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Project Breach and holiday horrors come your way in The Outlast Trials
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Jason Rodriguez
As The Outlast Trials continues to redefine multiplayer horror, we sat down with game director Alex Charbonneau to learn more about Season 2: Project Breach. This is the team’s next major update, which will see the introduction of the new Downtown map, the Molotov enemy, the Jammer rig, and many new additions. It also coincides with a return of the holiday-themed Winter Kills event.
"Since The Outlast Trials is a live-service co-op game, we find that we always have a chance to improve with each new update,” Charbonneau tells the Epic Games Store. “New seasons and events also mark an influx of new and returning players, which the team understands given that The Outlast Trials is both something people can invest in for a long time, and something that one could play only casually every week, especially if things get too intense.”
Worldbuilding and discovering secrets
Before we start with the Season 2: Project Breach demo session, we’re given a briefing on Amelia Collier, voiced by Caroline Dhavernas (Hannibal, Mary Kills People, and Wonderfalls). A former Reagent who has escaped the Murkoff-run Sinyala facility, Collier ended up returning to the Trials to blow open the lid to the Murkoff Corporation’s most sinister secrets. Players may encounter Collier as they progress further.
Charbonneau says that worldbuilding in The Outlast Trials ties into how the team leaves hints and messages for players to discover. “In the past, we've seen how players spotted hidden messages in morse code, as well as graffiti scrawled on walls. We want to impress upon them this idea that we're building toward something bigger—that, just like the test subjects in-game, you’ll notice that there are things happening behind these walls, secrets and clues that lead toward an overarching narrative thread. Players are also part of this journey, since many want to find connections to the previous Outlast games.”
He also explains how The Outlast Trials is inspired by movies like Rob Zombie’s 31 and, naturally, the Saw franchise. Concepts like government experiments stem from novels like The Manchurian Candidate, which has been adapted into film twice. Of course, there’s also the real-world CIA-backed Project MKUltra's use of hallucinogens to brainwash patients, something that’s heavily featured in the game’s narrative threads.
“[The use of Project MKUltra as a prominent fixture] is something we really wanted in The Outlast Trials,” Charbonneau says. "We wanted a setting that's not completely fictional and not totally outlandish—like aliens,” he adds with a chuckle. “That's why The Outlast Trials is still grounded in real-life events with an air of mystery surrounding them. It also helps because players can see events happening in-game, and they can extrapolate as to what comes next either based on historical events, conspiracy theories, or the other Outlast titles."
The terrors of the theater
We’re introduced to Project Breach’s new Downtown map and the “Pleasure the Prosecutor” trial. Starting in a subway, the player has to make their way to a gaudy, brightly lit cabaret to find a ticket. The idea is to stay in a “capture point,” fending off enemies until the process is completed. Being with a team means that players can split up, where one person stays in the capture point while others distract hostiles.
Upon entering the cabaret, we’re told the theater interior has a secret room with loot, and it’s accessible by pressing two buttons. From there, we witness a gruesome scene where Franco “Il Bambino” Barbi tortures a victim on the main stage. Franco, previously introduced as a prime asset or boss in Project Lupara, makes his return in this mission in Project Breach.
Once Franco has walked away, the player then has to replace the “kinky” mannequins surrounding the victim with even more gruesome variants. This was the only way to progress the level.
Hacking with the Jammer
The Jammer is a new rig added as part of the Season 2 update. The device can be used to disable electronic devices and traps, with upgrades that increase its hacking distance and efficiency. It can also stymy enemies that are after your allies, though this is harder to pull off since you need line-of-sight.
More specifically, the Jammer can open locked doors, such as the ones leading to the secret room in the cabaret. The Jammer has an unlimited number of charges and is cooldown-based—unlocking a container has a shorter cooldown than, say, distracting an enemy or opening a large door.
Charbonneau tells us that the team’s design philosophy when creating new rigs is influenced by player behavior and playstyles. "Before we came up with the Barricade rig, we saw how players tried to fend off enemies in certain areas. We knew that we needed to have a rig that is helpful for defensive-oriented players. As for the Jammer, we saw how some players like to mark traps and look for lockpicks; they love to loot stuff while playing. So, the Jammer is for players that find these mechanics interesting. They would have a rig that can be used many times after a short cooldown.”
We ask if this leads to balancing issues, but Charbonneau feels that the team is fairly lenient. "If we observe that a rig is too overpowered—to the point that it breaks the challenges that trials offer—then that's the only time we take action. But if it's just something that's popular or something that players use often, like part of the ‘meta’ of sorts, then it's usually not a big deal for us."
The Winter Kills event, Molotov enemy, and new content
The Molotov is a new enemy added with the update, one that can appear randomly in various trials. This opponent throws Molotov cocktails that create patches of fire, dealing damage and blocking paths. “Fire dissipates over time,” adds Charbonneau. “You can’t put out fires manually, like with a fire extinguisher, so it really changes the way you approach levels.”
We also learn about the new details regarding the return of last year’s time-limited, holiday-themed event: Winter Kills. The catalog includes new cosmetic items that veterans can obtain by completing objectives and amassing tokens. Rewards from last year are also part of the catalog. “The Outlast Trials wasn’t available on consoles during the early access period,” Charbonneau explains. “We’ve reintroduced these rewards so console players have a chance to acquire them.”
The Season 2 update has more in store, such as improvements to the Psychosis state, including the appearance of eerie tentacles and enemies actively targeting an afflicted Reagent. Additionally, there are changes based on fan feedback, like being able to alter poses in your room and profile borders. Likewise, you can expect three new amps:
- Short Circuit: Restores some of your rig’s cooldown when you use a battery.
- Evasive Maneuver: Escape an enemy’s grasp and reduce incoming damage; great for solo players.
- Bandages Expert: Bandages are faster to apply and can be used twice.
“However, I can tell you that we want to ramp up the fear factor, the gruesome horror, the surprising jump scares, and even more paranormal-esque psychosis elements," Charbonneau adds with a wink. “Just like Murkoff in some ways, we want to continue experimenting and pushing boundaries further when it comes to new ideas.”
The Outlast Trials Season 2: Project Breach will commence on December 10, and the activities and content are set to become permanent fixtures. The time-limited Winter Kills event, meanwhile, will have its first part run from December 10 to 24, and its second part from December 24 to January 7.
Those who would like to experience intense and brutal horror with their friends should pick up The Outlast Trials, which is available on the Epic Games Store. If you’re keen on staying alive to learn more about the secrets of Murkoff’s facility, you can do so with the help of our survival tips guide.