Outcast: A New Beginning [Review]

Outcast: A New Beginning is a sequel to the original Outcast that was released back in 1999 and, since then, has been regarded as a cult classic. Developed by Appeal Studios and published by THQ, Nordic players can now have the continuation of the story they loved, but with modern graphics and gameplay. Upon turning on the game, the title screen is one of the most gorgeously graphically made title screens I’ve seen in a long time. The music that plays with it gives you a sense of mystery and wonder, and for whatever reason, it gives me Batman, the animated series vibes. The story starts with a hero, Slade, jumping into a dimension separate from his own. It’s worth noting that this game does support ultra-wide. I'm using a 49-inch super ultra-wide Samsung Odyssey. Our main character, Slade is isekaid into a world of alien-like creatures similar to James Cameron’s avatar. As the game progresses, your character acquires a jetpack, making the game traversal feel a lot like Anthem or the Dark Void series on the Xbox 360. Slade is given various bits of tech, almost like they’re throwing together a makeshift Iron Man Suit, but it unfortunately stops and becomes Tony Stark with a few extra parts.

The thing I can say I don’t like about this game right off the bat is that the characters will be talking and narrating to themselves while the game is driving you forward, but you will miss dialogue because of a cut scene. Throughout the game, Slade will have flashbacks and visions of his previous life and things that are currently going to happen.

Some of the flashbacks show that he has a wife with a daughter, of whom he is absent because of his military work. I find it strange that his wife is upset and willing to divorce him, even knowing the job that he has and probably had before they even had a child. These events in the story set me up to know that this story wasn't going to be any good. The "I have no memories" trope is old, and when stories do this nowadays, it lets me know they had no vision of how to start the story or drive it forward. Unfortunately, this is one of many things in this game story I don't care for.

The characters are very shallow, idiotic, and quite cliche. The gameplay of this game is rather boring. The AI doesn't make you fight for the kill, and general traversal has a range of limitations. Although the trailer makes this game seem large, unfortunately, it isn't. Side quests are all fetch quests and typically consist of (go here, Kill that, or grab that, ok put that here,) Rense repeat. Lastly, this game's ending bothered me, and the way the story was handled was awful.

I wanted to love this game but there's so much I don't like. Everyone has their own opinions and has their own taste in games. This one has everything needed for me to like it, but man, that story is just, no. If you like Mass Effect, Anthem, or even Dark Void from the Xbox 360 era, then you may like this game. Don't get me wrong about the Mass Effect comparison. This game is nowhere near as in-depth as Mass Effect, but I can see the similarities.