Can Fear Be a Team Sport?

The Outlast series has long been synonymous with visceral, heart-pounding horror. But can that terror translate into a cooperative experience? The Outlast Trials dares to ask this question, thrusting players into the chilling world of the Murkoff Corporation’s twisted experiments. In a gaming landscape saturated with horror, fear, and gore, does this title manage to carve out a niche, or does the introduction of multiplayer dilute the series’ signature dread?

Murkoff’s Maze

The Outlast Trials deviates from its predecessors by focusing on cooperative gameplay. It was quite literally built to be a multiplayer experience first and foremost, although one can attempt to play through it solo. Players are subjected to “trials” by the Murkoff Corporation, participating in psychological experiments designed to break their minds.

The narrative unfolds through these trials, revealing the sinister nature of Murkoff’s operations during the Cold War. As mentioned, players can tackle these trials solo or in teams of up to four, with the emphasis on survival and completing disturbing objectives. The story is told through the environments, documents, and the horrifying events that unfold during each trial. In an interesting departure from the norm, this game is not about being a hero, but rather about surviving with other test subjects.

The familiar Outlast aesthetics are clear to see from the very moment the game loads, which immediately instils that sense of primal fear from the onset. In terms of gameplay, the controls feel fluid and responsive and the amount of activities (“trials”) available to choose from are plentiful. There are also frequent content updates, with new types of trials to participate in, as well as time-limited events, and these all play a huge role in keeping The Outlast Trials fresh and interesting.

Tools of Terror

Core gameplay revolves around stealth, evasion, and resource management. You can indeed attempt to fight any enemies you encounter, but you will not win. Seriously. They are some tough characters, and the whole point of the game is to evade rather than battle.

You must also navigate treacherous environments, whilst avoiding or outsmarting said deranged enemies. Murkoff provides tools and upgrades to aid in survival, which includes enhancing stealth capabilities, creating escape opportunities, and slowing down pursuers. The mechanics emphasise strategic thinking and teamwork, as players must coordinate their actions to overcome the trials’ challenges together. Even when playing as a party of four, The Outlast Trials is still a challenging and terrifying environment.

Character customisation allows you to tailor your experience, choosing tools and perks that suit your specific playstyle. You can not only change how your character looks, but you are also able to change how your living quarters (which is really just a fancy holding cell) looks and feels. This can be achieved with an array of items, trinkets and even wallpaper and posters to display your character’s individual personality.

There are also perks which can be unlocked in order to provide your character with abilities that will improve their chance of survival in-game. Things like Rigs, that provide active abilities such as stunning enemies or healing yourself and other players, and Prescription which do things such as increase your inventory space or enable you to regenerate health more quickly than usual.

United in Fear

Naturally, The Outlast Trials utterly shines in its cooperative mode. Working together is crucial for survival, although, as mentioned, it does allow for solo play. Teamwork becomes essential during the challenging trials, as overcoming them solo takes a level of skill that most players simply won’t possess.

Players must coordinate their efforts to complete objectives, revive fallen teammates, and outmanoeuvre relentless enemies. The multiplayer element inherently adds a layer of strategic depth, as players must communicate and collaborate to both survive and succeed.

Visual Nightmares

The Outlast Trials maintains the series’ signature visual style, with gritty, realistic environments and truly disturbing character designs. Seriously, some of the enemies that you will encounter are extremely unsettling! In addition to that, most of the environments that you will have to sneak through are utterly drenched in gore and viscera, so if you are of a delicate constitution (i.e. you are squeamish), then prepare yourself in advance because you will not enjoy the ride!

In addition to intense violence and gore, The Outlast Trials also contains graphic sexual content, which some viewers may find unsettling. There are, however, plenty of advanced warnings about what the game contains from the very beginning, meaning that if you are shocked by what you see, then you probably just accepted the warnings without reading them first. It is important to remember that the narrative revolves around the Murkoff Corporation’s unethical experiments, hence the content.

The audio design is equally effective, creating an atmosphere of tension and dread based on sound alone. The sound of enemies lurking and lumbering around unseen in the shadows, the unsettling ambient noise, and the characters’ terrified screams all contribute to the immersive horror experience.

Echoes of Horror

The Outlast Trials offers a huge amount of replay value, with various trials and MK-Challenges that can be tackled multiple times. (If you are curious as to what the MK in MK-Challenges stands for, then I suggest you Google it and brace yourself). Character customisation, upgradeable tools, and perks encourage experimentation and different playstyles. The ability to play solo or with friends adds another layer of replayability, as each playthrough can offer a unique experience. In addition to that, there are also frequent time-limited events being added.

Conclusion

The Outlast Trials successfully translates the series’ horror into a cooperative experience and does a fine job of it. While the focus on multiplayer may dilute the solitary dread of previous entries, it introduces a new layer of strategic gameplay and teamwork. The Outlast Trials presents a consistently high level of graphic violence and deeply unsettling content from the very beginning. Certain sequences and scenarios may prove profoundly disturbing for some players, particularly those sensitive to explicit depictions of gore and psychological horror. The Outlast Trials is indeed a compelling horror spectacle, with its chilling atmosphere, disturbing visuals, and relentless gameplay creating a terrifying, yet compelling experience that will keep you (grudgingly) coming back for more!

Grade: 8.5/10