Outlast Trials has been in the works for the past few years, and Red Barrels is determined to take its time with its development to avoid rushing the project. However, in order to keep the hype train going its official Twitter account has released several screenshots of Outlast Trials, containing a plethora of series staples and new features to tease fans.
Outlast 1 and 2's run-and-hide gameplay is coupled with the inability to fight back against memorable enemies. Outlast Trials will be a prequel, but shows no sign of shrinking back in the process. Meeting the Outlast characters is an intense experience, and Trials is set to continue the trend of an imposing cast with plenty of unashamed body horrors. The franchise has previously gained a lot of notoriety thanks to being popularized through "Let's Plays" on YouTube in unison with well-executed jump scares, securing its status in the horror genre with its emphasis on survival.
The Twitter post contains strong imagery that elicits the unsettling and thematic vibes present in both previous entries. Murkoff Corporation (the company pulling the strings in the previous releases) is back, and set to get the ball rolling for more unethical and dangerous experiments, this time set in the Cold War era. Glimpses of head cages and test subjects wielding weapons amplify the horror of being driven insane by illegal Government experimentation. What exactly lies in wait is mostly hidden by the Red Barrels team, save for a revealing interview about Outlast Trials' development.
The first image is laden with religious imagery and crosses among a bloody and desperate scene, evoking similar sights witnessed in Outlast 2's religious cult setting, while the second image depicts security gates and monitors displaying messages, bringing back the murky greens and low light from the first game's criminal asylum. The variation between the two implies Outlast Trials will be set over multiple environments rather than a single setting.
Previous Outlast Trials trailers have hinted at some of Outlast Trials' new features such as co-op multiplayer and the ability to combat enemies for the first time. Changing up the formula this drastically has led to lots of questions and concerns from fans about the vastly different gameplay, as the series is renowned for the lack of offensive options. Giving players the chance to fight back risks reducing the fear factor of being helpless and surrounding by threats. In turn, Outlast 2 received mixed reviews that praised the horror but sinned the more open-ended gameplay that replaced terror with frustration.
Red Barrels is focused on rectifying these previous criticisms, however. All locations currently displayed in the Outlast Trials take place inside claustrophobia-inducing buildings and dimly lit rooms, and the melee combat seems suited to take on enemies that are large, violent, insane, or a combination of all three. Its Twitter teaser boasts disgustingly beautiful graphics and hints at the more savage AI players will be up against upon release, hopefully becoming the saving grace for Red Barrel's critically acclaimed horror series. With a release planned for later this year, only time will tell if the drastic creative decisions live up to the hype.
Outlast Trials is still in development, and set for release in 2022.