Outlast: Whistleblower

 

Outlast: Whistleblower

Type	Survival horror
Single or multiplayer	Singleplayer
Developer	Red Barrels
Publisher	Red Barrels
Fun	3/5
Difficulty	3/5

 

Outlast: Whistleblower is a standalone DLC for one of the scariest games ever. In my opinion, Outlast is up there with Amnesia in the hall of fame of horror games, and Whistleblower does not fall short from its famous predecessor, but rather takes the good elements and builds on them.

 

To begin with, it has the recognizable dark and foreboding atmosphere of the previous game. Once again, you will go back to Mount Massive Asylum and its decrepit hallways, wards, yards, and various other auxiliary buildings, most of which will be in the dark, or with just enough light to see what horrors lurk beyond. The graphics work well in order to give you the full experience, with shadows playing tricks on you, and freed inmates being appropriately scary and intimidating.

 

 

The sound, which is always important in a horror game, also gets high marks. The heart race inducing music that keeps the pace with events on the screen is only topped by the voice acting. Without revealing any spoilers, I will only say that the actors who did the job really got into their roles, so much so that some of them sounded deeply disturbing – which, I guess, was the point. 

The gameplay hasn’t changed much from the original game (that you will need to own if you wish to play Whistleblower, btw). You are still a powerless, first person protagonist, with nothing but a camera to help you see in the dark, if you manage to find enough batteries. Enemies catch up to you, you run and jump and escape them, more scary things happen, you avoid and escape those too – a complex recipe it is not, but it is very effective in these types of games. You move as fast as realistically possible, since you the main character is a computer engineer, not a super soldier.

 

 

Speaking of the protagonist, you are Waylon Park, an employee at Mount Massive Asylum, the one who sends the e-mail to Miles Upshur in the first game. After this initial act of whistleblowing, you are caught. Somehow, you manage to escape from detainment. There are dozens of inmates between you and the exit, and you have no choice but to go for it. This is a heavily simplified version of the story, of course; the game also has a subplot, which I will let you experience for yourself.

 

Now, I have to say, the selling point of this game, which is horror, works masterfully. Even though the game is not as difficult as its predecessor, it gives you a gut punch feeling of unease in the first scene and never lets up. Tension is in every scene, from escaping the cannibalistic prisoners, to avoiding God knows what dangers that scratch and whisper in the dark. The game never lets you relax.

 

One of the scenes in the game, the one that most people who have played it probably remember most vividly, is so upsetting, that it stayed in my mind long after the game was done. It wasn’t too gory or bloody, nor did it rely on cheap jump scares. It took all of the tension previously encountered and condensed it into a few minute sequence of sheer horror that will definitely stay with you after you are done, and quite possibly traumatize you if you are under a certain age. 

There weren’t many negative elements. If I had to choose, I would say that it could have been longer, as it can be done in around 3-4 hours. This is quite understandable, however, as it is a DLC, and not a full-fledged sequel (or rather, prequel). The story itself is not super captivating, either, but if you like the story from the first one, you will probably find this continuation as welcome additional lore.

 

Overall, Outlast: Whistleblower is a creepy, scary, and at times disturbing game, which is exactly what a horror game should be. If you don’t mind the short amount of time needed to finish it, and you can stomach the scenes, go ahead and play it, and see how it would feel to escape from hell on Earth.