Outlast Review: Whistleblower is the second brick factory. Outlast: Whistleblower

Madness is one of the main themes in the horror genre. Filmmakers, writers, and, of course, developers regularly turn to it. It’s not surprising, because nothing frightens you like the unknown. A sudden sound in the dark makes you flinch, but a shiver runs down your spine from guessing what caused this sound.

And what could be more mysterious and incomprehensible than other people’s “paintings of the mind”, shrouded in a veil of sick fantasy generated by that very madness? The topic is profitable, and there is still a lot that can be said in it. Therefore, it is not strange that the developers from Red Barrels decided to develop this idea in the first addition to one of the best horror games of last year - .

If I die

“My mistake was treachery, as you always said.”

Miles Upshur, the main character of Outlast, would hardly have found out about the affairs of Murkoff if not for Waylon Park, a security specialist who risked “merging” his native corporation. It was with his letter that the game began, it was he who led the journalist to “Mount Massive”, it was he who, without knowing it, opened Pandora’s box.

Park had long suspected the dubiousness of the experiments carried out in the hospital, but he did not have the courage to “report it where it should be.” However, when he had a chance to see them with his own eyes, all doubts instantly disappeared.

But how could such a violation escape the watchful eye of the Murkof management? The experiments carried out behind the cold walls of Mount Massive were so cruel and inhumane that if the public had found out about them, a “crowd with torches” would have gathered at the corporate headquarters, and the bosses would not have gone to trial. This cannot be allowed in any way, and therefore even the employees responsible for the safety of the hospital are under vigilant surveillance around the clock. So while Miles, anticipating a sensation, cheerfully taxied towards the hospital, Waylon Park, tied hand and foot, was already preparing to join the ranks of experimental subjects and experience the miraculous properties of morphogenetic conditioning for himself.

But fate took pity on Park. By the time Walrider, and with them the crowds of insane and crippled psychopaths, broke free, Waylon was still in good health and a bright mind. Grabbing the first camera he came across, he firmly decided not only to get out of the clinic alive, but also to film incriminating evidence along the way that could finally bury Murkof.

Unfortunately, no new uses were found for the camera. It's still just a flashlight replacement.

What a fresh hell

“Organs hang like wet laundry, like skinned rabbits.”

Park's journey through the clinic is not at all similar to Miles' adventures. There are almost no thoughtful wanderings around the hospital accompanied by the hypnotizing music of one’s own steps and the creaking of floorboards. Fate patted Waylon on the head, but then immediately gave him a heavy slap in the face - from the first minutes he finds himself in real hell. There are screams and pain all around, torn bodies, severed limbs. Unchained patients kill, rape and eat both the guards and each other. The level of violence is off the scale even by Outlast standards. And this time the topic of sexual perversion seems to have been elevated to the rank of main one.

All the secrets of the hospital were revealed in the original. So there is almost no philosophy, no plot, just violence to the tenth power.	Well, such scenes have become a leitmotif. This can make many people sick, so not everyone will make it to the Whistleblower finale.

While making his way through this bloody mess, Waylon, of course, will have to get to know some of the patients “better.” And, in comparison, Richard Trager and Chris Walker (who will also take the stage) seem like real darlings. Frank Manera, for example, we meet enthusiastically raping a security guard. At the same time, Frank rips open the poor guy’s stomach and, in close-up, begins to eat his insides, smacking his lips passionately and greedily. Noticing the hero Manner, he screams hysterically: “ What are you staring at?! I love him!“Well, his next love, of course, is to become a hero.

Outlast's plot details may soon be forgotten, but there's the shrill sound of a saw and cries of "Feed me!" will be remembered for a long time.	However, Eddie Gluskin does the whole show, outshining even the passionate cannibal. But revealing the details of the meeting with him means ruining the entire impression of the game. So look forward to your health!

You still can't fight, you only have darkness to disappear into, cabinets to crawl into, and beds to crawl under. And, unfortunately, doing all this a second time is not nearly as interesting. Fortunately, now the level layout allows for a more dynamic passage. Fallen boxes and overturned tables, winding corridors and numerous doors - you can always just try to escape from ill-wishers.

Kill us

“A person cannot observe such things without being irreparably changed.”

However, the journey turns out to match the hero. Even though Apsher was strong, he was gradually losing his mind. Veylon is firmly moving towards his goal, and even cannibals raping headless corpses are not able to cloud his consciousness and force him to deviate from his chosen path.

However, since the hero’s moral suffering is unbearable, the developers have prepared a whole bunch of quite tangible physical ones for him. Park will break bones, roast alive in an oven, and endure cuts and blows. And this is the most harmless of the bunch of physical tests that he will have to go through. Compared to this, Miles Upshur's severed fingers are a mere trifle.

In terms of the number of cuts, bruises and broken bones, only Jack Walters can compete with Park. He, however, knew how to patch up an injured body on the fly, but Waylon will have to get along with the newly arrived inconveniences.

All the more surprising is the finale, which is not only not bad in itself, but also smooths out the rough edges of the not-so-successful ending of the original. And something tells us that Mount Massive will make its presence felt again.

Outlast was the biggest horror movie of that year. The game really had problems in graphical mechanics and with creativity, but in fact it was the most terrible “film”, nowhere else has the player felt so helpless, a victim intimidated and hunted to death, it was like a dog that constantly ran and hid from various psychos, sadistic maniacs. The game was shocking at how the murder scenes actually happened and even more so at the injuries our main character received. The reporter was seriously injured, running around covered in blood, and this was very frightening. But judging by the addition that came out, then it was just flowers and the developers apparently realized their mistakes in the Outlast: Whistleblower addition.

We need to survive!

The Whistleblower add-on will tell the backstory about how and where it all began. You will have to play as the person who sent information to our late journalist, while violating the non-disclosure agreement. Our hero is a certain Waylon Park, another poor fellow of this hospital, he worked under a contract for the Murkof company, they also carried out insensitive and inhumane research on people’s brains at the clinic. Waylon showed his humanity and at the same time screwed up big time, and screwed it up so much that he himself became the one on whom experiments were carried out. And now, in order to get out of such chaos, he has to meet each of these psychos.

And on the run again

The first 15 minutes will be interesting, and the rest could be seen in the previous part, so there is nothing new in the addition. There will still be a video camera in the hands of the hero, the same running around the tables, as always the nervous search for something and the constant thought of somewhere to hide.

Results

Pros: more horror and madness, new even more terrifying scenes.

Minuses: game situations are repeated again, half the game you have to run, run and run again.

Based on this, I think I can give it a rating of 8.8 points. Although the addition turned out to be shorter than the base. But it’s still scarier than the previous part, horror and fear tears everything apart, but you’ll have to run for half the DLC.

Whistleblower was the first and only expansion for one of the best horror games of 2013, Outlast. It was released on May 6, 2014 on PC and Playstation 4. To play Outlast Whistleblower at maximum graphics settings, the PC must meet the following requirements:

• OS: Windows Vista / 7 / 8;
• processor: 4-core 2.8 GHz;
• 3 Gb RAM;
• 2 GB on disk;
• video card: NVIDIA GTX 460 / ATI Radeon HD 6850;
• Sound card: DirectX compatible.

Outlast Whistleblower: game review

As you remember, in the original we got the opportunity to play as Miles Upshur, who came to the Mount Massive hospital to check rumors about brutal experiments on people. The Outlast Whistleblower add-on will tell us the backstory, where we will play as Waylon Park. This programmer, by the way, sent that letter to Miles. Whistleblower will take you about 2 hours, which is quite enough for DLC. The gameplay remained identical to the original with minor amendments in technical terms. The first 40-50 minutes of the game are rather disappointing due to the paucity of game situations. All our hero does is run away from one enemy with a chainsaw through dark corridors. Only the colorful and impressive staging of some scenes and “boo” moments save the situation. Everything else remains the same: we jump over tables, hide in cabinets, film distinctive episodes of the adventure, and the like. However, the last third of the game is nothing short of amazing. The imagination of the developers has reached a new level, but it is really interesting to watch and play. In general, Outlast Whistleblower (Russian localization is present) has absorbed the best attributes of the original: gorgeous direction, impressive imagination of the game makers, naturalism and other elements that all gamers liked so much. On Steam you can buy the add-on for $6. Outlast Whistleblower, which we reviewed above, deserves a strong 7 out of 10.

Underground laboratory

When Waylon takes a job at the Murkoff Corporation and witnesses horrific experiments, he sends an email to a reporter. This is where the story of Whistleblower begins. To send a letter, click LMB. After this, you will be asked to repair the computer in the laboratory. Follow the corridor to this location and approach the table where the chair and keyboard should be glowing. Once your work is done, go back. Unfortunately, security will track your letter, and therefore an ambush will await you at your workplace. Veylon himself will be included as a test subject for brutal experiments.

Hospital

We continue Whistleblower. Next up we have the second chapter, the action of which will take place in the hospital. Our protagonist will wake up chained to a chair, and incomprehensible symbols will be broadcast to us on the screens. After a short video, you need to get up and pick up the camera from the tripod. Leave the room and run to the corridor, where you will see not the best picture: everything in the laboratory has gotten out of control. There, turn right, enter the toilet, where you will find a battery. When you approach the next corridor, turn left (there will be a torn film there) and go into the operating room. In the room, let one of the patients speak, then go to the door in the far corner. Having opened it, Veylon will find himself in where he will meet the first truly dangerous enemy, from whom he must quickly escape by jumping into one of the offices on the right. In the latter there will be a ventilation hatch into which our hero needs to climb. When you crawl out of the pipe, you will find yourself in a room where you will have to open the locked door by moving the box away from it. After walking a little more along the corridor, you will find yourself in the control room. In it you need to click on the button located on the panel. Next, follow the boxes to the left of the corridor, climb onto them and crawl along the top until you reach an open hole. At this moment, an unfriendly ghost will appear, from which you need to escape, hiding in the airlock. When the danger has passed, go out into the hall. If you did everything correctly, you will see a blocked exit to the street.

At the end of the next corridor you will notice a dead guard who will have the key to the handcuffs. Take them and run back to the barred door. Continue through several locker rooms and at the end you will see a closed door leading to the Crematorium. Outlast Whistleblower 1 has many new locations, including this dark place. There will be a corpse chained to the door, which must be disposed of by removing the handcuffs from it. To do this, Waylon needs to find the keys. Look at the place opposite the door, where you will see a box. Climb onto it and crawl through. So you will find yourself in a corridor where there will be an evil madman. Go around it and climb through the window into the next room.

Crematorium

The walkthrough of Outlast Whistleblower in the next chapter is quite short. In the crematorium there will be Mr. Park, who, in horror, will impulsively press the buttons. At this moment, a cannibal will suddenly attack Waylon and push him into the oven. We quickly evacuate, take the battery and document, climb the stairs and find ourselves on the 3rd floor. Here another door will await us.

Hospital (upper floors)

Go left, take the battery and turn right. Then we follow to the library, where we will have to run away from our pursuer. Walking past a urology office, you will notice a man choking. To the right of him there will be a table, under which you need to crawl and follow to the next corridor, where many service rooms will await our protagonist. When you see an unfriendly psycho, quickly hide under the bed, and then head towards the ventilation. Once on the other side of the barricades, move towards the laboratory. Ahead you should notice a broken gas lock, near which there will be a huge computer room. After passing through it, you will finally find yourself in the laboratory. Try to get around another cannibal by going out into the corridor with the cylinders. As a result, you should get into the gas room, where you need to turn off the valve. Next, return back to the unfortunate experimental subject, from where your path should lie on the street.

Prison yard

Go down and go to the park. On the spot you need to act very carefully so as not to “get acquainted” with distraught psychos. A rift awaits Veylon next to the lantern. Go upstairs, from where it will be a stone's throw to the prison. Pass another hole in the grill, where, upon careful inspection, you can find a precious battery. In the yard, our hero will encounter 2 more big men. However, if you choose the right route, they will not touch you, and Waylon will calmly enter the prison block.

Jail

When you enter the cell block, proceed to the observation deck. There will be only one road along which you need to go. Passing a small room with corpses, run to the radio point, where you can use the transmitter. You will be attacked unexpectedly, but the hero will still be able to fight off such impudent behavior. In one of the neighboring rooms you need to maneuver a little in order to avoid another unfriendly meeting with a cannibal. Run as hard as you can from the abnormal and “dive” into the hole, which, of course, will be your salvation. Outlast Whistleblower knows how to give surprises. This will be the case in this case as well, because they will unexpectedly announce the evacuation of personnel, which, to put it mildly, is not quite on time. However, as they say, better late than never. At this time, you can admire the ecstatic priest and his bloody graffiti. When he completes his creation, follow him to block "A". In the security room you will find a battery. By jumping through the window on the right side, you will escape from the next pursuer.

Yard

Jump off the roof and climb through the window, where you will find an important document. After wandering a little through the gloomy corridors of the prison blocks, you will again find yourself on the street. Once on it, follow the lantern that casts light. Having approached it, go further to the basement and crawl through the pipe. This way you will find yourself outside again, but on the other side. On the right side you will notice an electric fence. Next, go to the church, where you will find a battery and a document. After that, go to the brightly glowing lantern, next to which there will be a utility room with a switch. We need to disable the latter. The first attempt will be unsuccessful, as the psychos will turn it back on. Return to the same utility room and turn off the current a second time. When you have completed all these steps, follow the de-energized door, and from it through the hole with water to the top. Thus, you will again find yourself in such an annoying prison yard, from where Veylon's path should lie towards the tower. On the 2nd floor, carefully pass the gap and climb through the window. What do you know about accidents? The passage of the game Outlast Whistleblower will show you their true appearance, bringing them down on the skin of the protagonist.

Attic

Falling always hurts, and if you fly from a great height and break through the roof below you, then this feeling intensifies. When Waylon regains consciousness, walk through the dark attic, focusing on the hanged man. Move aside the lattice cabinet and go through the doorway. Another bloodthirsty psycho will appear here, from whom you need to quickly escape into the next room. A little more acrobatics and ingenuity - and you will find yourself in a terrifying room, from where you need to move through the boxes to the next location - the sewing workshop.

Sewing workshop

Imbued with the not-so-pleasant spectacle of pseudo-birth, run away along the corridor from Gluskin. Waylon will try to escape with help but will fail. During the fall, the hero injures his leg and therefore will not be able to run. What to do? You will have to go as quickly as possible from death creeping up behind you. The protagonist who sees the box will have nowhere else to hide. Unfortunately, Gluskin will find you, put you to sleep for 12 hours and take you to his lair. When it’s your turn to lie on the operating table in order to become the next victim of the “groom,” another psycho will attack him. At this time, you need to quickly save your skin by taking a video camera with you. Do you think the crazy man has forgotten about you? No matter how it is. Limp away from him by jumping through the window onto the street.

Professional block

Pick up the battery on the bench in the yard. Find a door that can be opened with a key. Use the map to find out where you are. From this information it becomes known that you only have to visit the men's and administrative blocks. At this point, your main task is to find the key to the men's section. Once you reach the kitchen, you will see a vent through which you can get to the gym. There you will see a disgusting sight that needs to be captured on camera. Move on. Find a battery in the library. In the "wedding hall" take the key from the "bride". At this moment, the “groom” will appear, who frightened us with his presence in the professional block. Run away from him through the emergency exit. How unlucky you are! The passage of Outlast Whistleblower will present you with another “surprise”. Waylon gets caught again and is hung from a rope in the gym. By the way, Outlast Whistleblower in Russian is accompanied only by subtitles, and therefore you will not get the antagonist’s entertaining song in translation, which is unfortunate. Swing from side to side and enjoy the victory, because the maniac will bump his whole body into a steel rod. After freeing yourself, run to the ventilation and then crawl to the next door. There the continuation of the difficult path awaits you.

Men's block

In the men's block, film the burning church from the windows in the corridor. Finally, a detachment of elite special forces arrived, which means that you sent the letter for a reason, albeit with such consequences for yourself. Unfortunately, all these brave soldiers will be killed. Go into the illuminated room, where you pick up the document and go to the next door.

Administrative block

The finale is near. Go through the dark corridor to the administration block. In one of the rooms you can find a valuable document. Follow down to the first floor. When leaving the building, you will be attacked by a dying psycho, from whom the spirit will save you. Having gathered all your strength, go outside and run to the parking lot near the cottage. There you will notice the main character's abandoned car. Get in and film the final video of this epic drama. At this point, the passage of the game Outlast Whistleblower is completed.

The gaming industry rarely indulges players with excellent horror projects. Nowadays, this genre is mainly actively supported by independent developers, who continually release similar games in the hope that large studios and publishers will pay attention to their talent. Last year was, rather, an exception, as the newly created Red Barrels studio gave all horror movie fans a real masterpiece that made the blood run cold. Perhaps no one has ever made such a frank and cruel horror film on the video game market.

Outlast, one of the scariest games of our time

Outlast became so popular and in demand that a couple of months later the game went on sale not only for PC, but also for the new generation console - PS4. Along with the release of the game on the console, there was also an announcement of a major story add-on, which went on sale quite recently and is called Outlast: Whistleblower.

The main “trick” of the original game was that the main character could not stand up for himself, but could only film everything that happened on camera, use the “night shooting” mode and hide under beds, around corners and under the tables of a psychiatric hospital. He was constantly pursued by various kinds of bad people who had serious psychological deviations. All these people constantly tried to “get to know” the hero better, which, of course, could not be allowed. Outlast: Whistleblower is not much different in mechanics from the original, but it has multiplied many times in everything that frightened and disgusted the players so much.

In the original, the player was given the opportunity to be in the shoes of a certain reporter Miles Usher, who, following a tip from an employee of the Mount Massive mental hospital, decided to come personally to the walls of the hospital and film a sensational report. The idea failed and turned into real hell for the main character. But let’s not spoil it, in case someone hasn’t met the original yet...

Background of Outlast

Outlast: Whistleblower, in turn, is a prequel to the original, and tells the story of that same gunner Waylon Park, who, as it turns out, “has a very long tongue that he doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut.” Such employees are certainly not needed at Mount Massive. Having learned about the leak of information about secret experiments on patients, the hospital administration locks up Waylon within its own walls, recognizing him as mentally ill. Now Waylon finds himself alone with psychos and an unknown mystical force. A walk through the corridors of the hospital will be unforgettable, you can be sure of that.

At first, Outlast: Whistleblower may seem like a boring and leisurely addition to the popular video game. But don't be disappointed ahead of time. The variety of situations will increase sharply towards the middle of the game, when you finally get used to the oppressive atmosphere and take increasingly bold steps forward. Moreover, the director's direction in the game is simply amazing, and each meeting with another madman locked within the walls of a hospital is a real work of art that sticks in the memory firmly and for a long time. It is the Hollywood approach and cinematic thinking that distinguishes the developers of Outlast from their direct competitors in the genre.

The gameplay has not changed a bit; you still only have access to a video camera, which will be your only “friend” until the very end. Your main weapon is caution and ingenuity. Outwitting crazy enemies will not be difficult if you don’t panic and do everything clearly. Of course, almost all situations in the game are deliberately structured so that the player panics, but the main thing is not to forget that your only trump card is calm.

It’s worth going through the expansion if only for its magnificent ending, which will knock the rug out from under even the most hardened fans of the horror genre. The developers really have quite a few surprises in store in the latest third chapter of the add-on.

The Outlast: Whistleblower add-on is a short excursion and a “bridge” to the original, which combines all its best developments. If you weren’t able to get acquainted with the original at the right time, then feel free to start playing through the addition; if it captivates you, then you can without a doubt start playing through the original game.

Lately, there has been a real dominance of horror games on the gaming scene. Just a few days ago I told you about such a misunderstanding as Daylight, and now another horror has arrived - an addon for Outlast, called Whistleblower. At one time I reviewed the original source, but this time I will not experiment with the presentation as I did then, but will simply tell you in detail about this DLC, and, of course, I cannot resist comparing both with the original game and with Daylight, Fortunately, the memories of this trash are still alive!

One of the most... um, strange scenes in the addon, at the sight of which, I have no doubt, the jaws of most mentally healthy players dropped.

And yes, as in the original, the only thing we can oppose to enemies is fast legs and the ability to “burrow deeper into some hole,” ugh, that is. hide under the bed! However, soul-chilling stealth scenes alternate with adrenaline races, which nicely dilutes the rather monotonous gameplay.

The ending, by the way, as for me, turned out to be much more sane and interesting than it was in the original.

Verdict