The Outlast Trials Critic Reviews

The Outlast Trials captures the gritty and often dark atmosphere of the series in an over-the-top, unique multiplayer experience and a must-play for fans of the horror genre.

The Outlast Trials is first and foremost an excellent stealth game in which you have to avoid enemies by hiding in the shade, under the bed or inside a wardrobe, being careful not to make any noise. After that it is an extremely brutal survival horror, in which we must carry out heinous acts without becoming victims of crazy psychopaths ready to tear us to pieces in the bloodiest ways. The atmosphere of the prison camps with no way out during the Cold War has been recreated to perfection, and it is easy to identify with the protagonist as he tries to survive, accompanied only by the crazy beating of his heart. Cooperative multiplayer with three other friends completes the offer.

Red Barrels expands the Outlast universe with a new entry that introduces a whole new set of dangerous experiments by the Murkoff Corporation, a series of threats that the players will have to deal with in order to thwart a worldwide mind control scheme. The Outlast Trials has the potential to be the best horror game we get in 2024, a experience that you'll be able to enjoy either on your own or alongside other players.

The Outlast Trials is a brutally fresh twist of the knife for the franchise. Cooperative play meshes seamlessly with the horror experience, allowing players to squad up and take on brutal trials that are as horrifying as they are fun to survive together. Solo play is more trouble for the same reward, so it’s a good thing the game includes a matchmaking system. With more content on the way, it’s clear Murkoff has struck gold with this new take on a loved IP!

As a cooperative horror experience, The Outlast Trials is recommended even for those with weak hearts. The missions work very well, and the voice chat and messaging features contribute to communication, making the journey into the abyss more enjoyable and less lonely.

The Outlast Trials is a unique, engaging, horrifying, and memorable multiplayer experience, and although this is its greatest strength, it also lessens the pure horror experience that Outlast is otherwise known for. The excellent environments and narrative choices are well worth experiencing; I only wish there was more story content to experience, and variety in mission structure.

After an almost seven-year hiatus, The Outlast Trials makes for a bold return for the series, one that takes it in a surprising new direction, but doesn't compromise on what made the previous two titles so compelling for horror fans.

The Outlast Trials pulls off a great multiplayer horror experience, whilst keeping the spirit of the franchise alive and screaming. There’s not a whole lot to keep you playing after exploring all the levels and the gameplay itself can feel quite repetitive. With that said, there are some brilliant scares and clever ways to keep you on your toes if you so desire to keep going back to therapy.

The Outlast Trials seeks to bring a world designed so far for a single player to the multiplayer terrain. The result? A delicious survival game that, while unfair to the bravest, offers hours and hours of fun to any group that has enough stomach to face their terrifying figures and buckets of blood and viscera.

The Outlast Trials is in better shape now it's out of Early Access, and while AI and fixes have been made, it's still light on content.

The Outlast Trials is a half-successful product. The title by Red Barrels hits the target and offers truly convincing characters and settings, which allow it to come pleasantly close in atmosphere to film productions such as Hostel and Saw. At the same time, the developers have not made the most of the potential of the experience, which tends to lose bite over time without encouraging the player, alone or in company, to undergo the same experiments over and over again.

While the strictly defined horror gameplay might not keep one hooked for hours-long sessions, The Outlast Trials’ style and atmosphere is worth several return journeys. It makes very few changes to the series’ usual stealthy scariness, yet the inclusion of three other players makes for a breezy version that’s pretty damn entertaining. Be aware that playing it alone makes everything take four times longer and isn’t particularly fun, but with even just one more player, some torture porny fun can be had...Plus penises.

The Outlast Trials is a solid co-op horror game that develops the ideas from previous installments in an interesting way. However, it’s a pity that the story is fragmented so much that it becomes unengaging. Plus, it’s a title you should experience with your friends, because it can be tiresome when played with randoms.

The Outlast Trials introduces cooperative multiplayer to the horror franchise, offering tense and gruesome scenarios where teamwork is essential to survive, despite some repetitive gameplay. Its deliberate visual design and atmospheric sound create a chilling experience perfect for multiplayer sessions.

It may not be the next single player terror fans of its predecessors are looking for, but The Outlast Trials successfully translates the series' formula for a co-op setting. Hiding from gory psychopaths and utilising night vision is still the name of the game — now you simply do it alongside up to three friends online. Though silly enemy AI and some repetitive visual assets drag the experience down, The Outlast Trials is an example of a former single player game turned online title done right.

The Outlast Trials is a fun, but flawed addition to the Outlast series, trading in the original titles’ claustrophobic horror for in-your-face multiplayer mayhem. The title’s core gameplay loop offers a thrilling challenge and high replayability, delivering plenty of trials for fans to sink their teeth into across its Core, Advanced, and Ultra Programs, with immersive audio-visual elements that deliver on all fronts. Unfortunately, The Outlast Trials' balancing issues, unjustified gratuity, and complete lack of scares may leave some players disappointed. Fans of the Outlast series will likely find plenty of reasons to explore and overcome the Murkoff Corporation’s various testing facilities, as the title offers enough challenge to keep them engaged. However, for general horror audiences, and those new to Outlast, The Outlast Trials may struggle to live up to the legendary reputation of the series’ original entries.

A good multiplayer experience, which still needs some refinement and which goes a little too far in penalizing solo players.

Ultimately, The Outlast Trials finds itself in a bit of an awkward spot. It doesn’t quite hit the mark as a single player game, though playing alone is where the true horror lies. Play it with others, and while you’re likely to have more fun, it comes at the expense of atmosphere and scares. For many though, repetition is likely to be the biggest issue with The Outlast Trials; sneaking around in the dark is only fun for so long, after all. Still, that’s not to say this experiment is a total failure — it has a lot to offer for those who do find enjoyment in its grotesque endeavors.

The Outlast Trials is an example of a beloved series trying something new, and for the most part it works. The trials themselves are enjoyable, with huge maps to explore, memorable psychos to avoid and enough spooks and jumpscares to keep you entertained for a long time. The game is made, and works best, with multiple players in mind, and while that does take away from the overall horror, what replaces it is a barrel full of laughs as you watch your friend get ripped out of a locker and smacked with a big stick, and that’s good enough for me.

The Outlast Trials isn't a bad game, thanks to a dose of blood and violence. The emphasis is placed on the multiplayer experience, who undermines the enjoyment for players accustomed to solo playthroughs.