Outriders: Relocating humanity, what could go wrong?

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Of all the classic cliches that video games have given us, “relocating humanity to a dangerous new planet” has always been one of my favorites. I’ve always preferred a 3rd person shooter (the division,star wars battlefront, gta) to your typical FPS (call of duty,apex) so Outriders seemed like a nice refreshing release for me,especially with the option of 3 player co-op, never being one for competitive gameplay, I was ready to grab some friends and conquer this new planet.

Being one of the first major releases off the heels of Cyberpunk’s bug ridden release left a bad taste and a bit of hesitancy in everyone’s mouth so walking in I was skeptical and glitch ready. The first of only a few bugs that struck me was a ridiculous loading time, developers weren’t ready for the volume, but this game was well worth the wait. I also experienced some multiplayer issues with stability and texturing. According to reports I read at the time I got lucky, but like I said the game was well worth the wait.The character creation system was nothing extravagant but just enough options to feel like my avatar was unique.

After creating my super powered monster of a character I was ready to dive into the beautiful world of Enoch. Upon first arrival you are taken through a brief opening segment that serves as a minuscule tutorial, after that it’s nothing but bullets and bloodshed mixed into a wonderful story.This opening segment also allows us to see how beautiful and terrifying Enoch really is. The replayability of every side quest along with the world level against your character level made the grind of leveling less of a grind and more of an exciting personal challenge.

With a choice of 4 different elemental classes with 3 different skill trees your customization is left entirely in your hands. Everyone hears elemental classes and goes right to music. We all remember “Earth,Wind,andFire”, but the developers gave us an interesting twist, giving us a choice between earth, fire, ice/ poison or time. On my first playthrough I chose the earth based Devastator feeling tanky that day. Since my first play through I’ve at least tried the other 3 classes and the Devastator is still my main build.

The loot system feels well balanced as your world progresses and your enemies strengthen so does your gear. The weapon modification system is the key to finding your playstyle, with every weapon and piece of armor having two equippable slots to change the way your powers, bullets, and general gameplay work. Don’t worry your cosmetic OCD is covered too with the option to transmogrify your weapons to any skin you unlock. Gameplay is fast paced mayhem which honestly I was not ready for at first, being a timid shooter and seeing it as a cover shooter left me poorly prepared for the hordes of enemies at first. After I realized I am godlike and the cover was for my foes the game became a blast. The “world tier” system allows the game to stay fun for everyone,if you just want to enjoy the captivating story without the pure insanity that is the intense higher tier battles you can lower your world level while still leveling your character. Of course higher tiers will provide better loot,especially in your endgame “Expeditions”.

After you finish the story you’re left to run previously timed trials to grind to get the best legendary gear. Unlike most games who write end content or dungeon runs in just as fillers with no real reasoning they tie the story into your endless expedition runs. The goal is to clear a massive battlefield of enemies then a generously difficult boss battle,to retrieve a “pod” (space care package) to obtain exclusives and rare loot. Similar to the “world tier” system of story mode, expeditions use a “tier” difficulty system with higher tiers raising your legendary loot chances. You know what they say “risk it for the biscuit”. A new update recently removed the stopwatch so now it’s just a hardcore bulletfest to get your blood really flowing.

Now I’m writing this nearly a year after release and I can still say I love this game in all its worth,all the bugs have been fixed,loading times have been greatly improved and I’m excited for the new content. After I finished the story and cleared all my trophies I still pick it up from time to time and crushed several expeditions with a few friends. It’s a nice change of pace from several different titles I’ve been known to play so I can say so far outriders stood the trial of its 1st year.

Recommend 8/10

Replayability 7/10

Gameplay 8/10

Story 6/10

Mechanics/controls 7/10


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