I have to ask you this, I know you responded in dm, but your thoughts are amazing 2. Favorite moment in each of the games? 20. Any game theories? 21. Who is the most villainous character overall? 43. What do you think was the scariest part of Outlast 2?
2. Favorite moment in each of the games?For Outlast this is tough because I like a lot of the moments in that game, both scene wise and subtle environment wise. I think I’m going to have to go with the Pyro Variant’s little speech and the note Miles writes regarding it.
Outlast tries very hard to make sure that you understand that the Variants are not the villains here. The Variants are the victims, and they should not be blamed for this. Miles, for all his smartass remarks, shows genuine sympathy for the Variants. He can see through this bullshit, he knows what’s up. (I’ll list more fave moments if people want)
For Whistleblower this is really easy. Hands down my favorite moment in the whole game is when you’re backtracking through the Male Ward into the Administration Block, and you’re like “oh shit, oh shit, I know this wallpaper, I know where I am!” And you turn the corner and BAM! There’s the chapel! On fire! And it all clicks. The morning sun is rising. The chapel is on fire. Miles has just become the Walrider in the basement labs. It’s such a cool moment and I always stand and watch the chapel burn for a bit each time I hit that section.
For Outlast 2………… ugh I guess the part where it’s raining blood is pretty cool. No, you know what, I’ll say ONE nice thing about Outlast 2. The transitions between reality and your mind are really, really well done. Each one was creative and they are def my favorite part of the game.
21. Who is the most villainous character overall?
Capitalism. No, for real. In all of Outlast and Whistleblower the clear theme here is that Murkoff are the bad guys and it’s all about money and profit.
This game is one of the rare occasions where the setting is purposeful and not trying to do the whole “mentally ill people are scary because they’re crazy”. When the Pyro Variant says “Because who cares about a few forgotten lunatics?” he’s right. Murkoff got away with this for so long because they were specifically targeting those who wouldn’t be missed. Those labeled “criminally insane” those who were desperate enough to volunteer for “charity” care. The people without family or the people without anyone fighting for their rights. So the most villainous character isn’t Blaire, or Trager or even Helen. It’s Murkoff and the system that let them do this for years.
Oh boy do I got theories. Let’s stick to two of my favorites. The first one is based on nothing but headcanon, but it’s that the Twins meant you no harm at all in the game and were just there to mess with you. I know technically in the game if you get too close to either of them they’re a one hit instant kill. Game mechanics wise, they have to be dangerous or else you wouldn’t be afraid of them. But, lore wise? I honestly think they’re just there to make sure that Miles gets to where Father Martin needs him to go. Each time the Twins show up its directly after Father Martin tells you to go somewhere or get something. And since they mention him by name, “Who’s this?” “Father Martin’s man?” and they’re standing outside the chapel while Father Martin sacrifices himself to the Walrider, it’s safe to assume they’re followers of the Gospel of the Sand. So my favorite pet theory is that Father Martin told them to follow you and make sure you got from Point A to Point B without getting too mangled up. They just also decided to fuck with you by talking about eating you. Charming gents really.
My longest running theory, the one I’ve had since finishing Whistleblower and was ready to stake money on being the plot of Outlast 2 was that Project Walrider was old news and Murkoff had already moved on to something bigger and better. That Project Walrider is obsolete and they were just piggybacking off of Wernicke’s research to boost their own project. That project being the “Blind Dreamers” all based off of the last two notes in the game: Beyond Hope and The Three Blind Dreamers
I was so sure that this was going to be the baseline plot of Outlast 2. It seemed so obvious. Helen talks about hoping that the new facility is properly shielded against the Engine so she can see the progress firsthand, the fact that Wernicke was kept in the dark about it, and that the security access codes for Project Walrider would not gain your clearance to this new project. It was kept hidden from most of the staff, even those who worked with Project Walrider… The way Helen talks about Project Walrider as if it was a pathetic little science experiment… who knows? It very might be. This is the theory I hinged most of the plot of my fic Survivors on. And its still my favorite post game topic to discuss.
43. What do you think was the scariest part of Outlast 2?
Reaching the end and realizing you wasted six hours of your life.
Serious Answer: the first thirty mins to an hour of the game were the scariest, and most tense I have ever been while playing a game.