RPG Meets Survival Game in This Open-World Adventure

Outward is an open-world fantasy role-playing game developed by Canadian studio Nine Dots and published by Deep Silver. You play as a commoner who needs to pay off a debt for your family in a harsh world. Unlike most RPGs, this game focuses on survival amidst the natural dangers of your environment, as well as the concept of the player being a commoner rather than an overpowered hero. It can be played in multiplayer, both online or locally through split-screen.

Survive

What greatly sets Outward apart from the classic RPG formula is its heavy emphasis on the survival genre. Its plot is simple enough and propels you forward into the vast and dangerous world of Auria, but it’s merely a tool to introduce you to the necessities you’ll have to stock up on to survive. Outward doesn’t let you make an all-powerful character that the world will see as its hero. Here, you are just like every other character and need to face the various deadly enemies that you would usually encounter in the real world. These range from the extreme temperatures of Auria’s regions to your own bodily needs such as hunger and thirst. Some popular survival games focus heavily on this but Outward combines it with classic RPG elements, such as leveling up, fighting enemies, and the use of magic. However, with Outward’s difficulty, even the simple flu can kill you.

Fight

Second to the survival mechanics is Outward’s RPG combat. You can use the usual weapons, like swords and bows, and you can even acquire the ability to use magic. However, compared to the survival aspects, the combat in Outward leaves much to be desired. The difficulty is reminiscent of Dark Souls, but it’s a bit sluggish and somewhat poorly executed once you start fighting. You can’t just easily level up by using your weapons—you have to go train with an NPC or complete quests to earn your skills. Even acquiring magic takes a while since you first need to unlock the ability to use mana. This is not the type of game for people who love to button-mash. Due to the pace of the combat, you need to plan your moves accordingly and not waste your stamina—as even that plays into the survival mechanics.

Team Up

Outward brings back the good old split-screen with its multiplayer mode. You can get your teammates online or locally and share your screen with them. It’s always good to have someone watch your back, especially in a game that is passively yet constantly trying to kill you. With a companion, you can now set how difficult the game will be for you. However, you shouldn’t fear death so much in Outward. Unlike other games, you merely pass out here when you fail to survive—and you’ll wake up to unique situations every time you do so. You might have been robbed or rescued by a kind stranger so it’ll always be different. Outward doesn’t use saving and loading either. The game is one continuous story with its auto-save—there’s no reloading here to change your fate. That may be interesting or annoying depending on your preference but whatever the case, this makes playthroughs unique every single time you restart.

Better At Surviving

There’s no denying that Outward excels at bringing something unique to the RPG genre. However, as an RPG itself, Outward visibly disappoints. It has outdated graphics that is just sad for a game released in 2019. The character customization itself only offers few options at making a unique character—and they all happen to end up just looking ugly with the graphics. You can play Outward for the challenging survival aspects, but if you’re looking for a better RPG, there are tons out there that surpass this.