Survival horror Cosmic and Lovecraftian horror Horror RPG Maker horror 2D horror Body horror

Look Outside

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Whatever you do, do not look outside.

Platforms: PC
Stores: Steam, GOG
Price: Paid
Rated: Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam (98% of 15,253 reviews); OpenCritic top critic average 84 from 19 reviews; GOG 4.7 out of 5
Length: 10 to 12 hours
Players: 1
Made by: Francis Coulombe
Released: 2025

No. 25 of the alien horror games · No. 19 of the painting horror games · No. 22 of the neighbor horror games · No. 19 of the kitchen horror games

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What frightens After a mysterious event, anyone who looks out a window becomes a grotesque monster. You never look, and stay in your apartment building, creeping down dark corridors for food and supplies while twisted, bleeding, many-limbed things that were once your neighbours wait in the halls and knock at your door.
Content: gore, body horror, violence, horror scenes.

A survival horror RPG set in a single apartment building, by Francis Coulombe and published by Devolver Digital. Anyone who looks out a window turns into a monster, so you scavenge the building over fifteen days, fight in turn-based battles, keep yourself fed and clean, and decide which strange neighbours to trust.

About Look Outside

Look Outside is a survival horror RPG by Francis Coulombe, published by Devolver Digital and released on PC in March 2025. It began as a game jam entry made in one month for Hawktober Horrors 2024 on itch.io, and the full game was announced and released together five months later. It takes place in one apartment building after a mysterious event turns anyone who looks out the window into a grotesque monster.

You play Sam, who has not looked. The event lasts fifteen in-game days, and the game moves between your apartment and the building around it. You plan expeditions into its corridors and other flats to find food, supplies and weapons, then come home to sleep, shower, cook dinner, craft tools, play games and get to know the neighbours who have become allies. You have to keep an eye on hunger and hygiene. Time outside your flat passes only when you explore new areas, and the danger level rises as it does, which also brings more experience when you go home. Knocks at your door come at random, and answering them can go many ways. Some of the strange people you meet can be invited back or recruited, and killing or stealing can leave Sam feeling guilty.

Fights are turn-based against more than 150 hand-crafted creatures, in the style of EarthBound, and they account for the distance between you and your enemies. You fight with makeshift weapons that wear out and with what you have found, and ammunition runs short. There are a dozen boss fights and several endings. Some parts of the building do not follow normal geometry.

Easy mode makes resources more plentiful and lets you save the first time you enter a room. On normal mode you can only save at home, once the danger has grown past a certain point. A harder Cursed Mode opens after a first clear.

The horror is in the pixel art itself: bodies split, sprout eyes and limbs, and bleed in detail, and the people who are still human are not always better. A knock at your door can mean a friend or something that only sounds like one.

The game was made in RPG Maker, written by Francis Coulombe and Eric Shumaker, with music by Eric Shumaker. It is in English only.

It suits players who like turn-based RPGs and survival horror, and who can take heavy body horror.

How to play Look Outside

Start in your apartment and check what food and supplies you have.
Head out into the building's corridors to explore other flats and floors.
Fight creatures in turn-based battles, using your weapons, items and the distance between you and them.
Bring supplies back home to rest, cook, craft tools and recover.
Keep Sam fed and clean by cooking, sleeping and showering at home.
Talk to the people you meet and decide who to help, recruit or invite in.

Screenshots

Look Outside screenshot: turn-based battle as Sam fires a pistol at a bloody human-shaped monster flanked by two red creatures with grinning mouths

Look Outside screenshot: a grinning man seen through a door peephole shouts that he wants to make friends

Look Outside screenshot: Sam stands in a dark flat where a trail of blood crosses the floor near a baseball bat on a table

Look Outside screenshot: a painter with a palette talks about a painting of the sky he made after looking outside

Look Outside screenshot: Sam throws a Molotov in a turn-based battle against a mass of starry eyes and grasping hands

Look Outside screenshot: close-up of a tired Sam brushing his teeth in the bathroom mirror

Look Outside screenshot: in a dark kitchen and living room, Sam faces a shadowy creature made of starry eyes and hands

Tips

Never look out a window.
Watch your ammunition; makeshift melee weapons save bullets for the worst fights, but they wear out.
Go home to recover before pushing deeper; each trip out is a risk.
On normal mode you save only at home, so plan trips around getting back.
Pick easy mode if you want more resources and a save the first time you enter each room.
Think carefully before opening your door to a visitor.

Questions

How long is Look Outside?

Its makers put it at 10 to 12 hours, with a dozen boss fights and several endings.

Is Look Outside on consoles?

No. It is sold for Windows PC on Steam and GOG.

Who made Look Outside?

Francis Coulombe, who wrote it with Eric Shumaker, the composer. Devolver Digital published it. It was made in RPG Maker and began as a one-month game jam entry for Hawktober Horrors 2024.

Is Look Outside gory?

Yes. The makers state it shows horror scenes, frequent violence and gore, and its monsters are detailed body horror.

Does Look Outside have an easy mode?

Yes. Easy mode gives more resources and lets you save the first time you enter a room. Normal mode only lets you save at home, and a Cursed Mode opens after you finish the game once.

Is Look Outside on GOG?

Yes. It is sold on GOG for Windows, as well as on Steam.