Thanks to Hamada for helping with edits.
Ah, Halloween. It’s a fun holiday characterized by candy, costumes, and screaming. I always try to have an article or two for the occasion, having previously covered two Ghost-type Pokémon and a horror game starring an onryō. Today, I’m examining another ghoul, one hailing from Red Barrels’ Outlast.
The Walrider, seen in 2013’s Outlast (Image: Red Barrels)
Outlast’s premise is simple. The setting is Mount Massive Asylum, a “terrible place” where its violent inmates – “Variants,” they’re callously called – scarred by inhumane experiments reign. Seeking to oust those experiments, a whistleblower sent an email to Miles Upshur, a freelance journalist, who sneaks into – and subsequently gets trapped in – the building. Regrettably, he’s defenseless against the Variants, but he’s surprisingly agile and luckily stumbles upon many hiding places. But when a certain specter starts hunting Miles, all he can do is flee…
The Walrider’s History
Long before the events of Outlast, famed German scientist Dr. Rudolf Wernicke was researching nanomachines, aiming to produce a super soldier. Only when Murkoff Corporation hired him decades later could this finally be brought to fruition. Murkoff purchased Mount Massive Asylum under an altruistic guise and, alongside Dr. Wernicke, began Project Walrider. For years, inmates endured cruel, insanity-inducing experiments, all with the intent of yielding a subject who could harness nanites while in a lucid dream state. Unfortunately, they succeeded – one man, Billy Hope, managed to manifest the Walrider. Although they kept the malnourished Billy in the facility’s underground lab, the eidolon escapes and starts haunting Mount Massive. Sometime later, Miles arrives, wanders around, and meets Father Martin, who leads a religion dedicated to the Walrider. After a grueling tour orchestrated by the priest, Miles locates and kills Billy by disabling his life support system, but the Walrider survives by possessing him. Then Miles tries to leave, only for Dr. Wernicke and several guards to open fire on the reporter – spurring his new companion to retaliate.
Father Martin gives us our first tease of the demonic German creature, playing footage of it while drugging Miles. (Image: Red Barrels)
The Walrider cameos throughout Outlast’s downloadable campaign, Whistleblower. Shortly after the base game’s ending, Whistleblower lead Waylon Park is nearly killed by a Murkoff figurehead, only for the Walrider to appear and surprisingly save him. Then the injured Waylon limps through Mount Massive’s entrance, stumbling over to Miles’ jeep. While he’s trying to start the automobile, Miles emerges from the building, cloaked in darkness. A cloud of black nanites begin enveloping the jeep, but Waylon finally gets it working and escapes. Afterwards, the Walrider returns in the Outlast: The Murkoff Account comic series. In the third issue, the ghoul possesses Billy (Miles’ fate is left ambiguous) and kills his mother, discovering she voluntarily sold him to Murkoff. Eluding Murkoff personnel by fusing with an ant colony, the revenant travels to Miles’ apartment in Account’s fourth issue and Temple Gate in the epilogue. Still controlling the pests, the fiend gnaws away at the company’s radio towers, influencing the events of Outlast 2.
So, what’re my thoughts on the Walrider?
Outlast’s a strange experience. I adore horror films, yet rarely touch horror games, meaning Red Barrels’ romp made for a novel experience. Combining that with the game’s fairly short length, I found myself finishing Outlast despite how tiring it grew. Altogether, only a few gameplay mechanics power Outlast, it barely attempts to flesh them out, and it recycles scenarios ad nauseam. Following an admittedly solid start, you’ll find yourself being pursued through linear passageways by nameless Variants and bloodthirsty stalker Chris Walker perennially, sometimes while looking for keys or a switch. Hiding is one of Outlast’s core conceits, but there’s little reason to use it once you realize Miles runs faster than everyone else. Any potential fear or dread Outlast might inspire instantly dissipates the moment its questionable enemy AI outs itself. The game gives little breathing room, its gore is gratuitous, and the overwhelming majority of its many, many jump scares are cheap. Although Outlast‘s soundtrack suits it swimmingly, it’s frequently used poorly (sometimes tracks start playing twice, or continue even after a chase ends). Now, Outlast doesn’t completely fizzle out; Dr. Richard Trager’s chapter is genuinely fantastic. But that’s the pinnacle, and barring a memorable segment where you lose Miles’ camera, the game regresses afterwards. Ultimately, I empathized with Miles, figuring he was having about as much fun as I was.
Upon entering a dark corridor, you’ll instinctively activate your camera’s night vision mode. Since the Walrider usually can’t be seen by the naked eye, Red Barrels cleverly places its cameos in dimly lit areas. (Image: Red Barrels)
However, one other thing also kept me grinding through Outlast: the Walrider. Throughout the game, this monster and the mystery behind it is compellingly built up. Father Martin preaches about the scientific sin incessantly, and when he knocks Miles out, he plays footage of it effortlessly eviscerating a platoon of soldiers (which happens in the underground lab, a nice bit of foreshadowing). Many inmates and discoverable documents mention the scourge and its creators. The insanity-inducing spook rules over Mount Massive, attacking others physically and even mentally, invading their dreams. One of the game’s most memorable rooms has the Walrider’s name written all over it in blood. Chris is killing people to neutralize potential Walrider hosts, preventing it from escaping. Occasionally, the abomination even flies by Miles, causing him to wonder if he’s going insane. After Father Martin dramatically burns himself alive, we plummet down to the lab, where the narrow-minded Chris harasses us one final time. Though seeing the giant teleport to wherever Miles is had long grown comical, witnessing the Walrider effortlessly toss Chris around like a rag doll effectively reinforces its strength, raising the stakes. Later, Dr. Wernicke finally rewards Miles with a fairly nifty speech detailing the visitant’s creation, revealing it’s an astral projection given physical form through nanites. Also, I like the Walrider’s chase theme.
Unfortunately, Outlast‘s finale is ultimately consistent with its usual level of quality. “Why didn’t the Walrider kill me right now?” I thought while examining the war veteran’s remains. Presumably, Billy wouldn’t want Miles here, the guy’s intrusion endangers him. An irreconcilable rift between how the Walrider functions during cutscenes and gameplay starts here: it remains efficient during the former, borderline useless during the latter. Whenever the wight tails Miles (and early in Whistleblower, Waylon), it simply… plods along, no faster than any other foe. Uniquely, the hunter scarcely loses track of its prey, meaning hiding is useless. But so what? This is among the game’s most linear sections; so long as you keep moving, you win.
It’s fine if certain details remain vague (the Plasm Wraith’s a compelling foe despite its enigmatic nature), but leaving us wondering about this wraith’s mechanics is just confusing, not creepy. (Image: Red Barrels)
And the climax, where the parasite assimilates itself into Miles? A twist could’ve undergirded that, potentially explaining the Walrider’s sudden loss of competency. Perhaps Billy – or his avatar, assuming it’s begun acting of its own will – wanted to expand his murderous rampage beyond Mount Massive, necessitating a new host? Sadly, nothing like that happens, and the duppy’s dynamic with its vessels grows… fuzzy. Does Miles control the menace during Whistleblower, and if so, then why does it seemingly retain Billy’s consciousness in Murkoff Account? Is Billy still commanding the astral projection after his second death and is using those ants to sabotage Murkoff? Is the beast merely an extension of its current host, or an amalgamation of everyone it’s been tethered to? Though not explicitly a part of the games’ text, series writer J. T. Petty has explained that Miles and Billy both live on through the Walrider.
I realize this essay was largely negative, and while I stand by my criticisms, I don’t dislike Outlast. A friend described the game as “the McDonald’s of horror games,” one “featuring several scares of little substance.” I agree; Outlast is a nonstop thrill ride, an experience I found exhausting, yet does carry a certain appeal. Throughout that experience, the Walrider is built up impeccably, helping carry the game. Once it actively begins interfering in Miles’ affairs, the gassy adversary sadly comes crumbling down. There is a silver lining, however: the thing is still out there, acting out its agenda (whatever that is). It’s nice knowing the swarm had some presence in Outlast 2, and if Red Barrels continues following it, hopefully its potential can still be realized.
Congratulations, Walrider! There is so much yet for you to witness.
Horror media is no stranger to exploring the dangers of misusing science and technology (just looking at gaming, Resident Evil’s been doing this since 1996), and Outlast’s attempt did stick with me. (Image: Red Barrels)
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