The Outlast Trials Reviews
While The Outlast Trials is a game that can be completed, it has many issues that currently keep it from being a fun experience. The game is very repetitive and cumbersome while the balance that it has is all over the place. Unfortunately, these issues seem to be only fixable with a lot of reworks and massive patches. Even then, it still won't address the boring gameplay loop and the lack of actual challenge outside of modifiers that only exist to make the game even more frustrating. This is a game that only hardcore Outlast fans can be invested on and thus, it is hard to recommend.
Like squeezing blood from a stone, The Outlast Trials is a repetitive chore that features monotonous searches and running laps through mazes until there is nothing left but pain and the option to share the misery with others.
The Outlast Trials is a cool idea, a spin-off that funnels players through a gauntlet of twisted levels with a gameshow/Saw movie vibe. However, as good as it all looks and sounds, with plenty of levels and tons of customisation to dig into, the core gameplay here is just way too bland and repetitive, it's in no way scary, and the only real fun to be had is in getting a bunch of pals together to laugh at your misfortunes and all of the violence that ensues.
A lot of the issues present are the same sins that Outlast has always committed: being defenseless is a nonsensical mistake. The biggest blunder it makes is requiring an online connection for playing alone.
The Outlast Trials is almost entirely devoid of fun as a solo experience. Add friends or other random players, however, and there's ample enjoyment to be had fighting through the unrelenting horror together. As long as you have the stomach for all that blood, guts, mutilation, death, and unsettling imagery, of course.
The Outlast Trials takes the franchise into a new multiplayer universe and surprisingly, it works quite well. The hide-and-seek from the saga remains intact, it's bloody and violent just like the previous games, and the sound design is excellent. But unfortunately, the content is still rather limited and we can get bored pretty quickly. However, we hope that Red Barrels will find ways to improve the game in the coming months.
Review in French | Read full review
All in all I expected more from this horror game. My nephew has raved about how good the first two were and even though this has been in EA on PC for years I was eagerly awaiting the console release. Sadly, The Outlast Trials just didn’t live up to the hype for me. With monsters that didn’t really feel scary, and maps and objectives that just start to feel repetitive really quickly, I can really only recommend this one for the real Outlast fans.
A huge part of me believes that The Outlast Trials - with a little more seamlessness between trials and objectives that aren’t rehashed and repeated - could’ve made an amazing single-player game, with multiplayer as an option. Though even with my qualms, The Outlast Trials is ultimately a game I’ve had a lot of fun with where there’s absolutely no compromise on quality, and Red Barrels should be applauded for that. It has been packed, shipped, and delivered with the utmost attentiveness from its developer. It’s just a shame that when it comes to the replayability of the game, it’s something I’ll likely revisit on occasion with friends as I would Phasmophobia or Lethal Company, and not much more than that.
The Outlast Trials is excessive and frantically enjoyable - but can occasionally tip over into frustration more than fear.
The Outlast Trials is an entertaining experience, but unfortunately its issues casts a shadow on its entertainment. Objectives become repetitive very quickly, technical issues are somewhat frequent and loading times are disappointing.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Whether you're a newcomer looking to dip your toes into terror or a seasoned scarer seeking new nightmares, "The Outlast Trials" offers a playground of paranoia.
Outlast Trials tries to mix its traditional gameplay with online elements, and the result is neither revolutionary nor entertaining, making it more of a spin-off to the original series rather than a cornerstone for future releases.
Review in Persian | Read full review
In the end, The Outlast Trials offers an enjoyable horror game that makes for a unique cooperative experience.
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.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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 delivers a scary uncertainty with immersive gameplay that harkens back to the first Outlast game. This is a fun title that has a good amount of difficulty to it, where you can play it solo and still have fun even though this is mainly a co-oping experience.
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.
The Outlast Trials is possibly the most deranged the series has ever been, with plenty of smart ideas albeit quite sparse on content.
A good multiplayer experience, which still needs some refinement and which goes a little too far in penalizing solo players.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The Outlast Trials is a bloody cooperative horror game that burns brightly, but fizzles after a few enjoyable hours.