For many reasons, one of the most talked about games of 2021 is Outriders. Outriders is a sci-fi game best described as an online-only, cooperative action, role-playing with third-person gameplay. If you are into any or all of those things, you probably want to give Outriders a run. Developed by People Can Fly and published by the European subsidiary of Square Enix, Outriders is compatible with Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Stadia.

The game is based on a dystopian future of the 21st Century where humans abandon Earth for a distant earth-like planet called Enoch. The story goes south from the beginning, ensuing battles with alien species and other human invaders.

Classic RPG Gameplay With A Few Tweaks

Like most role-playing games, Outriders starts with you creating your custom characters, and you get to choose from four classes. First is the Trickster, a class of people who can manipulate time, which allows them to teleport around to get the drop on the enemy. The Pyromancer class manipulates fire within a reasonable distance, the Devastator can unleash gravity and seismic attacks, and the Technomancers use turrets, rockets, and other sophisticated devices to poison and slow targets down.

These special abilities will come in handy at pivotal points in combat. They have a short cooldown time; you can combine them with other skills to maximize their effects. Each class has ways of replenishing their health through combat. You can also unlock and upgrade skills using the skill tree as you progress.

Outriders delivers great action and looter-shooter gaming which is elevated by the cool sci-fi superpowers of the characters. It tries its best to combine multiple elements from different games to deliver something that needs some getting used to. Heavy action sequences are sometimes marred by unnecessarily mind-numbing cut scenes filled with conversations with NPCs. These mandatory conversations with poorly written dialogues can make it somewhat annoying, and you get many of them.

Combat is a constant calculation between when to hit the enemy at a distance or take them down up-close, timing how long to stay in the covers and protect yourself and when to come out in a full blast. This calculation makes the game dynamic and puts you on your toes. It can also be confusing because falling behind covers may save or trap you.

You need to know when to avoid incoming damage and when to take the fight to the enemy. This also depends if your skills have cooled down so that you do not go out and lose steam during battle and get cut down by the incoming fire. This is where the strategy element of Outriders comes through. As you progress through the game, you experience some explosive, nail-biting battles that keep you on the edge of your seat.

Better When Played With Friends

It is possible to run through the game alone, but after dedicating upwards of 30 hours, it is better with friends. There is a better sense of progression in taking down beasts collectively as it spurs you to do more. The gameplay can become repetitive, and the boss battle may get janky after a few hours, but playing with a group of friends elevates the gameplay.

Having a group of superpowered players of different classes working together to stun enemies makes for an explosive gaming experience. This comes in handy, especially in later, tougher battles. Co-op battles highlight the best parts of the game and encourage you to become more creative by combining powers, guns, battlefield control, and teamwork. The game makes it quite easy to drop into games and play every mission.

This multiplayer mode can be exciting but sometimes frustrating. The cross-playing through platforms can sometimes be annoying. It was unavailable for a while after launch, and some players complained about the server connection issues. There were also times the game would crash when connecting with friends for multiplayer mode.

These server issues seem more prevalent on console, with lengthy wait times and abrupt disconnections during gameplay. Hopefully, these bugs will be treated over time because it can get frustrating. The developers have stated that they are working on patching these issues to improve the experience. 

Plot Falls Short In Multiple Ways

On paper, the plot for Outriders sounds like a good one, but after a few hours, you begin to see weak plot points, watery dialogue, and premises with underwhelming payoffs. The storyline starts very ambitious but gradually winds into a dark and disjointed ending. The story shifts subjects a few times, leaving the preceding threads hanging and without conclusions.

Huge Arsenal At Your Disposal

One of the sweet spots I have for shooter games is the list of ammunition available. With Outriders, you get a load of guns at your disposal, and you will always find others with better stats. You can buy different special parts and pair them to make a hybrid weapon. You can pair a sniper rifle with a shotgun or assault rifles and SMGs. There are many stats and properties to combine when making your hybrid gun. You can have a poison-dispensing gun or one that blows up enemies, freezes people, etc. The sweet spot is finding a combination that rewards the shooting gameplay.

As the game progresses, you would have garnered enough super guns that do amazing and ridiculous things. You can even hit enemies with lightning strikes or drop comets on people. The downside to Outriders is that you can only carry two main weapons and a sidearm at any given time. To change your selection, you would have to leave the gaming arena to select a new combination, which is annoying. Outriders is not the only game with this issue, but it does not make it any less annoying.

Impressive Graphics And World Building

Say what you want about Outriders, but that is some beautiful world design. Great detail went into bringing a world alive that looked somewhat earth-like, yet nothing like what we’ve seen. The battle scenes also use very interesting graphics to depict the carnage and death of enemies; you get to see ribs burst into goo. The aliens look like nothing we have ever seen but quickly begin to look like recycled versions of ones we’ve seen earlier in the game. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, Outriders delivers a solid rendition of the RPG genre and combines new elements that can be improved on subsequently. It comes highly recommended by this reviewer.