You must fully understand going in to this that this is a game from 1999 that was given a gorgeous coat of paint 20+ years later. I'd be willing to bet the voice acting audio was lifted straight from the original version based on how it sounds.
I picked this up after the first teaser for Outcast: A New Beginning in late 2023 and heard people say nice things about the original. I walked away charmed and even more excited for the sequel. I also enjoy euro-jank games that have more ambition than budget (Gothic, Xenus, <Noun> Simulator etc.) so I can't say I have refined tastes.
There are lots of little touches that show this was a labor of love. The way your jet pack fires when you fall to slow your descent, the diving animation when jumping in to water, the way the visor slides over your characters eyes when you open the mini-map; just these little touches that were satisfying every time you see them.
One thing this game does that I wish would catch on is it defines terms and gives you context in paratheses which made following along with the lore so seamless without having to open and memorize an in game dictionary. Video games shouldn't feel like homework! Example: "No. I do not think other Talan (race which populates Adelpha) will follow their great leader Maar on this." This is done constantly so at this point you would easily know that Adelpha is the name of the planet you are on. Repetition and context make learning lore so easy. My eyes usually glaze over in JRPGs when they start listing all these different nations and I'd welcome other developers implementing this.
So it's a good looking refresh of an old open world game (there is no HUD so you have to actually explore and talk to characters to advance the story! What a concept!) that has interesting lore and an engaging sci-fi story to propel you along that is occasionally interrupted by awful combat that is kind of fun to cheese your way through in spite of itself.
I can't imagine playing this on a console. Quick save on PC is your friend with old, buggy games.
I picked this up after the first teaser for Outcast: A New Beginning in late 2023 and heard people say nice things about the original. I walked away charmed and even more excited for the sequel. I also enjoy euro-jank games that have more ambition than budget (Gothic, Xenus, <Noun> Simulator etc.) so I can't say I have refined tastes.
There are lots of little touches that show this was a labor of love. The way your jet pack fires when you fall to slow your descent, the diving animation when jumping in to water, the way the visor slides over your characters eyes when you open the mini-map; just these little touches that were satisfying every time you see them.
One thing this game does that I wish would catch on is it defines terms and gives you context in paratheses which made following along with the lore so seamless without having to open and memorize an in game dictionary. Video games shouldn't feel like homework! Example: "No. I do not think other Talan (race which populates Adelpha) will follow their great leader Maar on this." This is done constantly so at this point you would easily know that Adelpha is the name of the planet you are on. Repetition and context make learning lore so easy. My eyes usually glaze over in JRPGs when they start listing all these different nations and I'd welcome other developers implementing this.
So it's a good looking refresh of an old open world game (there is no HUD so you have to actually explore and talk to characters to advance the story! What a concept!) that has interesting lore and an engaging sci-fi story to propel you along that is occasionally interrupted by awful combat that is kind of fun to cheese your way through in spite of itself.
I can't imagine playing this on a console. Quick save on PC is your friend with old, buggy games.