The Story of One Man and his Video Camera
Outlast is a first person survival horror game released by Red Barrels in the fall of 2013. We all knew right away from the previews that Outlast was going to be a gem. Stealth and the use of the night vision camera teased in the trailer had horror game enthusiasts hooked from day one. Outlast quickly became a fan favorite for the horror survival genre.
Outlast is the story of one determined investigative journalist and his mission to expose the crimes committed an isolated psychiatric hospital. When he arrives he finds that circumstances are far more terrifying than he could have ever imagined.
Here are 35 pictures that will take you through the story, setting and colorful characters of Outlast.
The Outlast official launch trailer.
1. Welcome to Mount Massive Asylum
A name like Mount Massive can only lead to good things.
After receiving an email from an anonymous informant on the Mount Massive staff, investigative journalist Miles Upshur travels to Mount Massive Asylum to investigate claims of patient abuse. The informant claims that the Murkoff Corporation has been conducting illegal experiments within the walls of the hospital.
2. Record Proof of Illegal Activity
No self-respecting reporter would leave home without their trusty video camera.
When Miles arrives at Mount Massive he finds the guard station abandoned and no sign of staff anywhere on the hospital grounds. Naturally, this means that the best course of action is to break into the building by climbing scaffolding and crawling through an open window. What is Miles’s weapon of choice? A camera. That is sure to keep him safe, right?
3. Night Vision Camera
I wish they had this filter on Instagram.
I hope you like everything on screen looking green and overexposed because you will be viewing most of the game this way. In the chaos the power to all but the main areas of the building has been cut, so the only way to navigate is with the night vision on the camera. This is also the only way to hide from enemies if you are spotted because we all know psychopaths cannot see the glowing screen on a camera.
4. The Fate of those Who Arrived on the Scene First
That looks like it hurt.
There is still no sign of the hospital staff and the offices have been sacked. Then Miles stumbles across the SWAT team that was sent in to investigate a riot among the patients. Or at least, what is left of them. For some strange reason Miles decides to continue to investigate instead of finding a way out and calling the police. Journalism!
5. Everybody Hates Chris
I think he is friendly … nope not a friendly.
Shortly after the jump scare with the SWAT team Miles encounters his first “variant”. Meet Chris Walker, former ex-military police and murderous psychopath. Hope you like the no-nose/no-lip look because Chris follows Miles around for the rest of the game and trying to rip out his still beating heart.
6. The Variants
A face only a mother could love.
Mount Massive Asylum is crawling with many “variants”. They have been subject to the experiments run by the Murkoff Corporation and now suffer intense psychosis and horrific physical deformities. Needless to say, some of them may be a little bitter.
7. Father Martin
Praise the Walrider.
Self-anointed Father Martin Archimbaud believes Miles Upshur was sent to Mount Massive by a higher power to bear witness to a deity called Walrider. Throughout the game Father Martin does everything in his power to keep Miles at the asylum, including dosing him with tranquilizer. The witness cannot be allowed to leave until he sees every inch of the asylum.
8. Jump Scares You Totally See Coming But Scream Anyway
You all know exactly who I am talking about.
Not every patient at the asylum is necessarily hostile. Some of them are content to sit in a corner and mutter nonsense. Others will leap up and scream in your face. It is tough to tell who is plotting to rip your face off. It is just better to trust no one; especially that jerk in the wheelchair.
9. Water and Electricity
Flipping breakers in a flooded basement … sounds like fun.
Good ol’ Father Martin has cut the power to the main building. To escape, Miles must flip a series of breakers in the hospital’s flooded basement. This mission turns into an extended game of hide-and-go-seek with a variant. At least it isn’t Chris.
10. Witness the Church of the Walrider
Remember Father Martin? He doesn’t want you to leave quite yet.
Once the power is restored freedom is one short elevator ride away … or is it? Father Martin has other plans. He isn’t ready to give up his witness, but instead of taking Miles to the church poor Miles gets dumped in the cell block.
11. Videos of the Walrider
The ominous smoky figure known only as Walrider.
Father Martin graciously provides some security camera footage of the entity known as Walrider. As if homicidal mental patients weren’t enough of a problem, now there is a ghost that can pass through walls.
12. The Twins
“His tongue and his liver. Yours. Mine.” – Psycho twins.
In the cell block the Twins join our colorful cast of characters. They are under orders from Father Martin not to kill Miles. Too bad these two aren’t very good listeners.
13. The Male Ward
The variant assembly line.
The only way out of Mount Massive is through the Male Ward. Most of the beds are vacant, and what is left of the remaining patients barely appears human. Here is the meat, but where is the butcher?
14. A Grand Chase
When you are spotted the only thing to do is run.
The twins are relentless in their chase of Miles Upshur. One of the most memorable scripted chase scenes in the game happens when another patient alerts them of your presence. Miles must then try to shake them by running through the ward. There is roughly a 50/50 chance of accidentally running in a circle and getting caught.
15. Hide
When all else fails, hide.
Hiding is the best strategy for avoiding hostile variants. Inside lockers and under beds are the hiding places of choice. Guaranteed to be effective at least 60% of the time.
16. Get Caught
Please don’t see me … please don’t see me…
Variants are not the brightest crayons in the box, but they do occasionally think to check under the bed. There will sometimes be an opportunity to run and hide again … so long as it’s not Chris Walker or The Twins.
17. Richard Trager
The good doctor is in.
Miles is saved from certain death at the hands of the twins by the resident Doctor Richard Trager. Unfortunately Miles is not out of the woods yet. Doctor Trager seems to have caught whatever brand of crazy has been infecting the patients.
18. Thorough Documentation
Trager understands the thorough documentation.
It seems that Doctor Trager is also a stickler for proper documentation of his work. After all, the only difference between scientific experimentation and messing around is recording the results.
19. FOR SCIENCE!
At least I still have the important fingers.
This is probably one of the more cringe worthy moments in Outlast. For some reason Doctor Trager deems it necessary to amputate a couple of Miles’s fingers. You know, for science!
20. Escape Trager
The procedure is not yet finished.
Instead of waiting for a tetanus shot, Miles decides it is best to escape from Doctor Trager as soon as possible. Another chase around the ward commences as she tries to lose the looney doctor. Being chased through a dark hospital by a man wielding a pair of giant rusty sheers is truly terrifying!
21. Kill the Doctor
Not the best of ideas.
When Miles cannot escape Trager, his only option is to kill him. Doctor Trager is tragically crushed by the elevator when he gets caught in the door.
22. Fire in the Hospital
Is it warm in here, or is it just me?
Our favorite clergyman Doctor Martin makes another appearance and tells Miles to meet him outside. The only problem with that is the way is blocked because someone has set fire to the cafeteria.
23. Nobody Cares About a Few Forgotten Lunatics
The forgotten and cast aside.
Not everyone in Mount Massive is dragging their knuckles or wiping drool from their chins. A few know that there is no place for them in the world anymore. There are terrible things in the hospital that should never be allowed to escape. Nobody will miss a few forgotten lunatics.
24. Turn on the Sprinklers
Miss me?
To make it through the cafeteria Miles must restart the hospital sprinkler system, but we all know by now that nothing is ever that simple. In the event of an emergency, all of the valves to restart the system have been placed in different rooms. Oh, and our good friend Chris makes another appearance.
25. The Courtyard
Ah! Fresh air!
When the fires are properly doused it is time to leave the main building and explore the asylum’s courtyard. Being outside does not mean Miles is in the clear. The area is completely fenced in, and there are variants running loose in the rain. It is time to dodge enemies while seeking out the key to get into the adjoining building.
26. Here Piggie Piggie
“I’ll find you piggies…”
Guess who! Chris Walker is nothing if not determined. After the fires are put out he follows Miles out into the courtyard. Miles must dodge around him in order to find the key to proceed to the next area. Anyone else sensing a pattern here?
27. Ambush
Hunted by the Walrider.
An ominous cloud of black smoke begins to follow behind Miles. It gradually materializes into the form of a man. Miles gets his first up close and personal encounter with the Walrider. The Walrider is a being made up completely of nanites, which are invisible to the naked human eye, but they are visible with the use of the night vision on Miles’s camera.
28. The Lost Camera
Well, that’s not good.
While running for his life from the Walrider, Miles jumps a gap in the floor and drops his camera. It slides down into the basement, leaving Miles without a way to navigate in the dark. Looks like you are going to have to retrieve it before the journey can continue.
29. Crucifixion
Father Martin becomes the martyr.
Miles finally manages to catch up with Father Martin just as he is about to hold his ceremony. Father Martin is so committed to his worship of the Walrider that he has himself crucified and set on fire. This scene is then followed by another chase by Chris Walker and the Twins.
30. What is Left of Chris Walker
The aftermath of Chris vs Walrider.
The Walrider possesses super human strength. It is so fast and strong that even the great Chris Walker is no match. When Chris follows Miles down into the underground lab they are ambushed by Walrider yet again. Chris is then subsequently pulled through the vent grate. Alas poor Chris Walker. We knew him well.
31. Doctor Rudolf Wernicke
Doctor Wernicke, the man behind the madness.
Born 1918 in Munich, Germany, Doctor Wernicke is a war criminal later recruited by the Murkoff Corporation to head the Walrider Experiment. At the end of the game Wernicke can be found in the hidden underground lab where his life is artificially sustained by a machine. He explains that Walrider must not be allowed to escape, and the only way to stop him is to cut the life support system to his containment system.
32. Billy
Billy in his containment capsule in the lab.
Meet William “Billy” Hope, the man who became the host for Walrider. Like the other patients in the hospital, Billy was subject to the experiments of Doctor Wernicke. He thinks of Wernicke as his father figure, and is currently keeping the old man alive through the power of the Walrider. When Miles finds poor Billy in his tank he notes that Billy, who is supposedly in his early twenties, appears much older than his files suggest.
33. The Death of Walrider
RIP William Hope.
To defeat the Walrider, Miles must dodge his ghostly apparition in order to reach the life support switches. Upon completing this objective Miles witnesses Billy bleed out inside his life support tank.
34. A Whole New Host
Twist ending!
The Walrider’s host, Billy, might be dead, but Walrider will not die without a fight. The nanites abandon ship and travel to the next nearest body in search of a host. Poor Miles, we knew him well.
35. Not All Endings are Happy
The Walrider cannot be allowed to leave the quarantine.
Miles wakes up in a daze and tries to leave the underground lab only to find that a SWAT team is waiting for him at the exit with Doctor Wernicke. As the new host, Miles is gunned down on the spot in order to prevent his escape from the lab. Sadly, we already know that killing the Walrider host does not solve the problem.
Roll credits.
That is everything you could ever want or need to know about Red Barrel’s Outlast. We explored Mount Massive Asylum and got up close and personal with some of its more unsavory inmates. Imagine if we had also gone through the Whistleblower DLC. Did you enjoy your journey through Outlast? Let us know!
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