Take that Gooseberry

Okay, let's talk about the absolute nightmare that is 'Spicy Pumpkin' in Outlast Trials. If you've been watching my streams or playing the game yourself, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's not an official name, of course, but it's what some of us in the community have started calling that one specific variant of the Pouncer – you know, the one that’s incredibly aggressive, fast, and seems to have an uncanny ability to pop up when you least expect it, especially when you're already low on health! Its glowing, menacing eyes and the way it lunges just give off this weird 'spicy' vibe, and its head sometimes looks... well, a bit like a pumpkin if you squint in the dark, hence the nickname. I swear, every time we encounter one, my heart rate goes through the roof. Just last Tuesday, during our regular 5 PM EST stream, we were deep into a particularly brutal trial. We'd managed to secure all the objectives, and all that was left was the final sprint to the extraction shuttle. We heard the announcement: 'SHUTTLE DOORS ARE OPEN: 180 SECONDS TO EXIT.' You think you're safe, right? You start breathing a sigh of relief. But no! As we were making our way through the final corridor, hoping to just 'WAIT FOR THE SHUTTLE' to arrive without incident, a 'Spicy Pumpkin' Pouncer burst out of a side room. It was pure chaos. My co-op partner got instantly pounced, and I was left scrambling, trying to blind it with a brick while simultaneously attempting to revive them. The timer was ticking down mercilessly. Every second felt like an eternity. The adrenaline was pumping so hard, I could barely think straight. We were already weakened from previous encounters, and this thing was relentless. We had to use everything we had – bottles, bricks, even a well-timed dash through an open doorway – just to create enough distance. My best advice when you face this particular variant? Always have an escape route planned. They are incredibly fast, so don't try to outrun them in a straight line if you can help it. Use environmental hazards to your advantage, or better yet, have a friend ready to distract them. If you hear that terrifying shriek and see those glowing eyes, your priority quickly shifts from objective completion to pure survival. Often, it's better to disengage and find a safer spot to heal or regroup rather than trying to brute-force your way through. Just making it to the 'SHUTTLE DOORS ARE OPEN' moment after an encounter like that feels like a victory in itself, let alone actually reaching the shuttle and seeing the '180 SECONDS TO EXIT' timer tick down to zero while you're safely inside. It’s these heart-stopping moments that make Outlast Trials so incredibly thrilling to stream. If you want to see these 'Spicy Pumpkin' encounters live – and maybe even learn a few more survival tricks along the way – make sure to join us on Twitch every Tuesday. It's always an adventure, and you never know what kind of horrors we'll face next!