When I first discovered Whisper Mountain Outbreak, I was immediately drawn in by the style. Utilizing a pseudo 2D-HD style in a horror experience seemed like the perfect fit, especially if they could nail the look and feel of the zombies we’d be fighting. After diving into the demo with Dwayne, we battled our way through tricky puzzles, beating down any creatures that got in our way. Sure, our second run may not have been as successful as the first, but I know we’ll be dropping back in as soon as the full game is available. Screenshot: Shaun CichackiHow Can Something as Adorable and Pretty as ‘Whisper Mountain Outbreak’ Be So Terrifying?When you look at Whisper Mountain Outbreak, there are a few things you may feel. You may feel like the game is very pretty, and that’s completely understandable. The game is quite gorgeous and uses this pixel art style to its full advantage. It may also look somewhat adorable because these characters are slightly chibified. That’s also completely valid. But it’s actually terrifying walking through these dark, decrepit hallways. You never know what’s lurking around the corner, and that caught us off guard more than once. Following the rules set by Resident Evil, our map will slowly update as we find key items, turning from a deep red to a calming blue. Green Herbs were abundant during our first run, and we wouldn’t have abused them if we knew what was coming next. As Dwayne and I slowly examined every part of the world, bouncing ideas off one another for tricky puzzles, we both realized something. Whisper Mountain Outbreak kicks all kinds of ass, and it’s such a fresh take on horror.Imagine if Resident Evil Outbreak was released on Game Boy Advance. That’s the basic call to arms for any horror fan to jump onto the Whisper Mountain Outbreak train. It controls great, has excellent use of proximity chat, and missions can be done extremely quickly. Depending on your tactical skill and how much you want to explore, Whisper Mountain Outbreak is ready for your rules. Plus, you can customize your character. That’s always a bonus in my eyes.Screenshot: Shaun CichackiOur First ‘Whisper Mountain Outbreak’ Run? Legendary. Our Second? Well, Let’s Not Talk About That, Shall We?After getting back in one piece, weapons and items strewn within our backpacks, we were feeling comfortable. Confident, even. I queued us up for the second mission and noticed something right away. The map was massive. Like, more than double the size of the initial map we played through. We gathered up our courage and loaded into the van, heading out to an abandoned hospital that would be our final resting place. We made it to the end and got our hands on the magical scroll that we needed to find. That’s when the Horde came. I was already weak, as Green Herbs were nowhere to be found on this run. Or if we did find them, they were quickly consumed for a quick health boost. But the Endless Horde that comes at the finale of every level proved to be too much. Honestly, it was more the massive, crawling monster with tentacle hair that did us in, but we didn’t go without a fight. Overall, Whisper Mountain Outbreak went from “oh, this looks cool” to “this may be my new multiplayer obsession” very quickly. If you’ve got some friends who are willing to dive into the depths of Hell with you, this is one you should be trying for yourselves. Plus, it’s got a free demo with multiplayer support. How amazing is that? P.S., do yourself a favor and pick the Medic if it’s available. You’ll thank me later. The post ‘Whisper Mountain Outbreak’ Plays as Good as It Looks, and Its Multiplayer Makes It Feel Fresh and Exciting (Demo Impressions) appeared first on VICE.