Those darn Whistleblowers. Always huffing and puffing until they (whistle) blow entire houses down. Edward Snowden did it to the NSA, which now… remains frighteningly functional, and the main character of prequel DLC Outlast: Whistleblower will do the same to the game’s Asylum, leaving it… frighteningly functional for the main game’s plot. But that’s whistleblowing for you. The only thing it immediately> grinds to a halt is recess. Sometimes. Everything else is a process. Sink into the depths of this post’s madness for a trailer.

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It was not so long ago that our own Adam “Murder Maestro” Smith lamented the lack of imagination in horror stories. Implausibly trap-laden asylums, spoooooky forests, and hastily cobbled-together castles dominate, while more interesting locales and subject matters are few and far-between. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say that horror’s stuck in a full-blown rut, it could certainly end up there if it keeps wandering down the same predictable trail. I’ve been thinking about it, though (largely while replaying Amnesia: The Dark Descent as Halloween nightmare fuel), and I’ve come to realize that there are some amazing avenues ahead for stomach-lurching scares in gaming. Problem is, there are a few major, perhaps even primeval forces that could slip a dangling noose around possibility’s all-too-exposed neck.>

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Outlast might not have been the most inventive horror game ever, but it certainly brought the scares. There is, however, some intrigue in exploring its Standard Horror Setting asylum before> it became an implausible sea of saw blades and psychosis given flesh. In fact, I really like that idea – if only because I want to see horror attempt settings that are less trite, typical, or otherwise funhouse-y. Whistleblower is about, well, the whistleblower that clued in original protagonist [Silly Name] to the crazed goings-on at [Another Silly Name's] asylum. It takes place during a time when everything was still up and running, before it all descended into wanton slaughter. Sounds pleasant, right? Of course not. This is the beginning of the end. You just get to witness it up close.

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Looking through the recent releases on Steam, a casual observer might believe that there’s a horror game renaissance underway. In the last few weeks, several games have appeared, with titles like Paranormal and The Orphanage. I’ve installed a few of them, heard them go bump in the night, and then moved on. Despite some quality releases, horror is in a rut. And it’s an unpleasant one>.

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When a rag-tag collection of industry super-veterans form a new studio and come at you with a claim of “scariest game ever” you should sit up in your armchair and pay attention. Red Barrels, which is something like half fomer-Ubisoft and half EA Montreal folk crammed into one office, busily doing anything that isn’t making another Assassin’s Creed or Splinter Cell. Their first game, survival horror Outlast, has been kicking up a storm after strong showings at PAX and E3, while Youtube videos of it went viral in swedes-screaming-at-webcams circles.

Does it live up to this teacup storm of hype? Grab a pillow to hide behind and ready the heart medication, here’s Wot I Think.>

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