The Outlast Trials

 Xbox Series X
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. IGN
    Mar 4, 2024
    70
    As it exits Early Access, The Outlast Trials is a really enjoyable and unique cooperative horror game, but it runs out of runway more quickly than I would have liked. Each of the five stages are memorable and wildly entertaining thanks to their over-the-top horror (despite repeatedly reused antagonists), and the enemy AI is aggressive enough that I was always on my toes. But with just five levels and two main bosses, there isn’t much variety available to support all of the progression that’s in store, and even all of the neat upgrades to chase and some truly devious difficulty options that unlock after your first run through each of the stages can’t jolt life back into them. Some more meat on the bones of the story would have gone a long way to keeping my interest long term, but that’s little more than a skeleton. There are plenty of fun, grotesque memories to be forged in the first few hours of murderous bliss The Outlast Trials provides, but that novelty quickly subsides once you’ve seen everything once.
  2. Xbox Tavern
    Mar 18, 2024
    68
    A trial by horror if there ever was one, The Outlast Trials does its best to flavour up the Outlast formula with its particular slant on co-operative gameplay. The results are decent alone or with friends, but too many times The Outlast Trials sacrifices its horror potential by implementing its newly-minted multiplayer features, consequently threatening to trip over and compromise the experience. Outlast‘s bespoke brand of horror manages to keep its head above the bloodbath thanks to brimming environments, meticulous presentational elements and its ability to unnerve, but trying to be bigger doesn’t payoff as better with The Outlast Trials, it’s merely good, but could’ve been great if it was smaller and more focused.
  3. ZTGD
    Apr 5, 2024
    60
    Sadly, The Outlast Trials just didn’t live up to the hype for me. With monsters that didn’t really feel scary, and maps and objectives that just start to feel repetitive really quickly, I can really only recommend this one for the real Outlast fans.
  5. Multiplayer.it
    Mar 10, 2024
    60
    The Outlast Trials reinvents the saga's formula for cooperative multiplayer. During the first few games one can enjoy the level design and cooperation. Soon, however, repetitiveness and limited gameplay take over. Moreover, in single player it is too difficult to complete any mission.
  6. Xbox Achievements
    Mar 8, 2024
    60
    The Outlast Trials is almost entirely devoid of fun as a solo experience. Add friends or other random players, however, and there's ample enjoyment to be had fighting through the unrelenting horror together. As long as you have the stomach for all that blood, guts, mutilation, death, and unsettling imagery, of course.
  7. Pure Xbox
    Mar 4, 2024
    60
    The Outlast Trials is a cool idea, a spin-off that funnels players through a gauntlet of twisted levels with a gameshow/Saw movie vibe. However, as good as it all looks and sounds, with plenty of levels and tons of customisation to dig into, the core gameplay here is just way too bland and repetitive, it's in no way scary, and the only real fun to be had is in getting a bunch of pals together to laugh at your misfortunes and all of the violence that ensues.