12/24/2023 0 Comments Outriders review ign![]() Similarly, the prologue (and several trailers, too) hinted at a lush and colorful world to explore, but most of what we see in the demo is the drab browns and greys of war-torn lands and refugee camps. ![]() It sort of feels like hearing someone yell “YEE-HAW” during the somber acoustic part of a country set it’s not entirely out of place, but it doesn’t quite fit in, either. This is clearly a story that wants to address serious themes like humanity’s penchant for conflict and overconsumption, but it also kicks off with a somewhat bombastic attitude that doesn’t really let up, especially in the first chapter showcased in the demo. The latter can create some clashing tones, though. Its writing may not win any awards this year, and cutscenes suffer from some unfortunately out-of-sync audio, but it does a serviceable job of moving the story along and endearing its NPCs to you, whether they’re novel takes on established archetypes or making good use of People Can Fly’s affinity for self-aware banter. The world dubbed “humanity’s last hope” quickly goes awry for our titular customizable character and their friends, and an unexpected lengthy time jump (which is a trope I’ll admit I’m a sucker for) sends things into territory that would make even the maddest of Maxes wince. Though maybe “post-post-apocalytic-apocalypse” is a more appropriate way to phrase it, because while the planet our crew of survivors from “Earth that was” land on was originally full of verdant forests and bizarre fauna, by the time the story kicks off in earnest it’s become anything but. I may not be able to make huge, story-altering decisions like in a classic BioWare RPG, and they’re still yet to crack the code of making every player the story’s Chosen One simultaneously, but being able to have optional conversations with almost every NPC I interact with and seeing tangible in-world consequences to my actions – like unlocking a new merchant with a permanent discount by completing a side quest – goes a long way toward getting me invested in Outriders’ post-double-apocalypse world. What I find most engaging about the Outriders demo – which covers its prologue and first chapter and has kept me going for about six hours so far – is its insistence on more closely resembling a single-player RPG than a “shared-world” shooter in the vein of Destiny and The Division. So while we obviously won’t put a final score on Outriders until we’ve had a chance to thoroughly play the full version that’ll be available on April 1, we’re making our reviewer’s thoughts so far available for anyone thinking of diving in themselves. As game critics, playing a game and deciding whether we think it’s good or not – and explaining why we feel that way – is basically our whole job description. When you think about it, the entire purpose of a demo is to let you try a portion of a game in order to see if you think it’s good or not before you decide to buy it. ![]() While it’s definitely premature to base a full review on what’s available in a limited demo, it’s a great way to get things started.
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