It’s easy to see why Outlast is one of the most recognizable horror games of all time. The game is bountiful with blood, sex, and violence all wrapped in a night vision nightmare aesthetic. Giving players the only options of running, hiding, or dying the game was immensely popular among all the biggest gamers like Markiplier and Jacksepticeye.
Now five years later after the release of Outlast 2, Red Barrels have finally given us a taste of their newest game. The long-awaited Outlast Trials. How does this game compare to its predecessors? Read on to find out.
Plot
You play as a homeless person in the 1960s Cold War era of America. Desperate and in need of money you come across a flyer from the infamous Murkoff Corporation. They’re offering people a second chance at life. Once you’re inside the corporation’s facility however it becomes very different from what was advertised. You must survive multiple gruelling trials along with 3 other teammates and try to earn your freedom or die trying.
Gameplay
There are two main sections that you can play in this open beta. The first is the tutorial which takes place in a manner where your main enemy is Mother gooseberry. The second is the level “Snitches get Stitches” where you face off against officer coil in the police station. They’ve nailed down mechanics well, it’s like a revamped version of the Dead by Daylight in that signature Outlast style.
With Outlast there are 3 options. Run, Hide or Die. Without Outlast Trials there’s an additional option. Distractions. Your character is given the chance to fight back, if only momentarily. This chance to escape must be used wisely. There is a terrifying uncertainty with making a split-second decision to use your item to escape or save it for a more desperate situation.
The challenege increase with the difficulty level. The beta only has three difficulty levels, easy, normal, or hard. The Insanity mode is currently unavailable however if the hard level is anything to go by Insanity mode is going to be exclusively for the bravest of challengers.
Lastly, and probably the biggest change is the change to an online multiplayer format. The change works very well both for solo players and groups of friends. Even if you’re not in a group with friends the find teammates option is a great way to not play alone.
Antagonists of the Outlast Trials
It needs to be said that in any Outlast game the villains are the most memorable part of it. Here they’ve struck gold again it seems. In the beta, we meet the two newest additions to the horrifying rogue’s gallery, Mother Gooseberry, and Officer Leland Coyle. One is a horrifying children’s entertainer with a goose puppet murder weapon, the other is a cop who takes sadistic, sexual glee in torturing his prisoners.
Both characters are absolutely brimming with personality and could make the most stoic of people sick. I anticipate Mother Gooseberry becoming a new fan favorite however that could change upon the release of the new game. There are other smaller characters who we know are coming but weren’t available during the beta such as Noakes, the friendly shop hand.
There are five main missions overall, so it seems there’ll be at least 3 more main antagonists to come.
Gear
The game doesn’t leave you completely unarmed with the implementation of the Rig System. This is an equipable perk that can be advantageous in desperate situations. There are four different options, there’s the stun rig, the healing rig, the x-ray rig, or the smoke rig. All these elements are crucial to your survival and as long as you have a balance of these on your team you stand a good chance of survival.
You choose whatever you want depending on your playstyle if you’re aggressive you’ll pick the stun rig but if you’re more like me you’ll pick the altruistic healing rig.
Style of the Outlast Trials
The game is absolutely not safe for work in any way shape or form. It is a splatter fest from the starting tutorial. The walls are red with intestines as welcoming banners to the players to the Murkoff facility. The delightful Mother Gooseberry drills into your hand and throws another poor patient into a meat grinder. As well as this it does not shy away from the cruder elements of horror, as displayed by several poor, abused mannequins in the game level “Snitches get Stitches”. It always goes over the border with the gore as long as you’re into that stuff you’re going to have a good time.
Another thing that fans weren’t expecting was the number of customizable options there are. You have the choice of not only customizing your character but the room you’re assigned. It’s not the most extensive custom content in the world it is definitely enough to feel you have control in a game where you lack otherwise.
Conclusion
Despite the long break from the series, Red Barrels have managed to make the transition to online multiplayer easily, making it more distinct than other 4-person multiplayer games. It’s a very promising start to the game and I hope will be getting the game early within the next year.
