Everyone dreams of departing from their hometown in order to journey the world simply for the sake of adventure. The thrill of being alone, surviving in the wild, and encountering the unknown excites people no matter the background. In Outward, all of this is possible.
As an RPG adventure game by Deep Silver and Nine Dots Studio, Outward sends you on a journey through the world of Aurai: this could be the harsh, beating rays of the desert, the threatening forests that hold creatures in the dark, or deep caves of wonders that conceal dangers around every corner. Yet Outward goes even beyond classic fantasy adventure games. You are, without a doubt, very human in this game. Severely human, to a degree the game reminds you just how vulnerable this really means. Yes, there is magic and potions and creatures that defy the imagination, but you’re still human. You’re subject to disease, injuries, starvation, and thirst. Survival is you’re number one objective, adding an element of suspense and risk in everything else that you do.
And what is that “everything else”? Outward provides endless possibilities.
You can become a master hunter, a reclusive mage, a desert wanderer, a brilliant chef, a peddler, master of coin… it all depends on what you choose. But note, whatever you choose, you cannot have everything.
A key characteristic of this game is that it tries to break away from classical adventure RPG’s where the character is the center of the world, becoming the one-all end-all to everything, becoming the expert on all forms of combat, all magic, and the leader of all guilds. That’s impossible in Outward, which almost requires the player to replay the game in order to see what life would be like down a different path in this world, as even if you chose to dilly dally by the beach, the world continues on without you. Outward is a living and breathing environment, and if you choose to live perilously, the game just might punish you for this.
Furthermore, as the game gently tells you, Outward constantly autosaves. This forces you to never look back, and always question choices and make your decisions definitively. There is no going back, no ever, in Outward as one will find out most time and time again. This is true even in “death,” as one does not simply die in Outward: you either respawn in a cave after being dragged back by an animal, or some kind journeyman takes care of you before parting ways.
Maybe, if you were slain by a group of bandits, they’ve taken you as a slave. Either way, death was not the end of the road; you’ve just likely lost health and perhaps precious items. But, being tough, you continue on your journey.
However this game is down right irritating due to all of these features. I “died” more times than I would care to admit within my first two hours of playing, and the lack of map did me no favors as I roamed around trying desperately to find my village so I could take a quick rest without the threat of animal or bandit attack. The fighting felt a bit lagged between my trigger and the implementation on the screen, and in the middle of my gameplay the picture glitched, making it pretty much impossible to see where I was trying to go.
And while the huge world is magnificent, the voice acting is almost distracting. Typically never following the written dialogue, the characters that you interact with seem to have no personality, but it is not a huge detractment.
Additionally, if you do not complete the tutorial, you’ll be at your wit’s end trying to figure out the gameplay and mechanics. There is no guide whatsoever in the game; it will let you perish before you learn your lesson. Perhaps this is simply a mimicry of real life.
In the end, through the combination skills of crafting, cooking, smithing, hunting, magic, stealth, fighting, and more, Outward is truly unlike other open-world RPG games that I have encountered. While the graphics do leave a lot to be desired, this game offers a refreshing (if not often frustrating) adventure promising hours of roaming the beautiful world of Aurai. Outward also allow a multiplayer mode, giving you backup during encounters in the game which adds a fun sense of perspective and duality that otherwise is unattainable in other single-player RPG’s.
If you want to earn the rewards of adventuring after many failures and trials, Outward is for sure the game for you.
End score: 7/10
Check Out the Outward Launch Trailer:
Outward is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.
PlayStation 4 Review
I'm Zepora, a junior at UC Berkeley studying Economics. I grew up attached to my Game Boy playing the Pokémon games, but now I turn to my consoles as break from school work when I'm not busy with lacrosse. I prefer RPG's with a some action, such as Elder Scrolls and Assassin's Creed (which is my favorite franchise) but am also known to play Super Smash Bros until 3am with my friends.
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