Outriders Review – Chaos That Surprises In The Best Way

Outriders Review – Chaos That Surprises In The Best Way

Outriders is an explosively chaotic loot shooter that takes the best of the previous best People Can Fly games while delivering a new story that takes some really wild turns. Despite the connection issues on launch day, I couldn’t take down Outriders and after running two full versions of characters through the main story and endgame content, I’m happy to say this game has been. lived up to all my expectations and hopes. Outriders begins their adventure with a cutscene announcing the arrival of humans to a new planet called Enoch, a world that was meant to be their salvation brimming with promise as a new beginning for humanity. While the opening sequence goes hand in hand with the action, the real beginning of the story begins shortly thereafter and goes against the fight-or-flight instinct in a new world that challenges this what does it mean to be a survivor. The fast-paced, action-packed moments convey the need to keep moving, and those moments are made even more meaningful thanks to calm pre-storm story sequences that introduce the characters along the way. The characters feel very different from each other, with some offering a return of innocence to this world and others showing the brutal reality of what it’s like to stay on top when the rest of the planet wants you dead. . The intermittent scenes of normality add a layer of depth that enriches the game.

Like other People Can Fly games, Outriders is more about feel than look. This distinction is clear in every aspect of the game, from the class variation to the subtle smirks and exasperated looks between the talking characters. Whether it’s combining an epic attack on the final boss or dealing with the little shenanigans of your cohorts, the Outriders adventure is full of dimension. That nuance is felt in the combat, leveling, and storyline, with characters becoming more and more compelling as the narrative continues.

Leveling up in Outriders is satisfying and easy to manage. The skill tree is clearly inspired by the Diablo franchise, but there are other influences such as Path of Exile. The four classes each have three branches to perfect their fighting style. I love to go into battle like Leeroy Jenkins, so the Pyromancer and Devastator classes are my favorites, and I each specialized in choosing the most offensive branching skills. There are also more strategic branches, which take full defense or a hybrid approach, all of which are streamlined in a way that isn’t overwhelming and doesn’t leave me in doubt if I made a bad choice.

As for the four classes themselves, Outriders has a playstyle for everyone, which made me want to replay it to try out the different types of combat. The Trickster lets you teleport behind an enemy when paralyzed for a knockout. It feels inherently satisfying, and nothing compares to being able to slow down time itself to control the battlefield. Devastators are the reservoir of all tanks and the backbone of any group. Devastators are powerful, meaty, and can control gravity, giving them a protective advantage, allowing them to draw fire from your crew and send enemies into the abyss. Pyromancers are a mid-range class specializing in AOE damage using the destructive power of fire. The firewall skill cuts through enemies in a particularly good way. While not as durable as other classes, a Pyromancer’s explosive arsenal makes him the perfect addition to any group taking on the world of Enoch. Finally, the Technomancer is a great class for those who like tech specs, as it significantly harnesses technology for rain damage from the sky. This class is incredibly versatile, taking on the support role with the ability to heal teammates while dealing intense damage.

Gear in Outriders matters, which some loot-based games have failed to master. People Can Fly have done a great job providing a wide variety of weapons of all types that offer a significant impact on instant action. It adds a layer of immersion and thoughtfulness that many raider shooters haven’t offered. This is also one of the many reasons why franchises like Borderlands continue to be a standard in this genre; that, and his quirky humor, which is something the Outriders has too, although it doesn’t really shine until later in the story.

There are also different levels of equipment, including the coveted legendaries. Some of these designs are incredibly detailed and impressive. Outriders has some of the best weapon designs in any game, including a pistol that looks like it came straight out of Bloodborne. Another seems to have come straight out of Egypt. A shotgun looks like a character from Apex Legends who threw pure radiation at a wall and decided to turn it into a weapon. The creative team clearly had a lot of fun designing this aspect of the game and motivated me to hunt down the Legendaries; while I didn’t necessarily care about the stats, I wanted everything I could find to see what other elaborate designs the team had come up with.

Weapons continue to increase in power as you level up, but players have the option of tailoring this fighting style even further with the help of gear mods. Mods help deepen this customizable experience with different options to equip in order to get a certain build. The types of mods include buffs, ways to improve current skills, and how to boost your attack and / or defense. They are not the purpose of character crafting, but like Destiny, they are essential in leveling your character up. Some even help you heal faster when in battle, which is especially useful for those exploring Enoch solo. Fire damage, rot, leeches, there are a ton of different mods that are split into three tiers. As an obsessive Destiny 2 gamer, I can say that the endgame is nowhere on this level, but the content in Outriders seems meaningful in a way that will appeal to dedicated gamers without letting casual gamers feel as if they were missing something. The campaign and the endgame are thoughtfully balanced and in a way that makes the loot shooter genre a deep serve. Outriders is not revolutionary and does not try to be. Outriders is a thoughtful shooter with bespoke RPG twists. It’s a fun ride that’s infinitely better when playing with friends, but isn’t inherently hurt when running solo, either. This game takes the best parts of other loot shooters and the best aspects of sci-fi RPGs and combines these elements into an experience worth immersing in due to its high replayability, customizable playstyle. and its funny story. I am already ready for another race.