Survive sadistic human experiments
The Outlast Trials is a first-person POV horror survival game from Red Barrels, the developers of the hit horror games Outlast and Outlast 2. This is the third installment in the Outlast franchise, but it takes place during the Cold War, making it a prequel to the first two games.
The Outlast Trials is the first game in the series to include action elements found in games such as Dead by Daylight. In this game, players can play solo or co-op with up to three other players, to survive the brainwashing and mind control experiments of the Murkoff Corporation.
Get terrified with friends
Red Barrels has taken gameplay elements from other genres that make The Outlast Trials an entirely different experience compared to their first two Outlast titles. Unlike its predecessors, it offers multiplayer gameplay, which is miles different from the solo experience many players enjoyed. It also has action elements, as players are given tools to defend themselves, such as throwables that can slow down or stun enemies.
Being a prequel, this co-op horror game enriches the Outlast lore. It introduces two new main villains in the form of Mother Gooseberry, a Leatherface-like murderous woman, and Coyle, a psychopathic former police officer. The wicked trials take place in several set pieces such as the Sunshine Orphanage, an amusement park, a doll workshop, and replicas of locations outside the facility.
Technically and visually, this game is the best in the series. However, the elements it borrows from other genres can turn off fans of the franchise who mostly enjoyed the horror of being helpless and alone. The first Outlast games were hide-and-seek simulators where wits and the environment were the players’ only weapons. This latest installment is far different. Fortunately, it allows solo gameplay for those who prefer it.
A different Outlast experience
The Outlast Trials is an Outlast game where players aren’t alone and are able to defend themselves. Purists of the franchise might say this isn’t Outlast anymore, which is true to a certain degree, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a fun game. If anything, the new mechanics breathes a new life into the franchise. Like what the game itself says, “It’s better to soil your pants in good company.”
