My Night with The Outlast Trials PC Beta

A crazy and unexpected ride through co-op horror town

My fellow gaming enthusiasts, I am always on the look for unique co-op experiences. Having played games all my life anything that shakes up what I expect a gaming session to be, piques my interest. However, as much as I enjoy the Outlast franchise, I didn’t really have my eye on The Outlast Trials, developer Red Barrels’ newest entry. Considering what little I knew about it, consisting of the general premise of a prequel multiplayer experience, I was going to skip it. However, on the last night of the beta, I decided to give it a try with a friend of mine. I can report that I am so glad I was wrong about this game and I cannot wait to play more of it on its launch.

For those unfamiliar with the franchise, Outlast is a survival horror series whose first entry made its mark in 2013. What drives the horror in Outlast is the lack of any ability to defend oneself. There are no weapons, no melee ability, and no traps to set. The protagonist must run, hide, and sneak to get anywhere in the game. Beyond healing items, the player gets a video camera that, beyond recording for lore collection purposes, has a night vision mode that is essential to navigating anywhere dark in varying levels. Players must scavenge the areas for replacement batteries for this camera, due to the night vision draining the battery when in use. Overall, the level of tense horror this franchise creates has been well-received and cemented in the genre.

Players have a variety of character models to choose from for both male and female-presenting characters

The Outlast Trials follows this formula pretty similarly. Players choose a character model for themselves and are immediately thrown into a tutorial level. Here, gamers learn how to run, hide in lockers and under beds, and use their installed night vision goggles for dark areas. In the beta, the character can participate in one trial, or mission so-to-speak, after the tutorial. Trials can be attempted solo or with up to three other players.

In the trials, players have a singular objective to achieve, with an extensive task list to get this done. For the beta, we had to sneak into a fake police station to kill a “snitch” in a gruesome, creative way. My friend and I had to get into the station, find the NPC, escort him through gates requiring keys found inside of dead bodies and then finally execute him and escape. To give you an idea of the depth of gameplay here, all the tasks I just mentioned took us a grand total of 70 minutes to complete with just the two of us. Throughout the trial, we were dodging major NPC enemies as well as fake “invading player” characters that would show up to attack and leave. Item pickups include batteries for the goggles, health recovery items, atropine to revive your teammates, and other drugs to recover a “psychosis” meter. Yes, you can lose your mind in this game, and it leads to hallucinations that can actually hurt you. There is plenty to interact with, and it can require a bit of communication and strategy between you and your team… or you and yourself.

Players watch events unfold to strategize the best route to take

I felt wholly immersed in this game. Red Barrels has historically done exceptionally well in creating atmospheric fear that instills uncertainty and anxiety. The Outlast Trials gives them a chance to run off the rails with how crazy things can get. Considering that everything in this game’s setting is designed to be a sort of training ground for the players, the different rooms were a wild combination of realism and over-the-top piecemeal tech. For example, escorting the prisoner required us to push him in a cart on a track that spanned the length of the police station, past a number of gates and TV sets. In a way, it somewhat reminds me of villain levels in the Batman Arkham series.

The enemies never felt inconsequential either. I had to constantly run and hide to allow for an enemy to pass, though one of my feedback items focused on how the imposter enemies seemed to immediately focus on where we were hiding, no matter where we were. Though I did not get a chance to read them, I could pick up certain lore files and entries to add to a collection. Everything I saw visually appeared well thought out and purposeful, from the level design to the pre-game lobby that resembled a sort of monitored prison cell block complete with your own customizable bedroom.

I think what impressed me most about this game is the potential for cooperative fun. When my friend and I played our level, we were able to spread out to accomplish a two-part task much faster than trying to stay together. Also, searching for keys and health items was easier thanks to the simple pinging system. Some doors have to be kicked or bashed open with two people, or a garage door is lifted by one so the other can crawl under and grab from the other side. You can even do silly things like arm wrestle each other in the pre-game lobby area. My history with Outlast has always been solo and terrifying, and while The Outlast Trials still scares you, there’s an element of camaraderie in which you never feel like you have to go through everything alone. I can see players taking this game solo as an extra challenge, but for most players, I would say going co-op with at least one other person is the way to play.

The Outlast Trials does not have a release date yet, though it is slated for both PC and console release. If you’re interested in more information, including potential access to more beta tests, make sure to wishlist the game. This reviewer’s access to the game was provided purely by requesting access via Steam, and all screenshots were taken by the reviewer through native features.