Outward Review

Outward published by Deep Silver and developed by Nine Dot Studios is now available on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Usually in reviews I do a standard Story, Gameplay, Graphics and Sound. I just feel with Outward I just want to talk about how at first it wasn’t growing on me but when I kept going it became more and more unique.

Outward is interesting, I prejudged the game, didn’t give it chance at first, but the further I progressed the more I loved it. I was placed into a world, I wasn’t a hero or a villain, I just owed money to a blood debt due to mistakes my in-game grandma made. At first I felt it was a little basic, I ran around the open-world part and thinking “huh, not sure what to do”. Once I learnt the in-game systems it started to really pick up. Along the way after thinking it would be a Skyrim style RPG you learn that it isn’t like that, it’s an old school RPG created by a small number of people that put a lot of heart into it. Sadly my only drawback is the fact the world feels a bit lacking in NPC’s and it just doesn’t feel like a living breathing world. In this world you’re not only met with tough enemies you’ll also have to get use to the survival system. While the survival system can be difficult to keep on top of at times when you obtain multiple infections and full blown flu, it added to the overall experience because you were always busy.

The story in Outward lets you choose one of three major stories. Whichever path you chose will provide a different story though towards the end they coincide with each other which is really interesting. I really enjoyed the missions that led up to the end of my story. Outward doesn’t really set a path for you with a background, you’re you in a world that doesn’t care who you are. You name your character and off you go into many different career choices. Leading up to these choices was difficult at first trying to prepare myself to go to these new tougher places but I really enjoyed it. It was slow, it was tough but finding new gear, making money for new skills was really enjoyable. I truly felt like I was making a difference and each step forward was an achievement as the game to me is quite damn hard.

When at first I entered the world I thought it looked pretty… lacking, harsh words, I prejudged the game. The more I researched and spent time in Outward, it really grew on me and became a great RPG, even with its simplistic looks at first, the more you delve into the game, the more amazing it really becomes. You then fall in love with the game and it’s like your eyes are opened to this really unique game.

Yes there are bugs, ones that are being fixed, there was an item deletion bug that has now been fixed and there are some rusty edges in the game but I really did enjoy it despite a few hitches here and there. Sadly though the combat sometimes can feel a bit clunky and hard to master which may put some people off but once mastered you’ll feel like a powerful hero or villain despite not being one.

Overall I had a great time but there are some issues still there that need fixing and can hold it back a little bit at times, especially graphical glitches in the ground textures. Other than that Outward is a game that I feel deserves a play-through from RPG fans and survival lovers alike. It is difficult, the learning curve is definitely a steep one but if you stick with it it becomes really rewarding. Not only that but the addition of split-screen and online co-op really changes things up and can provide an excellent adventure with a family member, friend or loved one.

7.5/10