The Outlast Trials Review (Xbox Series S)

The Outlast Trials is a horror survival game that offers an immersive experience with its decent graphics and excellent voice work. The game has a download size of 30.4GB and offers 1000 Gamerscore. It provides various graphics settings including brightness calibration and motion blur on/off, and network settings that allow you to turn region servers on/off individually.

The game offers two ways to play – solo and multiplayer. In multiplayer mode, you can meet and group up with other players. It starts with an extensive opening tutorial and allows in-game cutscenes and character interactions to be skipped and fast-forwarded. The character creator lets you pick a preset avatar, tweak it, and set a voice. The game is played in a first-person view and offers cross-play functionality.

There are three interface presets – standard, accessible (all options are enabled), immersive (hides all Hud elements), and classic Co-op (has all party member info displayed). The gameplay revolves around horror survival where night vision goggles play a huge part but require you to find batteries to keep the power on. You can hide in cabinets, cupboards, etc, and peek out. Doors can be opened slowly and quietly allowing you to look around first. It uses the stealth mechanic where you have to crouch and hide to avoid enemies.

The game is filled with gore and a lot of jump scares. It offers a full 3D world with 360-degree camera control. Handy mission and objective markers can show on the screen. The game nails the tense atmosphere from the music to the footsteps and rapid heartbeat sections. You can get infected with psychosis which changes how you see the world, how you see people etc. You need to either wait it out or find an antidote. When carrying items your mobility is compromised but you can drop the item at any time. The stamina system is in play. To keep the tension going you cannot pause the game even in solo.

The terminal is your hub where you select trials, do upgrades, etc. Loadout allows you to equip rigs, tools, skills, and medicine. Badges act like in-game achievements. You can earn experience from playing trials and level up to increase your therapy level. Evidence is lore-based Collectibles found in the game world. Weekly therapy is weekly challenges that change. The game is split into programs that house multiple trials within them. You are trying to achieve rebirth through therapy and trials so you can leave this place.

It’s easy to invite friends into your game. You have your cell that you can decorate and customize. Joined players can explore your terminal and visit your cell etc. The game is filled with cool art and posters everywhere. It’s best played with headphones and offers very handy button prompts. Anything you can pick up or interact with lets off a shiny glimmer.

The game is a mix of stealth and puzzle because you have to navigate these labyrinths, avoid enemies, and do your task. You can unlock and lock doors to open or shut shortcuts. Glass on the floor or running on metal are a few examples of how you can alert enemies to your presence. The game does have a degree of helping in that you can usually run and hide from triggered enemies. You can use bottles, bricks, and whatever you find to cause distractions. It gets very addictive. The gameplay and level design are done so that you have a lot of freedom and choice to attack each objective.

However, the game has a limited character creator and is a very slow starter. Loading times are up and down in terms of length. The game doesn’t pause even in solo and you cannot remap controls. It takes a lot of time to get used to enemy detection distance. Learning new trials is difficult as you are not always sure what or who you are after. You cannot tone down any of the blood or Gore. Early days the game is frustrating especially if you never played the first game. Despite these challenges, The Outlast Trials offers a unique and thrilling gaming experience and is a must-play game but remember to bring friends.