The Outlast Trials is adding a PvP mode in its next update, which I'm sure will do wonders for my inability to trust friends in any horror game

As if you needed any more reason to feel constantly on edge in The Outlast Trials, its upcoming update will turn even your closest friends against you in the game's first PvP mode.

That's right, Mother Gooseberry and the various other horrors waiting to take you down in each of the game's trials are no longer your only threat. Thanks to the Invasion update coming on October 21, you'll now have to defend yourself against knife-wielding Reagents.

If you've spent any amount of time playing already, you've probably already encountered a character that looks exactly like one of your friends. But, upon approaching you, they pulled out a knife and started flailing it in your direction. It's not until they start running the other way that you realise that their gamer tag isn't quite spelt right, and they never responded to your desperate cries asking what they were doing. The Invasion game mode basically takes these encounters and intensifies them, putting real players into each trial rather than NPCs.

But, unless you hand-pick it yourself, you won't have to worry about constantly checking over your shoulder in case you're being betrayed, as Invasion is a standalone game mode. If you are brave enough to go against each other and select the PvP mode, the number of players will impact how many imposters are unleashed, meaning the more Reagents, the more imposters you'll have to deal with.

Those who have decided to betray other Reagents will be able to use surveillance cameras to track their whereabouts before entering the trial themselves, wearing a skin mask of another player, to gain the trust of others before stabbing and slashing them with the knife you enter with. A slash will perform a fast attack and deal little damage, whereas a stab will deal a lot more but requires a reasonable amount of time to "charge". So, given your timing is right, you could easily kill anyone attempting to beat a trial. Especially if they have strayed from the pack, which happens so easily in the Outlast Trials.

If you are the fated Reagent tasked with being an Imposter, you aren't exactly safe from harm, though. The enemies you're used to seeing in each trial, such as Grunts, Coyle, or Gooseberry, will still target you. This can give your hiding spot away to any other players, so you need to be particularly sneaky while you roam around. And no, before you ask, you won't be able to hack and slash your way through these opponents. Only your fellow Reagents.

So, if you've been looking for a way to bring a little more excitement (or pure terror, if you jump at the sound of a pin dropping in a game like this), then the Invasion update is well worth getting excited for. I, for one, am looking forward to never being able to trust my friends again, but I'll be honest, the amount of times they've sacrificed me or left me to bleed out in each of these trials, maybe becoming the Imposter will be the outlet I need to get my revenge.