While appearing ghostly in nature, the Walrider is actually a swarm of nanites; small, nanoscopic machines which collectively possess great strength and power. It is unclear if William "Billy" Hope simply learned to control the swarm, or if he is the first patient to fully manifest the Walrider. The Morphogenic Engine was specifically designed to manifest the Walrider. The exact nature of the Swarm is unknown, but it is implied that the Walrider is created by the host in their own body "through psychosomatic direction", by turning the cells in the body into nano factories.

Characteristics

As it is composed of nanites, it is nearly invisible to human eyes, only showing a faint black aura, unless it comes into very close proximity to you. You can only see it clearly through the night vision mode on his camcorder. Despite having no actual bones, muscles or internal support structure to speak of, the Walrider's nanites are capable of immense physical strength, and it is the most physically powerful entity in the asylum. It can easily overpower any Variant. The Walrider is relentless in its pursuit, while doors will slow its progress somewhat, it is capable of going underneath them. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the Walrider to lose track, only stopping once the player passes through a decontamination gate, which the Walrider cannot pass through. . . . you’ve made it to the underground lab in this god forsaken asylum. Quite literally god forsaken, if you believe in that. Everything here has gone to ruins. The patients have killed all security, there’s some big guy running around ripping heads off, and then there’s this… “Walrider” everyone’s whispering about, like a curse. The deaths here … blood and bodies are everywhere you look. Some patients got their hands on some weapons, and have been trying to kill you. Some patients are still bound by their straight jackets and muffled, no sight, no speech, just hearing and moving their legs. How sad. But going through this place has made you realize how insane this is, what the company did to the victims. The morphogenic engine, developed by Dr. Rudolph Wernicke, is designed to allow individuals to control the Walrider, a sentient swarm of nanites, through lucid dreaming. This process is achieved by inducing a state of madness in a subject and then using the engine to modify their cells to produce nanocells, effectively turning their body into a factory for the Walrider. The engine also has the capability to manifest the Walrider by turning belief into reality. . . . Back to you, you open two double doors when— FUCK. That “big guy”? He’s there. His name is Chris Walker, and he found you. He’s still grizzly looking as ever, blood down his body. He’s a killer, but also a veteran. You’ve read his files, after all. What a horrible life.

“Little pig, little pig. No more escape.”

He grits at you as he grabbed you, his meaty hand stained with blood. He threw you to the hard floor in front of him, your side aching. Is this it? After that much work, you’re just going to be ripped to shreds like everyone else?…

Apparently not. Because something, or someone, threw HIM. Hard. Into walls, making said walls bloody. It’s surreal, watching the biggest threat here then be knocked around like that. That guys way over 200 pounds!

Chris was smashed into the walls brutally, over and over. It almost made you feel bad… almost. Because despite everything… he was still a human. You put up your recorder and looked, the camera still recording. A figure was there, hovering. It was a human shape though, shadowy, like a ghost. The grey shadow surrounded the human form, moving constantly, the being itself was roughly 7 feet tall. It was only visible through the camera, you figured. He was the one beating the shit out of Chris Walker. For the last move, the figure threw him into a vent, shredding Chris’s body. Then there was nothing. It was silent. The blood dripping down the vent and walls, onto the ground. Just like that, Chris was killed.

what the fuck.