Outward: A Journey Through Fantasy, Friendship and Foraging!

Prepare yourselves for an adventure like no other, where you’ll delve into a fantastical world teeming with danger, opportunity, and more mushrooms than you can shake a stick at! Forget your streamlined RPG experiences, Outward throws you into the deep end of survival. This isn’t about slaying dragons in shiny armor; it’s about sweating over campfires, meticulously crafting bandages, and wondering if that suspicious mushroom is edible or going to turn you into a toadstool.

Developed by Nine Dots Studio and published by Deep Silver, Outward debuted on PC in 2019 before making its way to consoles. It quickly gained a devoted following for its unforgiving yet deeply rewarding gameplay loop. Imagine a world where even minor injuries require careful attention and where saving isn’t always an option (goodbye convenient save points!).

A World Ripe for Exploration (and Peril) Outward plunges you into the war-torn continent of Aurai, a land scarred by conflict and teeming with mythical creatures. From shadowy forests to sunbaked deserts and towering mountains, each biome presents its own unique challenges and opportunities. You won’t be fighting off hordes of goblins right away; instead, Outward encourages exploration and experimentation.

The world of Aurai is steeped in lore, whispered through ancient texts and cryptic encounters with the locals. Unraveling these mysteries will reveal the true nature of the conflict plaguing the land and your role within it.

Building Your Own Destiny (One Bandage at a Time)

Unlike many RPGs that funnel you down pre-determined paths, Outward offers a refreshingly open-ended experience. The game doesn’t hold your hand; instead, it empowers you to forge your own destiny.

Character creation is surprisingly intricate, allowing you to shape your protagonist’s skills and attributes based on their chosen path – Warrior, Rogue, Mage, or even a hybrid combination. But don’t expect any fancy level-ups or skill trees here! Instead, Outward adopts a more organic approach, with progression tied directly to your actions in the world.

Mastering blacksmithing will require repeated practice at the anvil (and plenty of burns), while honing your magical abilities involves studying ancient tomes and experimenting with elemental forces.

The Perils of Survival: More Than Just Hit Points Outward pushes the boundaries of traditional RPG mechanics by introducing a compelling survival system. Gone are the days of simply worrying about hit points; you’ll also need to contend with hunger, thirst, fatigue, and even the weather.

Imagine finding yourself lost in a blizzard with dwindling supplies – your fingers numb, your stomach growling, and the threat of frostbite looming. It’s moments like these that truly showcase Outward’s immersive nature, forcing you to make tough choices and prioritize survival above all else.

Combat: Tactical and Tense

Forget about flashy combos and overpowered abilities. Outward’s combat system is grounded in realism, demanding careful positioning, timing, and resource management. Every swing of your sword or cast of a spell carries weight, and mistakes are often punished severely.

Prepare for encounters to be tense and strategic affairs, requiring you to exploit enemy weaknesses, utilize the environment to your advantage, and make every attack count.

Multiplayer Mayhem: Teaming Up (or Taking Each Other Down) Outward allows for cooperative multiplayer adventures, enabling you to team up with friends and face the challenges of Aurai together.

Imagine exploring ancient ruins side-by-side, sharing resources, and strategically coordinating your attacks against fearsome beasts. But beware, Outward’s world can also foster competition! Players can choose to engage in PvP combat, testing their skills against one another in thrilling duels or embarking on quests for dominance over valuable territories.

Final Verdict: A Unique and Rewarding Experience (If You Dare)

Outward is not for the faint of heart. It’s a challenging, often frustrating, but ultimately deeply rewarding experience that will test your mettle as a gamer.

For those seeking a fresh take on the RPG genre, one that emphasizes survival, exploration, and emergent storytelling, Outward is definitely worth considering. Just remember to pack plenty of bandages (and maybe a guidebook for identifying edible mushrooms).