Outriders just might be the looter shooter that fans have been asking for, there’s density in the lore of the game which never feels half-baked or made just for story progression. Square Enix and People Can Fly teamed up to deliver a new twist to the genre which seemed to be lacking innovation for quite some time. While no one goes into a looter shooter game for the storyline, having a good one certainly has its benefits and it forms a base to carry the game from point to point.
Gameplay
The strength of Outriders lays in how smoothly you transition from cutscenes to action, there’s a sense of impending doom right from the start. Regardless of the fact which class you pick, the skill tree will give you enough reasons to push and grind. There’s a reward for that as well. The more you push yourself, the more are your chances of earning rare and legendary items and weapons. It feels earned and its specialty stands out, each weapon is crafted with its own unique identity that will be unique for each playstyle.
Your style will strongly dictate most of your choice from the class that you pick and the weapons that you use, but while you may think that you can simply walk around doing what you know best, the game will often put different challenges that will have you changing your strategy.
The enemy AI in the game works flawlessly, from dodging grenades whenever you spend more than enough time in cover to having a strategy to overwhelm you. It feels like the game is actively trying to beat you instead of the other way around.
Graphics
The graphics of the environment helps to differentiate each environment and you get to see the scale of the world the game has been set in. It feels like a fictitious forsaken world on the brink of collapse and you’re the only hope. There’s a lot to be read between the lines in Outriders.
The most engaging thing about Outriders isn’t the looter shooter aspect of the game but the sheer joy you get by combining abilities and raw firepower. Weapons have different rarities and you will get to see that better weapons cause more damage even to enemies that feel like bullet sponges at a time.
Each aspect of the game has been crafted with profound thought and consideration behind it, but this doesn’t mean that the game does not have its share of glitches and bugs. Some seem game-breaking but the game mechanics help to overcome those flaws.
The aiming system while perfect in PC and PlayStation does not feel as it has been paid close attention to. Other than small things that add minor blemishes to the game, you’ll often forget about them as you go from one world tier to another.
Multiplayer feels amazing and is one of the strongest points in the game, but this is done without affecting the single-player experience, both are perfect in their own way and both have their pros and cons.
Verdict
Outriders make you feel like you’re invested in the game and that says a lot about the entire project which took about 4 years in development. Outriders aren’t flawless, but it isn’t a game that you would want to put down even after months of playing.
The post-release content of Outriders will determine its future but with what’s been offered right now. It certainly feels like the best game that we’ve seen so far this year.
