The Outlast Trials takes the fun cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek, nightvision-fueled gameplay of the original two single player entries of the franchise, and throttles it into a clever multiplayer format while building on some well-welcomed innovations and new mechanics.

Players are thrown together and must work together to survive. Well, they don't have to, but it would be greatly to their detriment. Powerless to fight back (except for the occasional brick or bottle), terrifying NPC enemies will patrol the grounds of the Trials, watching key objectives and keeping you on your toes. It's up to you and your team to use your wits, surroundings, and crucial teamwork to lure enemies away from key objectives while solving puzzles/completing these objectives at the same time.

The game, in my opinion, is best experienced and discovered freshly and for the first time with friends who are also discovering it for the first time.

Considering the game cannot be as cinematic as the single player experiences by sheer nature of being multiplayer, this game's AI does an incredible job of facilitating fun chases, as assailants will weave in and out of rooms, and naturally coerce players into leading enemies to each other, creating a terrifying domino effect. The game's proximity chat is an absolute blast, and playing with friends or strangers while being chased and bumping into each other through the winding halls of Murkoff is hilarious and fun with incredible acoustics and quality.

The game experience, especially the UI, has been optimized for casual gameplay, but the game allows for incredible experience customization - allowing you to flip as many switches as possible to tailor the experience how you want. For longtime fans of the franchise, or for players looking for a true scare, Immersive presets are available; on the opposite end of the spectrum, accessible settings allow players to have as much information as needed on screen for a good playing experience.

The Outlast Trials takes the fun cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek, nightvision-fueled gameplay of the original two single player entries of the franchise, and throttles it into a clever multiplayer format while building on some well-welcomed innovations and new mechanics. Players are thrown together and must work together to survive. Well, they don't have to, but it would be greatly to their detriment. Powerless to fight back (except for the occasional brick or bottle), terrifying NPC enemies will patrol the grounds of the Trials, watching key objectives and keeping you on your toes. It's up to you and your team to use your wits, surroundings, and crucial teamwork to lure enemies away from key objectives while solving puzzles/completing these objectives at the same time. The game, in my opinion, is best experienced and discovered freshly and for the first time with friends who are also discovering it for the first time. Considering the game cannot be as cinematic as the single player experiences by sheer nature of being multiplayer, this game's AI does an incredible job of facilitating fun chases, as assailants will weave in and out of rooms, and naturally coerce players into leading enemies to each other, creating a terrifying domino effect. The game's proximity chat is an absolute blast, and playing with friends or strangers while being chased and bumping into each other through the winding halls of Murkoff is hilarious and fun with incredible acoustics and quality. The game experience, especially the UI, has been optimized for casual gameplay, but the game allows for incredible experience customization - allowing you to flip as many switches as possible to tailor the experience how you want. For longtime fans of the franchise, or for players looking for a true scare, Immersive presets are available; on the opposite end of the spectrum, accessible settings allow players to have as much information as needed on screen for a good playing experience.