Outward [PC]

Game: Outward
Available Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4,
Price: $39.99 (USD)
Reviewed on: PC
Genre: RPG, Adventure, Survival, Co-op, Open World
Players: 1-2
Developer: Nine Dot Studio
Release date: March 26, 2019

 

 

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Hello and welcome to Jay’s Game Reviews! Today I am reviewing Nine Dot Studio‘s co-op RPG Outward

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Outward is a local or online co-op RPG that is just as fun as a single player game. There is much adventure to be had and many ways to move forward. The game starts the player as the survivor of a ship wreck. Without spoiling too much, the player ends up back at their village being forced to pay off a debt within five game days. This is an easy task to perform and I was able to get it done in two. It is easy to get lost for hours in this world so be warned!

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Pros

• Beautiful world. The game world is absolutely gorgeous, the way that the lights and shadows play off of each other gives the world a feeling of some new adventure waiting just over the horizon.
• Compelling story. The story has, like any good RPG story, a way of pulling the player in and holding them captivated.
• So much to do. The game is full of interesting places to explore and fun characters to interact with. I found a cave in the village that contained a bit of treasure and also two fish creatures guarding it. Once dispatched, I took my loot to the local shop-keep and traded it for a bit of silver toward my debt.
• Local co-op. I have not experimented with this yet, but the game offers a local co-op mode that I find most interesting! The game goes to split-screen (see above) and two players can adventure together! Imagine Skyrim with a partner, better, the game also has an online co-op mode, so you can play with someone from across the globe in an open world environment!

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Cons

• While I found most everything about the game to be fantastic, the player character leaves a little to be desired. The modeling seems old and outdated. While there is a character creation, the models remind me more of Morrowind (2002) than of a modern game. This didn’t really take much from the overall experience, but it is something that I thought worth mentioning.
• Guidance. Or lack there of. The player is given an objective but no real direction to complete it. While I normally might enjoy this, in an open world environment it can become a bit daunting and detract from the fun aspect of the game. Perhaps adding a compass marker would help to alleviate the feeling of running around aimlessly. In fairness though, I did not look very hard to see if there is one that I was missing, but if there is, I am unaware of it at the moment.

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Over-all, Outward is a fun an exciting open world co-op, RPG experience that I look forward to jumping back into as soon as I can. The world and characters are compelling and make the player want to explore them further! I haven’t gotten lost in a game this much since Final Fantasy VII, and I couldn’t be happier!

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Does this weeks game sound fun to you? You can pick up Outward yourself over on the Steam store and start your adventure today!

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I Rate this game 90 out of 100

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Check out my first impressions video below: