If you’re looking for a terrifying game to play this Halloween and have a strong stomach for blood, guts, and gore, then there’s no better game to jump into than The Outlast Trials. And despite a recent cyber incident, the devs have managed to stay on track and deliver an exciting new Halloween update.
Right from the start, Outlast developer Red Barrels has always taken a strong interest in the MKUltra experiments, which took place in Montréal back in the 1950s and 1960s, and this Halloween update is no different. The new limited-time event will see the Murkoff Corporation and its scientists test new hallucinatory therapies on the “volunteer” participants of Program Geister.
Program Geister was introduced last Halloween as part of a similar limited-time event. This program consisted of MK-Challenges, trials, and variators, which all revolved around hallucinations. For example, in Program 3: Cleanse the Orphans, there were five variators that change how challenges are approached and can introduce stronger enemies, more imposters, hallucinations that cause trauma and health restrictions, and hide player names. All of these had the purpose of confusing players and placing them in high-stress situations.
However, this time around, players will have to deal with all the old variators while also tackling new ones, like extracting organ samples for analysis from deceased Reagents. Extracting samples may only take a few seconds, but in The Outlast Trials, where you’re constantly being chased by enraged enemies, it can feel like a lifetime.
Other new content includes a new MK-Challenge named Eliminate the Past, which sees players forced to shred documents that reveal Murkoff’s history of war crimes, and also promises better jumpscares courtesy of one of the game’s less pleasant enemies. “When your sanity wanes, receive a visit from the Skinner Man,” according to a press release. For those who often find themselves in states of psychosis in The Outlast Trials, you’re probably already pretty familiar with the Skinner Man, a strange ghost-like entity with black tendrils emerging from his head. He’s not a fun enemy to encounter, so it seems fitting that the players will see more of him over the Halloween season.
On a lighter note, there’ll also be a new sleep room minigame. Players will now be able to relax between trials with “the first digital videogame created by Murkoff and offered exclusively to facility residents,” called Tennis. This’ll be a digital game, not the real deal, but I’d be willing to try anything new if it means I no longer have to get humiliated at chess.
The first part of Program Geister takes place from October 29 to November 12, and the second part follows from November 12 to November 26. So, you’ll have plenty of time to work through the new Geister Event Catalog with currency that you earn during the event. There’ll be new, unique cosmetics for your Reagents and your sleep chambers.
