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Since seeing our first practical overview of Outriders Last summer, I was cautiously optimistic about People Can Fly’s new co-op shooter / RPG. I was disappointed with the latest delay, but as a consolation prize, Square Enix released the first act on schedule as a demo so we could start forming impressions. After spending the last day or two wreaking havoc on PS5, I’m still not sure if the end game will end up being the Mass Effect/destiny/Weaponry of war mashup that I was hoping for, but it definitely sold me on the fun of its sci-fi setup.
What I find most interesting about the Outriders demo – which covers its prologue and its first chapter and has kept me going for about six hours so far – is its insistence on looking more like a single-player RPG than to a “shared world” shooter in the vein of Destiny and The division. I may not be able to make huge decisions that change history like in a classic BioWare RPG, and they have yet to crack the code to make each player the chosen one in the story simultaneously, but to be able to have optional conversations with almost any NPC that I interact with and see the tangible consequences in the world. of my actions – such as unlocking a new merchant with a permanent discount by completing a side quest – go a long way in getting involved in the post-double-apocalypse world of Outriders.
Although perhaps “post-post-apocalytic apocalypse” is a more apt way to phrase it, for while the planet on which our crew of “Earth that Was” survivors landed was originally full of verdant forests. and bizarre faun, by the time the story begins in earnest, she has become anything but. The world dubbed “mankind’s last hope” is quickly turning awry for our titular customizable character and their friends, and an unexpected long jump (which is a trope I admit I’m a sucker) sends things in one. territory that would make even the craziest of Maxes scowl.
His writing might not win any awards this year and the cutscenes suffer from sadly out of sync sound, but it does a useful job in moving the story forward and tying you his NPCs, whether they’re new takes. on established archetypes. or make good use of People Can Fly’s affinity for self-aware jokes. The latter, however, can create contradictory tones. It’s clearly a story that wants to tackle serious themes like humanity’s penchant for conflict and overconsumption, but it also starts off with a somewhat explosive attitude that doesn’t really falter, especially in the first chapter featured in the demo. You have the impression of hearing someone shouting “YEE-HAW” during the dark acoustic part of a country set; it’s not quite out of place, but it doesn’t quite fit in the same direction either.
Likewise, the prologue (and several trailers too) hinted at a lush and colorful world to explore, but most of what we see in the demo are the drab browns and grays of war-torn lands and refugee camps. Hopefully, we’ll see more varied environments and characters in the full version, but for now, the majority of the color in the world comes from the flashes of red, blue, and green as you work your way through. through each early game zone with a variety of weapons and special abilities.
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The combat is, for the most part, solid fun – as we hope, because that’s where 90% of Outriders gameplay is located. It follows the satisfying (albeit familiar) formula of other co-op heavy pillager shooters, and adds a bloody touch of elemental superpowers that bend time for good measure. Shootings – whether solo or with friends – are frenetic affairs that leave battlefields literally covered in blood, and there is something hilariously morbid about seeing an entire rib cage roll through a skirmish as a bone tumbleweed.
More or less standardly, the four classes all have strengths, weaknesses, and skill sets that will be familiar to anyone with some experience in class-based action games – although other shooters do. The team usually have a variety of roles to perform. (healer, support, etc.), Outriders very clearly focuses on the DPS side of things, at least based on the abilities available in the demo. Yes, all four classes ‘each have a role’ on the team, but other than the Devastator’s Golem ability (which simply activates ‘tank mode’), they’re all about how quickly you can reduce your opposition. to a sticky. red paste. This uniformity can be a barrier for anyone love playing The Healer or Buffy McBufferson, but it also makes those who choose not to team up with others to feel safe playing in one of the four classes. And there is a very real possibility that they will become a lot more different as they progress through the full game – there was a whole skill tree that the demo barely scratched the surface of.
I had a decent amount of time exploring on my own as a tank-eyed Devastator and a more squishier trickster, and found the combat to be balanced for both a person and a group – the only notable difference being that although I was playing with friends there was a parcel more enemies to face in each encounter to complete the challenge. The list of enemies in the demo is pretty limited, with mundane riflemen, focused melee berserkers, and the occasional super powerful miniboss – but they provided enough tactical variety to require quick thinking and strategy, especially in large groups. . Aside from a floating movement and a frustrating lack of clearly climbable (or, perhaps more importantly, no-climbable), I had a land that dives back in time or uses teleportation and stasis powers to chunkify hordes of nameless villains, and there was something sadistically rewarding about how a set of powers could ruthlessly crush, incinerate, or grind -up disintegrates enemies when paired with a teammate if playing with a party.
So far, what I’ve played of Outriders might not revolutionize the looter-shooter formula, but it’s a solid version and offers a good variety of upgrades and perks that fit in well with the looter-shooter formula. chaotic rhythm of the fight and promise really interesting constructions. for end-of-game characters. While the weapons are a fairly standard lineup of assault rifles, shotguns, and sniper rifles – with a few notable inclusions like the “dual pistol” or more powerful legendary level weapons – the inventory metagame becomes more interesting as you collect rarer equipment. While “unusual” items (I don’t know why they can’t just call them “unusual” like everyone else) have simple passive buffs like extra critical damage or armor punctures, rare items (or better) often have special perks that can either improve your class-based abilities or even provide new ones, such as generating a protective shield with each hit.
Similar to other loot, it looks like you can sell or take down items to buy or craft better gear, although the crafting system is offline in the demo. I’m happy that the progress of the demo carries over to the final game when it launches on April 1, as I found a winning set: a rifle with the aforementioned shield ability and a ridiculously powerful automatic shotgun that restores health on every kill. Hope I can level up these bad boys as I reach higher levels and world levels (which increase both enemy difficulty and loot quality as you level up) in the full game.
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The Outriders demo highlights a lot of its perks: fun fights, both for fire crews or for solo players (although it’s definitely more fun with friends so far), intriguing sci-fi hooks with lots of potential, and a unique take on how cooperative shooters can embrace more traditional RPG elements. That said, it also shows some places where the apocalyptic space shooter begins to stumble. Replayability is a big part of whether a non-cooperative RPG shooter stays enjoyable, and while the combat in Outriders is a good time, I found myself yawning through my third and fourth sets of its several. sample missions. Likewise, while I really enjoy some of the concepts introduced in the story, what I’ve seen so far is a tightrope between being the first game to solve the ” Shared world shooter with a good story ‘or another example of shuffling’ Skip the cutscene ‘as fast as you can – and nothing gets you out of a story faster than buggy cutscenes.
What I don’t think the Outriders demo has done yet is really sell me for the long haul, and while it’s very difficult to do in a matter of hours, it’s also crucial in determining whether a game like this one is worth investing in. . I’m really interested in seeing more of his world and unlocking more nifty pseudo-magic, but I’d venture to assume that 70% of my playclock in similarly structured games is well past the credits, and this demo provides little. or no info on what to expect from the Outriders endgame. Its developers have detailed a fairly robust endgame plan, but it remains to be seen whether or not he has resistance from other cooperative shooters adjacent to the serve – or if that is even the team’s goal. Hopefully, he keeps pace with his fast paced action and decently fun, luscious story – because I really want to improve on this auto shotgun.
This demo wasn’t substantial enough to be ready to put a temporary score on Outriders, but I’m having a great time with it and can’t wait to play more for the full review. Look for it at or around the April 1 release date.
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