THE OUTLAST TRIALS
It’s a trial run. No, seriously – run!
The Murkoff Corporation created some pants-ruining scares for us in the first two Outlast games, but it turns out it was making life stressful for test subjects as far long ago as the Cold War. The Outlast Trials is more of a side-project than a third game in the series, and allows for solo scares or four-player thrills.
Why the Cold War setting? “It was more the idea of doing a prequel,” says Philippe Morin, Red Barrels’ co-founder. “We’ve tried to create a backstory that deepens the mythology of the games. We wanted to dive into that backstory, at the height of the MKUltra program.
Then the Cold War became an opportunity to construct a game based on paranoia.”
TRIAL AND TERROR
Creating a multiplayer mode was a new challenge for the team, but they wanted to make sure solo play was still possible. “We basically came up with a concept that is flexible, so people can play it any way they want.” The fact that others can join in doesn’t mean the scares will be any less intense. “Obviously, the experience is not exactly the same but it’s satisfying in different ways,” says Morin. “The thing is, even when you’ll be playing a game of four players, you won’t be a tight group all the time. Stuff will happen, sh*t will hit the fan and soon you may find yourself separated from the group…” Morin leaves it up to our imagination, but the feeling of separation could make the frights even worse.
The Outlast Trials is still in early production, but if there’s one thing we can count on Red Barrels for it is, appropriately, a keg of unimaginable gore. Whatever happens, don’t leave us alone, yeah?
What frights do you expect from The Outlast Trials? Tell us: opm@futurenet.com.
SH*T WILL HIT THE FAN AND SOON YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF SEPARATED FROM THE GROUP.