Looting an alien world

Sometimes a game comes along with just the right premise, at just the right time. Outriders is the latest from People Can Fly. This is the same team that created franchises such as Bulletstorm and Painkiller, while also giving their take on the Gears of War series with Judgement. They are known for tight shooting and unique mechanics. Outriders keeps with those themes while also adding in co-op game play alongside a decent loot system for a game that meshes some of the best ideas from both worlds. What we end up with is a fun sci-fi shooter that is hitting at just the right time.

The story behind Outriders is probably its weakest aspect. It feels less like an epic tale and more like one of those shows on basic cable that hits enough of the right notes while also feeling somewhat cheap. The characters in the game are entirely forgettable, and while the plot is interesting, it never capitalizes on what it sets up. The story involves the human race investigating an alien world to try and colonize. Of course, this world is chock full of anomalies and massive creatures. Your character gets caught in one of these anomalies and becomes a super soldier, thus the powers and abilities they gain. There are some interesting thread lines, but none of it ever pans out to anything more than mildly entertaining. The best character in the entire game dies within the tutorial if that tells you anything.

MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: XSX, XB1, PS4, PS5, PC
Price I’d Pay: $59.99

Plot aside Outriders is at its best when you are mindlessly shooting through hordes of enemies. This is a loot shooter, and the idea is to constantly be gaining new gear to make your character stronger. It is a game that thrives on getting together with your friends and just chatting while grinding out items. That is not a bad thing, and in fact it works here since the plot is so forgettable. Couple that with the fact that the game launched into Xbox Game Pass for console and there are plenty of people to team up with. It was almost like lightning in a bottle. It also helps that this is one of the first big third party games to support the new consoles.

On the surface this looks like a Gears clone. There is a ton of waist-high cover throughout the levels that players would assume they should stop and pop out of. That is not always the best course. Outriders encourages being aggressive. There are four classes to choose from, and each one has a unique ability to heal by doing damage. There are even perks on some of the gear that increase this. The game wants players to constantly be moving and attacking, as it fills up their health. It is a neat idea that works well in practice. It did take me some time to adjust to it though as some enemies will zap half my life bar in a single shot.

Each class contains a set of abilities as well as a unique skill tree that increases things such as health and cooldown times. I started with the Technomancer, which is more of a ranged character with abilities such as a turret and a rocket launcher/gatling gun combo ability that simply clears screens. At first the abilities were kind of lame and predictable, but as the game progressed they became much more interesting. The loot even has some really neat perks. The loop I found within the grind kept me going through the 30 hour campaign. The end game also delivers, with plenty of world tiers (difficulties) that offer up increasingly rare gear.

Shooting feels great, and the combo of managing health and abilities keeps most firefights interesting. The mobs of enemies are decent, but just when I grew tired of them the game would toss in a big baddie with special abilities to take down. When that wore thin giant monsters would appear. The team at People Can Fly did a great job of pacing the game to keep it interesting throughout the campaign. The diversity of the biomes also helps, with new areas bringing new styles of environments. The game rarely gives the player time to get bored, which is a really good thing.

The game did launch with some issues. It supports cross-play between consoles and even PC, but this was broken most of the first week. Then there was a bug deleting gear. Games like these that rely on servers and always being connected online usually get off the ground with these types of hiccups. The team has been very transparent with the community though, and most have stuck with the game, which is a good sign. I still have no idea why the game needs to be connected during single player, but that is an entirely different discussion.

Visually the game looks good. We have not gotten a lot of titles to showcase these new consoles and Outriders does a good job with a rock-solid 60fps on Series X. The worlds are diverse, and the giant monsters are a sight to behold. The voice acting is atrocious and the story forgettable, but the actual world and shooting are simply outstanding.

Outriders is a perfect storm. A shiny new game to show off these new consoles. The fact that it launched day and date onto Game Pass has definitely helped with its success, as has the fact that gamers are hungry for new experiences. I will likely be playing a bunch of Outriders in 2021, and that speaks volumes to its longevity. I hope the team continues to expand on the title as we move through the year, as I look forward to coming back to it for quite some time.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Shooting feels great
  • Interesting powers and classes
  • Plenty of content
  • Co-op
Bad
  • End game is hit and miss
  • Server and cross-play issues
7.5
Good
Written by
Ken is the Editor-in-Chief of this hole in the wall and he loves to troll for the fun of it. He also enjoys long walks through Arkham Asylum and the cool air of Shadow Moses Island. His turn-ons include Mortal Kombat, Metal Gear Solid and StarCraft.