solid structure with some development taking place as suggested by the scaffolding. The Victorian styled detailing in the doors and furniture, along with the dark night make the setting feel nearly Gothic.
As soon as the player gets inside, the rooms appear typical, but as you progress deeper through the game it gets much darker and grittier, hinting at how the state of the mt massive asylum came to be. The game achieves this by littering documents for the player to find at their own will that describe the story, like documents and graffiti about the mysterious "Walrider" project, or when the player discovers a profile about a character called, Doctor Wernicke, only later to find his name in an obituary in another document later in the game. This, in addition to the decrepid voices behind surgical curtains calling out Wernicke's name, results in the player making the connection to previous clues while forming more questions about the asylum.
Environmental storytelling is most effective when they reveal just enough so insignificant details in environments the player had already explored may connect together to make them significant, creating exposition. Having the player actively make cognitive connections makes them feel rewarded and keeps their interest. Outlast accomplishes this several times through the littering of documents, and ephemeral context on the walls.
The revelation creates an eeriness as well as more interest to find out what really happened in this blood soaked environment.