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Locker scene outlast whistleblower dlc11/30/2023 ![]() Other characters (like Father Martin, Doctor Trager, and the twins) give the game a sense of personality. Protagonist Miles Upshur tries in vain to defend himself against Chris Walker. He has a particular interest in Miles Upshur, and if he catches you with low enough health, it’s an immediate game over. Easily the largest inmate, Chris stalks the halls grunting about completing his mission, rattling his chains, breaking down doors, and occasionally ripping off people’s heads. Walker is an ex-marine committed to the asylum long before Miles’s arrival. This human aspect permeates the game, and even extends to Outlast’s primary antagonist, Chris Walker. While some have an inherent propensity for violence, others only mistake Miles for another “doctor” arriving to further torment them. There are no ghosts or monsters in Mount Massive, only mentally disturbed people. Outlast features no playable combat, forcing you to rely on stealth and hiding to avoid enemies. Outlast is interesting in that not everyone in the asylum is trying to kill you–some of the inmates will actually aid you, some will ignore you, and some will aid, ignore, or attack you depending on their mood. Night vision isn’t unlimited, and Miles must keep a stock of batteries to power it as he tries to record the events unfolding in the asylum, or just find a way out.Ī few survival horror games put you in the role of a defenseless protagonist, relying on stealth and running away rather than confronting enemies head-on. The anonymous tipster wasn’t joking, and Miles immediately becomes trapped in Mount Massive, wandering the dark and bloodied hallways, using the camera’s night vision mode to navigate dark corridors and sneak around pursuing enemies. The video camera plays an integral role in Outlast, being Miles’s only ally within the walls of Mount Massive. ![]() Armed only with his video camera, Miles breaks into the asylum. You play as Miles Upshur, a reporter who receives an anonymous tip about atrocities being committed at Mount Massive Asylum. A few attempts have been made to translate it into video games, but Outlast does it the best. The Blair Witch Project didn’t invent the found footage genre, but it did propel it into the mainstream. Games like Slender, Underhell, and Amnesia bring a lot to the table and prove survival horror is alive and well, but my favorite slice of this indie survival horror pie has to be Outlast. I must not be alone in my yearning for the survival horror classics of the past, because indie developers have stepped up to fill the void most major publishers seem to be ignoring. Silent Hill sees few releases these days, but the series has gone more or less the same way, and while Dead Space 3 tried to strike a balance between action and horror, it mostly abandons all attempts at fear after the first third of the game. Resident Evil is more about action now (and I liked Resident Evil 5 and I liked Resident Evil 6 even more, but the horror element is barely present). I grew up on survival horror video games, but the last few years have yielded a drought for the genre. Le Guin) and you’re even more likely to find a frightening film, but video games have an innate ability to hit the fear sweet spot. Danielewski and the short story “Vaster Than Empires and More Slow” by Ursula K. It’s not impossible for a book to be frightening (I can easily refer you to House of Leaves by Mark Z. The added layer of interactivity video games provide gives you a sense of peril not possible in film or literature. I think the horror genre works particularly well in the world of video games. Eventually I’d move on to other genre classics like the Silent Hill series, Dead Space, Left 4 Dead, you name it. I bought Resident Evil and Resident Evil Zero for the GameCube, in time to play through them before the then-impending release of Resident Evil 4 (which I still consider one of the greatest video games ever made). It started with Resident Evil, as it probably should have. I loved horror films as well, and it’s no surprise that my fondness for the genre eventually extended to video games. ![]() Nearly all of the short stories I wrote as a teenager were horror stories. I have a long history with the horror genre. All screenshots were taken by me from the Playstation 4 version of Outlast, and may contain graphic imagery.
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