I’d been looking forward to the release ofOutridersfor quite some time ahead of its launch last week. Sure, Square Enix and People Can Fly repeatedly pitched their new title as an “RPG-shooter,” partially to describe their story-focused effort paired with solid shooter mechanics, and partially to avoid comparisons with other well-known titles in the looter-shooter sub-genre. The new descriptor didn’t stick.Outridersis the looter-shooter I’ve been waiting for since the launch ofDestiny, even if the devs want to shy away from using the term. But they weren’t kidding around when they emphasized the RPG aspect, becauseOutridershas a compelling sci-fi story wrapped around a super-fun shooter, all leading to an endgame loot grind that will keep you entertained for quite some time.
Spoilersfollow from here on out, and for transparency’s sake, I’m playing on the PS4 Pro.
The first mistake I made going intoOutriderswas a hard-scoped focus on the loot grind and endgame min-maxing. That was due in part to my own inherent bias about looter-shooters (that they’re basically short on story content and long on endgame loops) and from playing the demo over and over in an attempt to grab Legendary weapons ahead of the full release. All of that experience, including tuning in to streamers like@ImPwnstarand@SolidFPS, primed me for a mad dash to the finish line–the end of the main campaign–in order to get in on the endgame grind. Again, that was a mistake, because not only am I not a “World’s First” type of player, I also actually really enjoy story and lore.
Your mileage may vary, but the good news is that if you’re a diehard looter-shooter fan who only plays for the endgame, or if you’re in it for the story, the character progression, and the many and varied RPG aspects,Outridershas what you crave either way.
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The second mistake I made was starting out with the Devastator class. (That’s a joke… mostly.) The poor Dev has been much maligned by theOutriderscommunity so far because it’s far and away the toughest class to progress through the main game as intended, doubly so in the endgame crucible. But I’m glad I chose Dev because it organically forced me to slow down, take my time, seek out side missions to bulk up my experience and stats a bit, and get brawly enough to survive as the World Tiers climbed and the enemies got tougher and tougher. (Unfortunately, Ididhave to rush main story anyway, otherwise I’d still be struggling through it. You can do this by lowering World Tiers to an easier difficulty if you’re interested in story more than progression and gear.)
Do you know what slowing down and actuallyenjoyingthe story allowed me to do? Get immersed in the saga of the Outriders, the mysteries of planet Enoch, and the shocking reveals and betrayals that take place along that journey. The story ofOutridersdoesn’t necessarily break new ground, but its narrative is well-executed, its characters are paper-thin yet still somehow compelling, and the brutal pace of it all wastes no time dashing headlong from one shocking moment to the next.
Depending on your approach toOutridersand what you’re looking for, the story could act as waypoints that interrupt the somewhat same-y feeling shoot-em-up action set pieces, or vice versa. Both the narrative and the gameplay complement each other quite well. So while you never quite get in-depth enough with the characters to want to write fan-fic about them, there’s still something friggin' cool about gearing them up, slugging it out in literal trenches against human and creature (and more) enemies alike, and seeing them safely out the other side with only 1HP and a dream. That’s as good a combo of RPGs and shooters as I’ve seen, andOutridersdoes it all in a satisfying way.
We’ll get into story spoilers in another article, but it suffices to say that, whileOutridersstarts out as a rather familiar story of humankind fleeing a dying Earth in the hope of colonizing another planet, only to drag the species' worst and best qualities along for the ride, it soon turns into a twisting, turning tale, offering up an entertaining sci-fi mystery to go along with all the headshots and explosions. TL;DR: It’s worth enjoying the main story, doubly so for the side missions, which are often funnier, wilder, and have more personality than the overall narrative. There are lots of interesting characters among the supporting players ofOutriders, you just have to work a little harder to find them. But the story, overall, shouldn’t be skipped, dismissed, or discounted (unless the servers are down.)
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So what about those of you who just want to get to the endgame action of a new looter-shooter? I’m happy to say thatOutridersoffers plenty to do for you, whether you’re new to the sub-genre or have been playing similar titles for decades. There are plenty of primary, secondary, and sidearm weapon types to let you pick your favorites or re-equip while gearing up for specific encounters. There’s a healthy hierarchy of Rare, Epic, and Legendary weapons (and armor, of course) that will both satisfy the collectors out there and fulfill the min-maxers who are after every available modification (acquired by dismantling said weapons and armor) to complete the set and spec however you want. Add in the dozens of specific and powerful mods, plus the stat rerolls, and you’ve got enough loot to keep you busy grinding for a while. Also, the gear just looks badass; it makes me wish thatOutriderscame with transmog so that you can get the specs you wantandthe look you want without any restrictions. Progression will push you and your build (and your skills) to the limit if you let World Tiers climb during the main game, but the real test is in endgame Expeditions and the final Eye of the Storm crucible.
Just because you survive main game doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily be able to hop right into Expeditions and get your endgame on. The resources and currency change somewhat in these specialized missions, so we won’t talk about them here, but if you were pinched for resources/currency during the main game, expeditions will alleviate that immensely; this really opens up the upgrade and modding options because, let’s face it, you earned it. But to climb the new Challenge Tiers–the difficulty indicator for endgame Expeditions–you’ll really need to focus on optimizing your total build, tip to tail. And yes, those few rare souls out there who have already solo completed the endgame expedition Eye of the Storm have fine-tuned their builds to do just that. But keep in mind that there are four classes to choose from and an almost limitless way to make your own builds designed to accomplish exactly what you want to achieve in any situation. There’s alotof content to discover and just as many ways to play this game for quite some time to come.
Overall,Outridersis a fun shooter with a compelling sci-fi story and an entertaining endgame. Sure, it’s got technical issues, like the PC/console crossplay gremlins, aiming annoyances, a vanilla sound design and awful sound balancing, terrain glitches, and a lack of in-game comms (an odd choice for a multiplayer game), as well as content issues like class balancing and transmog, which will hopefully all be addressed. The biggest sin is in not making the story campaign, able to be run by solo players, available offline, which compounded the server crush. But those are relatively minor gripes; no deal-breakers on the downside. The upside far outweighs it.
Outridersis an original IP that could have legs for years should Square Enix and People Can Fly choose to support the title and its playerbase. But the playerbase will need to keep supporting the game if they want to see more of it. Here’s hoping thatOutridersas it exists right now is Chapter One, because it feels like we’re just getting started.
Rating: B-
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