Outriders Review
On the surface, Outriders looks like just another looter shooter taking off from a saturated genre. With games like Destiny, Division, and Borderlands really cornering that market, it’s hard to break into it without feeling derivative, but Outriders has done just that. It’s easy enough to compare Outriders to Destiny for its looter shooter elements or to Mass Effect for its RPG approach, but underneath it all lies at the heart a vibrant new IP. A prime example of this is how Outriders negates one of the biggest complaints against looter shooters. With such a focus on loot and combat systems, many of the stories found in these games come across as incomplete or lacking, but Outriders’ story is its strongest element. The general premise is humanity looking for a new home in Enoch, where the player character is warped by an Anomaly and gains insane powers in the process, but it gets more nuanced than that over time. It’s a slow burn, but Outriders continues to build its moments into a powerful, emotional payoff in its final hours. Indeed, Outriders’ story balances the mysterious with the familiar as players embark on this journey. Perhaps the strongest detail here is how many Outriders are effectively foreshadowed beforehand, but when the obvious event happens, it doesn’t take away from the story. Complete with an interesting crew that adds a lot of human elements to the game, it seems safe to say that the story is as consistent as Mass Effect 2’s Suicide Mission. From start to finish, the events are very difficult.
That’s not to say it lacks the basic looter shooter element, either; The combat and gameplay of outriders is second to none. Choosing from one of four classes (Trickster, Devastator, Pyromancer, or Technomancer), players are thrust into combat that is both incredibly challenging and an appeal to power fantasy. Each class has multiple viable builds so players can really design their Modifieds any way they want, and thanks to a well-detailed skill system, the highlights of each class come through. The only drawback is how similar some classes are early on, as some abilities seem to do the same thing but have changed status effects, but this seems to disappear as players experiment with builds. Players are encouraged to experiment with all types of Outriders builds to find out what style of gameplay they prefer, and they can continue to tailor the experience to their liking with Outriders’ World Tier system. Advancing and really pushing for the next World Tier only adds to the combat of the game, but at the same time, those who want to step back and enjoy the game in a “story mode” can lower the World Tier at any time. In turn, this allows players to make some more challenging encounters easier, and then back it up to really push the difficulty again afterwards. The level of customization in how players approach combat is certainly welcome, but it doesn’t end there. Not only can players directly adapt how they approach the game’s combat with World Tiers, but the looting and crafting system is designed with this in mind. While “constantly changing gear” can be applied to any looter shooter, Outriders allows players to “save” mods from older weapons and put them on newer ones. Keeping the best mods for existing abilities, changing them when needed, and always having that option to improve gear rarity, gear level, and gear mods makes combat more enjoyable.
All of this matters in the endgame, where Outriders players are pushed harder as mobs and enemy AIs really gear up. Those looking for a good raid-like challenge will likely enjoy what it offers (14 missions and 1 mission unlocked at the end of those), but at the same time, those looking for a more straightforward RPG will the controller can be placed and equally satisfied. RELATED: Outriders: How to Play with Friends Overall, it’s fair to say that this game is an amalgamation of many things, and while there are games with a similar appeal that could fit that do some things better, few games do more. as Outriders as well as Outriders. That’s not to say the game is perfect by any means, and there are minor annoyances scattered throughout. For example, Outriders suffers from a plethora of technical bugs in addition to the server issues that plagued its launch (and have since been improved). Its cover mechanics can be finicky at times, as can the camera in the middle of battle. The camera is worse during cutscenes where the screen will shake and, at times, the cutscene will repeat itself or seem to skip relevant information. There are a few setting options to try to mitigate the camera issues, but they can’t completely eliminate them.
At times, the cutscenes can feel gratuitous and unnecessary, with the famous jump cutscene in the Outriders demo being one of the many times this happens. It’s not game-breaking and there have been no technical issues with the game ever, but as some Outriders players have reported losing loot, technical issues are out there and they’re known. Furthermore, while the variety and sheer ridiculousness of the higher level loot is very enjoyable, there isn’t much variety beyond that. There are “variants” of shooting styles for every gun in the game, but they often feel tacked on. An LMG at the end of the day is an LMG, and a shotgun is a shotgun. Where gunfire shines is when that single shotgun sets off a series of explosions or when an assault rifle unleashes lightning, but early guns can feel basic. And while stronger Captains and mob leaders change the battle, the game is at its best when players are taking down enemies left and right. However, many times, these enemies will be the same as most of the arenas found in Outriders. Outriders is the type of game where players get what they put in. For those who want a pick-up and put-down RPG with an emphasis on story, Outriders has that covered. For those who want hundreds of hours of gameplay in tense and adrenaline-pumping battles with powerful builds, Outriders has that covered too. Ultimately, Outriders’ strength is how it connects with its players and what they want from the game, meaning everyone feels different about it, and that can only be a good thing. Outriders is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The PC code was provided to Today Technology for the purposes of his review. MORE: What to Do After Beating the Outriders Campaign