The Outlast Trials

Imagine a horror game that you can play with your friends, complete with the outstanding atmosphere and setting that this game series is famous for. That is what The Outlast Trials promises to deliver when it releases: a multiplayer horror experience that will make you sleep with the lights on for quite a while.

Developed by Red Barrells, the same studio behind the entire Outlast series, this will be the first game in the franchise that focuses on multiplayer gameplay. The potential for a great horror game is not limited by it being played with a friend, as we’ve learned from some popular games that have been recently released. That said, there are some things that could affect the overall effectiveness of a multiplayer Outlast experience.

Share the Fear

The Outlast Trials is set during the Cold War. In this era of paranoia and distrust, the Murkoff Corporation begins to abduct involuntary test subjects for some of its most deranged experiments.

As we know from games like Outlast: Whistleblower, this series has never shied away from touchy subjects, and it seems like Trials will keep some of that infamously twisted atmosphere intact. The few scenes we’ve seen so far of Outlast Trials look positively fantastic, in a twisted way.

It seems like this game has taken a page out of Outlast II’s book, featuring some larger open spaces that look nothing like the first Outlast claustrophobic asylum. However, that doesn’t mean that Outlast Trials won’t have its fair share of terrifying locations, as we’ve seen that things like abandoned warehouses and spooky haunted mansions will be part of the game.

Of course, the star of the show here is the multiplayer feature. For the first time in the Outlast series, players will have to cooperate with a friend to solve the game’s sadistic puzzles. Sharing the fear could sound like it would diminish the impact of the game’s scary visuals, but games like Dead by Daylight have proved that multiplayer horror games are as effective as singleplayer ones.

Redefine the Outlast Formula

It’s great to see Red Barrells continuing the Outlast legacy. This is a franchise that has always shown a ton of potential with its exciting blend of survival horror and found footage gameplay.

The only thing that the series was lacking was some real replay value, and that might be fixed with the inclusion of a multiplayer mode. The improved visuals are also a nice touch, and might make the game’s locations feel even scarier than they did in the two previous games.

There has been no mention of a video camera in The Outlast Trials, which could mean a huge change for the Outlast formula. Eliminating the video camera could make the game feel more like a standard first-person horror game, which could take away one of the Outlast series’ most distinctive elements.

Let’s just hope that the plot ends up being as twisted and dark as it was in the previous games and that the multiplayer modes are entertaining enough to keep us distracted from the fear.

Pros

• Excellent visuals elevate the series’ spooky visuals
• Multiplayer modes keep things fresh and interesting for the franchise
• Intriguing setting and plot

Cons

• Playing along with a friend makes the game feel a bit less scary