The Outlast Trials is the third full-game instalment of the Outlast series from Red Barrels. The full game is yet to be released. However, over the Steam Scream Fest (Halloween Weekend), some players could play a closed beta version of the game. I saw this, signed up months ago, and forgot until I got an email on Friday, 25th October 2022.
The game is set up so it can be played co-op, multiplayer or single-player. This is a distinct difference in the series as the other games have been single-player only.
The game is set in a Civil War era, where volunteers are taken into a facility and put through various trails. The events in this game happen before the first and second events, making it a prequel.
Audience
This game targets adult and, at a push, teens 18 and 19. The game is full of graphic imagery and violence, to say the least. However, it is a fantastic franchise and a staple in the horror gaming community.
Graphics
The graphics for this game were the classic Outlast style. The sturdy characters, with mountains of blood everywhere and distorted vision while in pain.
In this game, while using night vision, the vision gives a static effect and sound if you walk into a well-lit area. This quickly alerts the player that they can see without night vision and means you save your battery more.
And yes, you still have to find batteries; but these only charge the night vision partially.
The enemies and fellow volunteers stick to a similar style from the first Outlast game, clearly distinguishing between the lesser threats and the big baddies.
Gameplay
As for the gameplay itself, it was very good. The areas available to explore were well put together, and the intro and first section set up the story for a good, dark story ahead.
The game felt different from past Outlast games, but the story kept a similar familiarity as you played through. You could blindly be told to play the game and recognise the franchise (if you were familiar with Outlast), but at the same time, it felt distinctly different.
The main character isn’t isolated this time. Once you realised the story, the entire game has this odd feeling of being watched. And that feeling is in no way comforting.
Even in some sections of the game, you could see the guards and other people watching you as you walked around. It made the atmosphere much more ominous as you felt the sinister presence of others who only had their own intentions and well-being in mind.
Audio
This unnerving experienced was once again helped along beautifully by the audio, as all Outlast games are.
However, this was my first time playing with noise-cancelling headphones (actually, headphones in general). So, it was amazing to feel completely immersed in the game this time. Especially while hiding and hearing enemies walk from one side of me to the next. It truly sucked me in.
Story
From what was shown, the story seems to be an interesting prequel and an insight into Murkoff’s earlier days. Many years before the events of the first game.
The story is set in the civil war period, where volunteers are brought in to “help the country”. From the opening scene, the player appears homeless and uses this opportunity to kick start a better life or simply to get off the streets. Ultimately, the player ends up in a nightmare. Where else would an Outlast game take you?
Thrown into the first section of the game, the player is thrown into an odd scenario where, for me, the feeling of the Uncanny Valley came into play. This effectively made me weary of every door, turn and shadow.
Game Time
As this was a beta and not the full game, it was a lot shorted and gave a small taste of the game.
The first section was a reasonable length. It allowed the player to explore the area and meet some new ideas and characters. It wasn’t a long intro or section, either. Introducing new HUD features (quest markers) made completing the tasks easier.
However, the second section, the Police Station, took much longer. I’m not sure if this was because I took forever or if it was a long section, but I felt like I spent most of my game time here.
It allowed the players to explore more of the game, the mechanics, and the multiplayer aspects. However, for single-player, it took so long.
Ultimately, I couldn’t complete this section because I couldn’t collect all the needed items. One of the big baddies (think the big guy who chases you in the first game) never left the area I had to search. He would only leave if he was chasing me, which meant I couldn’t get into the area. It could have been the game glitching a little, but it had taken me so long to get to this part that coming out and trying the area again wasn’t feasible.
Difficulty
The Outlast Trials have the same (or very similar) controls as previous games in the series and most games in the horror genre.
Playing the game on easy (like I do), the controls can be quickly memorised and used efficiently. Since the game is a survival horror, the controls remain simple rather than having to go into major boss battles. Run, hide, don’t die.
Since The Outlast Trials was a beta test version, it meant that the game was completely free. All I had to do was play and then fill out their feedback form, which took about 10 to 15 minutes to complete.
Bugs
Initially, the game took an age to load and took a few attempts, with the game needing to be forced to end and rebooted. However, once it got up and running, no obvious issues could be seen.
The only issue I ran into was a server error when trying to get into the Police Station section. The connection must have dropped out, and it took me to the main page again, but when I continued and tried again, it was fine. This could have been more related to my internet than the game itself.
Fun Factor/Replay ability
The game was overall fun and interesting to wander around. Unfortunately, the scares weren’t what I expected from Red Barrels or Outlast, but I will leave it at the fact this was a beta test, and they are saving all the best scares for the full game.
I could see myself playing this game again, and I will most likely play it once it is released.
Conclusion/My Opinion
In conclusion, from what the beta version showed, the next instalment is progressing the universe’s lore forward (or backward, if you want to think of it like that). Hopefully, it will expand on Murkoff’s origins and display easter eggs of events from the other games.
However, the game could maybe consider adding a section on the main screen so players can decide if they want to play single or multiplayer would be good. Since I prefer single-player and don’t play with others, having to rely on the server working and my internet being stable enough to hold the connection is a slight turn-off.
Having said that, story and gaming-wise, The Outlast Trials hold the same feeling of the Outlast universe that will bring fans back, but in a new and refreshing environment with Murkoff taking a stronger hold in what happens during the events of the game and the player.
Information & Rating
Rating: 6/7
Total Steam Play Time: 2 Hours
Did it run with ease? Fairly
Name: The Outlast Trials (CLOSED BETA PLAYTESTS)
Publisher: Red Barrels
Developer: Red Barrels
Edition: Closed Beta Playtest
Genres: Action, Adventure, Indie, Survival Horror, Horror, First-Person
My Gaming Laptop Specs
Graphics
NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2060
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1660 Ti
Processor
Up to AMD Ryzen™ 7 4800H
Display
15.6″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS (144 Hz / <6 ms Response Time / 100% sRGB / 300 nits / Dolby Vision™ Enabled)
15.6″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS (60 Hz / 100% sRGB / 300 nits)
