The Outlast Trials

The Outlast Trials is a first-person survival horror game set during the Cold War, where players endure twisted psychological experiments in a dark fantasy world. Developed by Red Barrels Inc., it combines stealth gameplay with co-op multiplayer, challenging players to navigate sinister environments while evading terrifying threats and uncovering the horrors lurking within the enigmatic MKUltra-inspired program.

The Outlast Trials: Review

Introduction

The Outlast Trials shatters the solitary confines of its predecessors, thrusting players into a grotesque, co-op nightmare set against the chilling backdrop of Cold War paranoia. As the third installment in Red Barrels’ acclaimed psychological horror franchise, this live-service title reimagines the Outlast formula not as a linear descent into madness, but as a shared exercise in survival where friendship amplifies terror. Yet, despite its innovative multiplayer framework and commitment to visceral horror, the game grapples with repetition and narrative fragmentation. This review deconstructs The Outlast Trials as both a bold evolution of the series and a cautionary tale of live-service ambition, arguing that while it excels in atmosphere and cooperative dread, its longevity is hampered by content scarcity and tonal inconsistencies.

Development History & Context

Red Barrels conceived The Outlast Trials in 2017 as a spin-off to address fan requests for multiplayer, leveraging the studio’s expertise in first-person horror honed by Outlast (2013) and Outlast II (2017). Announced officially in 2019, the game’s Cold War setting (1959) was deliberately chosen to explore the real-life Project MKUltra—a CIA program that tested mind-control techniques through torture and psychochemical experimentation. Co-founder Philippe Morin emphasized the Cold War’s “climate of distrust” as fertile ground for Murkoff Corporation’s fictional atrocities, framing the narrative as a “TV series” with ongoing episodic content to sustain player engagement.

Technologically, the game builds on Unreal Engine 4, with a 40-person team meticulously crafting enemy AI and environmental dread. Delays were inevitable: a 2021 target was scrapped due to COVID-19, and a 2022 closed beta revealed player hunger for more content than the initial five-trial design. This feedback pivot spurred a live-service model, with Early Access launching in May 2023 to build a community-driven roadmap. Console ports followed in March 2024, though cross-progression remained elusive—a technical compromise for broader accessibility.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

The Outlast Trials operates as a prequel, unraveling Murkoff’s genesis while deepening the franchise’s lore. Players are “Reagents”—abducted civilians lured by Murkoff’s charity propaganda, stripped of identities, and subjected to “Project LATHE” (Latin for “to shape”). Dr. Hendrick Joliet Easterman, the disembodied voice guiding players, embodies institutional evil, blending paternalism with sadism. His radio broadcasts between trials drip with faux-concern, masking a desire to “erase” Reagents’ pasts, symbolized by the forced destruction of personal records.

Central antagonists like Mother Gooseberry (a burnt-out children’s TV host fused with a murderous puppet) and Leland Coyle (a corrupt police sergeant wielding a shock baton) serve as tragic casualties of Murkoff’s experiments. Their designs reflect thematic decay: Gooseberry’s mask of human skin and Coyle’s gleeful brutality personify the corruption of innocence and authority. The narrative’s ambiguity is its strength; snippets of “evidence” documents and motion comics (e.g., The Murkoff Collections) imply Murkoff’s experiments directly prefigure the events of Outlast’s Mount Massive Asylum, tying Cold War atrocities to the franchise’s established lore. However, the story’s fragmented delivery—reliant on environmental storytelling and optional collectibles—undermines emotional resonance, leaving players to piece together a puzzle of trauma rather than experience a cohesive narrative.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

At its core, The Outlast Trials retains the series’ signature powerlessness: players cannot fight, only flee, hide, and use wits. Night-vision goggles are a lifeline, but their battery-dependent scarcity intensifies tension. Inventory management is brutal—initially limited to three items (e.g., bricks for distraction, lockpicks, healing syringes)—with upgrades expanding slots to five. This scarcity forces strategic choices, as carrying a medkit might mean sacrificing a throwable diversion.

The gameplay loop revolves around “Trials”: objective-based missions (e.g., “Kill the Snitch” in a police station, “Feed the Children” in an orphanage) where players evade Ex-Pops (failed experiments) like the hulking “Berserker” or the gas-masked “Pitcher.” Co-op introduces dynamic tension—coordinating distractions, sharing resources, or sacrificing oneself for the team—but also dilutes horror; a friend’s laughter during a chase can shatter immersion. Progression ties to “Rigs” (cybernetic abilities like smoke mines or healing fields) and “Prescriptions” (buffs), unlocked via a tiered system. Variators (difficulty modifiers, e.g., increased enemy aggression or environmental hazards) add replayability, yet missions often devolve into repetitive loops. The live-service model, with seasonal updates like “Project Lupara” and “Project Breach,” attempts to counter this, but new trials often feel incremental rather than revolutionary.

World-Building, Art & Sound

Red Barrels’ art direction is a triumph of grimy, lived-in dread. Environments—from the decaying Fun Park’s rusted rollercoasters to the Orphanage’s stained cribs—are meticulously detailed, with murals and props that whisper of Murkoff’s depravity (e.g., propaganda posters promising “freedom” while depicting cage-like cells). Character designs are grotesque yet symbolic: Mother Gooseberry’s puppet “Doctor Futterman” (a duck with a drill) embodies fractured trauma, while Coyle’s blood-stained uniform echoes institutional corruption. The Skinner Man, a hallucinatory entity stalking gas-filled corridors, visually manifests Ex-Pop psychosis with twitching limbs and a breathing apparatus.

Sound design is equally masterful. Tom Salta’s score marrows between industrial dread and dissonant strings, while enemy audio cues—Gooseberry’s cackles, Coyle’s electrocution zaps—trigger visceral fight-or-flight instincts. Proximity chat, when enabled, amplifies terror as panicked whispers betray hiding spots. Yet, the game’s audio occasionally over-relies on jump scares, desensitizing players to its subtler horrors. The Cold War aesthetic permeates everything, from the facility’s Brutalist architecture to the period-accurate tech, grounding its supernatural elements in a plausible, paranoid reality.

Reception & Legacy

Upon release, The Outlast Trials garnered “generally favorable” reviews (Metacritic: 75% for PS5, 74% for Xbox Series X/S, 69% for PC). Critics lauded its atmosphere, co-op tension, and enemy AI, with GameSpot calling it “brutally fresh” and IGN praising its “gorgeous art.” However, the consensus highlighted flaws: Hooked Gamers criticized the “if enemy AI” and “lack of narrative depth,” while 4Players.de lamented its Early Access feel. Player reviews on Metacritic reflect this divide, with some hailing it as the “best multiplayer horror game” and others dismissing it as “repetitive.”

Commercially, the game sustained a dedicated player base through seasonal content, but its legacy remains contested. It expanded Outlast’s reach beyond solo horror, influencing titles like Abiotic Factor. Yet, its live-service model—a response to player feedback during beta—highlights industry pressures at the expense of focused design. Red Barrels’ post-launch updates (e.g., introducing Amelia Collier’s escape arc and the “Invasion” mode) show commitment, but the core loop’s monotony risks relegating The Outlast Trials to a niche footnote in the franchise.

Conclusion

The Outlast Trials is a fascinating, flawed experiment—a multiplayer evolution of a franchise built on isolation. It excels in translating Outlast’s signature dread into a cooperative format, with art direction and sound design that redefine co-op horror. Its Cold War setting and MKUltra roots provide rich thematic soil, though the narrative’s fragmentation undercuts its potential. As a live-service title, it offers replayability through variators and seasonal events, but its repetitive missions and lack of substantive new content stifle long-term engagement.

Ultimately, The Outlast Trials is a worthy, if imperfect, addition to the Outlast saga. It honors the series’ legacy of visceral terror while daring to innovate, proving that horror can thrive in shared spaces. For those willing to brave its trials alongside friends, it offers moments of unadulterated, glee-tingled terror. Yet, for solo purists or players seeking narrative depth, it falls short of the franchise’s apex. In the pantheon of psychological horror, The Outlast Trials stands as a bold, unsettling—but not fully realized—experiment, leaving players to question whether Murkoff’s promise of “Rebirth” is worth the cost.