The Outlast Trials is the latest horror offering from Red Barrels. Available now in Early Access, veterans of the Outlast series might find The Outlast Trials shocking, considering that it has a distinct focus on co-op multiplayer.

Still, it delivers the surprising scares and terrific thrills that the franchise is known for, whether playing solo or with friends. Indeed, The Outlast Trials manages to redefine the multiplayer horror genre, thanks to a variety of mission challenges, an engaging progression system, vicious enemies, and disturbing themes.
 

Matchmaking, grouping, or going solo

If you’ve played Outlast or Outlast 2, you might balk at the idea of a multiplayer horror game. It’s certainly a departure. The good news is that The Outlast Trials can be played solo, if you wish—though things might get tougher down the line.

Those who want to give multiplayer a whirl can click on the Group Finder option to select a run with anywhere from two to four players. Moreover, the network settings panel lets you enable the desired server regions, which is great for minimizing issues with latency and language barriers. You might also want to check the game’s official Discord server to find players and groups that are looking for additional teammates.
 

Project MKUltra and the Sleep Room

The Outlast Trials is heavily inspired by Project MKUltra, a top-secret CIA operation that lasted from 1953 to 1973 (though some say it persisted for several years after the fact). With the ever-present threat of the Soviet Union and its allies during the Cold War, the United States sought to conduct experiments related to mind control. Patients were subjected to brainwashing techniques, including the use of psychedelic drugs.

In The Outlast Trials, your character starts out as a lost vagabond who becomes a test subject for Murkoff. You’ll find yourself in the Murkoff Facility’s Sleep Room, a main hub where you’ll see various scientists and engineers watching over you—and also where you’ll spot other players who are looking for a group or are waiting for the next match.

From there, you can collect records and evidence that inform you of Murkoff’s role in relation to Project MKUltra. The hub (and side objectives) evokes the setting’s central theme: You are nothing but a pawn in an experiment, often observed and at the whim of your captors.

Sneaking around and getting caught

Multiplayer horror games come in many forms. The Outlast Trials is less “mow down countless undead hordes,” and more “Let’s hide so we don’t get caught—oh my gosh, help me!”

Levels are crawling with Experimental Population or Ex-Pops, deranged enemies that range from scarred, blade-wielding grunts to a lumbering masked killer with a hand puppet that doubles as a drill. Your character, meanwhile, doesn’t have a weapon. Worse, you can only run for a short duration before your stamina is fully depleted.

As such, your actions usually involve running around an area and hoping you don’t get caught. The moment you hear a hostile nearby, your best bet is usually crouching and sneaking around while looking for a viable hiding spot. This creates tense situations—especially if you’re part of a group of newcomers, since no one knows what’s lurking around a dark corner or down a distant corridor.
 

Players as allies or as bait

Grouping up with friends usually means that everyone is altruistic, eager to help out and make sure the team succeeds. Joining up with random players can be a mixed bag, though. Some players are happy to cooperate, while others are simply looking to survive and finish a level.

This dynamic is present in the matches that you play. Teammates can ping important items or consumables, and they can also hand over healing flasks or batteries that they find. They can also revive you if you’re downed, preventing your untimely demise. Nevertheless, since you’re pitted against numerous foes that move faster than you, your squadmates could leave you behind as bait while they scurry away to relative safety.

Profane rituals and disturbing scenes

One of the key factors that makes The Outlast Trials shine as a horror experience is its foreboding and disturbing atmosphere. The levels (or Programs) include a police station where prisoners have been tortured, a creepy carnival, and a ruined orphanage. Parts of each stage are shrouded in shadows, so you’ll naturally reach for your night vision goggles. It can be quite surprising when you notice a lone figure staring back at you from a dark corner—only to realize that it’s just a mannequin or animatronic puppet.

Completing a level means your team has to tackle various objectives, ranging from simple tasks to some very disturbing scenes. For example, the Fun Park level requires you to “Grind the Bad Apples.” This refers to pushing a cart full of mannequins into a grinder, with vivid imagery that makes it seem as though they’re real people.

Likewise, the Orphanage level requires you to conduct a demonic ritual as child-like mannequins look on. It culminates in the Chapel objective, where you’ll see a naked man that’s crucified. You then have to “Serve the Body of Christ,” which involves two players moving a saw back and forth until one of the man’s legs is ripped apart.
 

A loss of sanity

The tense atmosphere in The Outlast Trials is further enhanced by the sanity system. Certain actions and events lower your character’s sanity, represented by green bars above your health. If depleted, you’ll start seeing visions and phantoms.

One, in particular, is the Skinner Man—a macabre apparition with tendrils sprouting out of its skull. The Skinner Man relentlessly pursues players suffering from psychosis due to low sanity. As such, it’s entirely possible to hear teammates screaming about a ghost that’s chasing them, even though they’re the only one that can see it.

Progression

Although The Outlast Trials is in Early Access, the core gameplay loop is shaping up quite nicely. Early-game progression involves leveling up to earn unlocks, such as buffs from Amps and Prescriptions. There are also cosmetic gear pieces that can be worn to change your character’s look.

You also unlock and upgrade Rigs, which are devices or tools that can be used during your missions. Rigs enable you to temporarily stun or blind an enemy, heal nearby teammates, or see foes that are hidden behind walls and obstacles.

And as you complete challenges in various levels, you’ll unlock even tougher assignments such as Program X and Program Q—which are definitely intended for full teams, not solo players.

All in all, The Outlast Trials presents a dynamic means of advancing further with its challenge-based approach. Progression can be difficult if you’re soloing, so joining others for co-op multiplayer certainly helps out. Your experience can be downright smooth with a cohesive team—or utterly chaotic with randoms. But either way, you’ll find The Outlast Trials full of tension and excitement.

The Outlast Trials is available in Early Access on the Epic Games Store.