I thought that Outlast was already as bone-chilling, nightmare fuelling, panic inducing scary as it could get; I was wrong, I was so, so wrong. Outlast’s DLC ‘Whistleblower’ is more than just your standard DLC; it’s not one of those enjoyable but ineffectual additions that rides in on the back of an already successful game, oh no, ‘Whistleblower’ is by and large a whole new chapter in Red Barrel’s manifesto of fear.
Developer: Red Barrels
Developer: Red Barrels
Genre: Survival Horror
Release date: September 4, 2013 (PC), Feburary 5th 2014 (PS4), June 18th 2014 (Xbox one)
Platforms: PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One
Release date: September 4, 2013 (PC), Feburary 5th 2014 (PS4), June 18th 2014 (Xbox one)
Platforms: PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One
ESRB: M - Mature
Outlast is a game that sets out to test how far it can push the boundaries of the horror genre with some incredibly disturbing scenes that may have bypassed some due to the hidden nature. ‘Whistleblower’ hides nothing and just in case you haven’t yet realized how twisted Mount Massive Asylum has become then you’ll be reminded that immature descriptions like ‘scary’ and ‘gore’ have no place here, this is true, uncensored horror.
Warning: The game contains M rated blood, gore, nudity and sexual content. As such, the screenshots below also contain such themes though with minimal spoilers and without representing the worst that this game has to offer.
‘Whistleblower’ has you step into the shoes of Waylon Park, a software developer for Mount Massive Asylum who, uncomfortable with the practices at the asylum, has been leaking information to outside sources one of whom is Miles Upshurr, the protagonist of the original game. Poor Waylon doesn’t get away with it for long however as, just as he sends the anonymous tip off to Miles, he’s caught and locked away in the asylum he was so desperately trying to draw attention to. I originally thought ‘Whistleblower’ was a prequel but as it turns out it’s much more than that. The experiences of Waylon Parks are wrapped snugly around the original storyline, taking place before, during and after the events of Outlast though in an entirely different region of the hospital.
Gameplay and environment
My previous complaints of a world that felt too linear and enemies whose AI was predictable and easy to outwit have been abolished leaving nowhere else to hide but plenty of places to run to in the blood drenched institute. Whilst the familiar sight of locked doors that progressively abolish any hope you have of escaping are still present there are now vast areas with interconnecting passageways and tiny rooms that leave you running in circles whilst a maniac relentlessly tracks you down. The enemies in this game are faster and even after sprinting for some time I would often turn to see them almost on top of me, leaving me no other option but to keep on running in the hope of losing them behind the next door, the next turn, the next table. The hiding spots too have been severely cut down and whilst the previous game had an abundance of beds and lockers to take refuge in I had a hard time finding anywhere to hide for the majority of the game. More often than not I’d simply crouch in a corner of a dark room, barely concealed by a table or a chair, and hope that they didn’t move close enough to spot me. Rather than a continual shifting of enemies to run from ‘Whistleblower’ essentially has one main threat but there are still approximately five different characters who will, at some point, try to kill you with a couple of them being familiar faces from the first game.
What makes this game so brilliant is how much emotion it draws out of you. I felt vulnerable at every step and, whereas previously wandering outside was a welcome breath of fresh air to be out of the corpse strewn halls, in ‘Whistleblower’ I was instead beset by further waves of anxiety as fog completely obscured my senses. This feeling of vulnerability that is essential to the survival horror atmosphere is completely accentuated when, at one point, you are left physically limping. As you can imagine, this does not work in your favour when trying to not be captured and killed. If you are spotted then there is quite simply no possible way of outrunning your pursuers so you just have to accept the inevitable reload as you blunder desperately on through the darkness.
The environments are thankfully different from the base game and though you do revisit certain locations it’s not in the least bit repetitive. Whilst ‘Outlast’ simply dipped its toes into exploring the grounds of the hospital ‘Whistleblower ’is more than happy to let you stretch your legs outside and, rather than confine you to rooms and corridors, frequently invites you to blunder about outside. As though it were any safer out there. Now and then you’ll find yourself bursting out through a window or a door to find yourself surrounded by the thick, impenetrable fog of the gardens or venturing through the maze of chain link fences that border the basketball courts. The worst thing about being outside is that there is quite literally no way of telling where your hunters are lurking as the fog is so thick you can barely see where you’re going, never mind whether somebody is hiding within it or not. Whilst the puzzles remain unchallenging the sheer pressure of completing them under duress is enough to make you have to replay certain portions of the game as it is inevitable you’ll get caught at least once. This is one of those games that is incredibly hard to play all in one playthrough without descending into a full blown panic attack. Unless, of course, you’re one of those people who are extremely desensitized to fear and carnage and play games like this to top up your macho-nerves-of-steel persona, if this is the case, what on Earth have you been doing to have become so unflinching? I shudder to think.
Conclusion
I’m not sure how they managed it but ‘Whistleblower’ is arguably scarier than 'Outlast' though significantly shorter due to it being a DLC, not a standalone game. The shortage of batteries, lack of hiding places, twisting nature of the environments and extreme nature of the carnage encountered is the perfect recipe to foster a paranoid terror known only by the deeply immersed. ‘Whistleblower’ is a solid addition to 'Outlast' and it is quite simply an incredibly haunting game that looks, sounds and plays as brilliantly as the original. ‘Whistleblower’ has achieved what it set out to do and that is to terrify the living daylights out of you. It not only manages to do that but it does so brutal confidence; slapping you about the face with its controversial scenes without apology and without remorse. With its open ending there is also great room for a sequel and I can only hope, and dread, that Red Barrels continues to make such amazing survival horror games. I can only warn you now though, that there are things in this game you can never be unseen.
The Good:
Last thoughts: "Oh... My... Good... God. That was messed up."
Not played the original yet? Check out my review for Outlast here.
Outlast is a game that sets out to test how far it can push the boundaries of the horror genre with some incredibly disturbing scenes that may have bypassed some due to the hidden nature. ‘Whistleblower’ hides nothing and just in case you haven’t yet realized how twisted Mount Massive Asylum has become then you’ll be reminded that immature descriptions like ‘scary’ and ‘gore’ have no place here, this is true, uncensored horror.
Warning: The game contains M rated blood, gore, nudity and sexual content. As such, the screenshots below also contain such themes though with minimal spoilers and without representing the worst that this game has to offer.
‘Whistleblower’ has you step into the shoes of Waylon Park, a software developer for Mount Massive Asylum who, uncomfortable with the practices at the asylum, has been leaking information to outside sources one of whom is Miles Upshurr, the protagonist of the original game. Poor Waylon doesn’t get away with it for long however as, just as he sends the anonymous tip off to Miles, he’s caught and locked away in the asylum he was so desperately trying to draw attention to. I originally thought ‘Whistleblower’ was a prequel but as it turns out it’s much more than that. The experiences of Waylon Parks are wrapped snugly around the original storyline, taking place before, during and after the events of Outlast though in an entirely different region of the hospital.
Gameplay and environment
My previous complaints of a world that felt too linear and enemies whose AI was predictable and easy to outwit have been abolished leaving nowhere else to hide but plenty of places to run to in the blood drenched institute. Whilst the familiar sight of locked doors that progressively abolish any hope you have of escaping are still present there are now vast areas with interconnecting passageways and tiny rooms that leave you running in circles whilst a maniac relentlessly tracks you down. The enemies in this game are faster and even after sprinting for some time I would often turn to see them almost on top of me, leaving me no other option but to keep on running in the hope of losing them behind the next door, the next turn, the next table. The hiding spots too have been severely cut down and whilst the previous game had an abundance of beds and lockers to take refuge in I had a hard time finding anywhere to hide for the majority of the game. More often than not I’d simply crouch in a corner of a dark room, barely concealed by a table or a chair, and hope that they didn’t move close enough to spot me. Rather than a continual shifting of enemies to run from ‘Whistleblower’ essentially has one main threat but there are still approximately five different characters who will, at some point, try to kill you with a couple of them being familiar faces from the first game.
The environments are thankfully different from the base game and though you do revisit certain locations it’s not in the least bit repetitive. Whilst ‘Outlast’ simply dipped its toes into exploring the grounds of the hospital ‘Whistleblower ’is more than happy to let you stretch your legs outside and, rather than confine you to rooms and corridors, frequently invites you to blunder about outside. As though it were any safer out there. Now and then you’ll find yourself bursting out through a window or a door to find yourself surrounded by the thick, impenetrable fog of the gardens or venturing through the maze of chain link fences that border the basketball courts. The worst thing about being outside is that there is quite literally no way of telling where your hunters are lurking as the fog is so thick you can barely see where you’re going, never mind whether somebody is hiding within it or not. Whilst the puzzles remain unchallenging the sheer pressure of completing them under duress is enough to make you have to replay certain portions of the game as it is inevitable you’ll get caught at least once. This is one of those games that is incredibly hard to play all in one playthrough without descending into a full blown panic attack. Unless, of course, you’re one of those people who are extremely desensitized to fear and carnage and play games like this to top up your macho-nerves-of-steel persona, if this is the case, what on Earth have you been doing to have become so unflinching? I shudder to think.
Conclusion
I’m not sure how they managed it but ‘Whistleblower’ is arguably scarier than 'Outlast' though significantly shorter due to it being a DLC, not a standalone game. The shortage of batteries, lack of hiding places, twisting nature of the environments and extreme nature of the carnage encountered is the perfect recipe to foster a paranoid terror known only by the deeply immersed. ‘Whistleblower’ is a solid addition to 'Outlast' and it is quite simply an incredibly haunting game that looks, sounds and plays as brilliantly as the original. ‘Whistleblower’ has achieved what it set out to do and that is to terrify the living daylights out of you. It not only manages to do that but it does so brutal confidence; slapping you about the face with its controversial scenes without apology and without remorse. With its open ending there is also great room for a sequel and I can only hope, and dread, that Red Barrels continues to make such amazing survival horror games. I can only warn you now though, that there are things in this game you can never be unseen.
The Good:
- Very controversial
- Some brilliant twists
- Terrifying and disturbing
- Solid continuation of a fantastic game
- Strong characters, likeable protagonist
- Fantastic voice acting
- Storyline builds suspense very well
- Good length for a DLC
- The Groom.
- Would have preferred varied antagonists
- NPCs have a tendency to all look the same
- The Groom.
Last thoughts: "Oh... My... Good... God. That was messed up."
Not played the original yet? Check out my review for Outlast here.
