izigame.me

Outward - A TRUE diamond in the rough.
*TLDR* This game is a RPG with HEAVY survival elements, but it is NOT a survival game in the vein of rust, ark, subnatica, valhiem or anything like that. BUT to truly enjoy outward, you HAVE to go in with the right mindset, which means knowing that the game is slow paced, and is all about the journey, and properly preparing. It is very janky and has a obvious lack of budget but if you take the time to learn the games systems, there is NOTHING like it. I highly recommend watching a dozen or so outward tip videos on youtube shortly after trying the game. my full review explains why co-op made this game go from a 3/10 to an 11/10 for me

Let me start this review off by saying that I have over 400 hours on the PS4 version. - Which is by far the WORST version of this game overall.
This will be a bit of a longer review, but it is one that I think explains why this game is in my top 5 games of all time and how it came to be that game.
So I started following outward wayyyyyyyyyy back before the game ever came out when I saw a development video that included gameplay. Being that Bethesda games are my FAVORITE games of all time, a new open world RPG to scratch the itch was beyond welcome. The CEO of nine dots talked about how the game had a bunch of unique ideas such as careful preparing, managing your backpack, camping, crafting, making traps, and RITUALISTIC MAGIC. The three things that caught my attention the most was how you acquire magic by going through a dungeon and sacrificing some of your health and stamina for the magic pool in their placement, the preparation needed for combat with things like setting up traps or multiple steps needed to cast magic, and the SPLIT SCREEN CO-OP!!!! I was in awe and super eager!
So, fast forward to the day the game drops. I could not find a physical copy anywhere, including gamestop (they didnt even know what it was and said it wasnt in their system at all), so I resorted to just going digital on my ps4. the my surprise, the ps4 version was BAD, and had a ridiculous gap in quality, especially textures and lighting, from what I saw on the pre-release streams. I was bummed by played for a bit anyways. I had NO idea what I was doing, even as a RPG veteran and connoisseur. I quickly became frustrated and dropped the game. I tried multiple times but it never once clicked.
fast forward again to 2 years later, to the summer of 2021. I am now living with my girlfriend at the time, and in my long long wait for starfield or elder scrolls 6, I was in desperate need to get my sandbox open world RPG fix and I looked at outward again but with determination this time. I convinced my girlfriend to give it a shot with me (shes a pretty big gamer as is). But I KNEW she would drop the game immediately if I didnt figure it out first. So I started the game solo friday night, and just started figuring out stuff on my own. Saturday morning, she goes to work, and I hit up the old youtube beginners tips and tricks videos for like 6 or 8 hours. After learning so much on how to get started, I did just that and got myself set up with some money and gear and familiarized myself with the game. The next day, my girlfriend and I are both off of work, and I tell her that she needs to bear with the game because it WILL click (it already had started with me). and outward we went. by the end of the night, we were having a blast.
This summer of 2021 will go down as one of the best times of my life (and I was fortunate enough to have great summers with my friends growing up). My girlfriend and I played outward EVERY night for probably 2.5 or 3 months straight. We started staying up late and playing all day during the weekends. We quit cooking dinner and were ordering take out, delivery, or cooking super fast meals at home because we just wanted to keep playing. Obviously we kept going to work and taking care of all of life's needs, but in all of our free time at the house alone together, outward was what we were doing. We played through the base game and its DLCs, killed all the optional bosses, and collected the rarest gear we could find.
Fast forward once again to march of 2023. My girlfriend and I get engaged. A few weeks ago we were laying in bed and the topic of when we knew we wanted to get married to one another came up and we both agreed that the summer we played outward was one of those moments. We both agreed that we wanted to have thought kind of fun come up again at some point in our lives, and that we wanted to do it together. Obviously im not saying that we just want to play video games all day and eat like crap, but we realized just how much fun we could have together in those quiet moments at home. There are a lot of reasons why I love my fiance, but being able to sit down, have fun, and laugh is a special one that means a lot to both of us.
Outward is a very cool and fun game that you can play with your friends, but the way to co-op sets you up for preparing, strategizing, and sets you off on a true journey makes it something special. Outward is a game that requires true team work in co-op.

Outward is something SPECIAL.

The mechanics of outward are what truly set it apart though. The way you have to prepare is its defining feature. its not just an adventure, its an adventure you make, and its challenges that you TRULY overcome by yourself. Not by "getting gud" (because of the stamina based combat) and not by grinding up your levels (there are no level ups!), but because everything you achieve to make yourself better comes from 1)knowledge on the players part and 2) The gear you earn or make and 3) the way you prepare for the challenge you know you will face.
outward is not a immersive experience like a Bethesda game, you will DEFINITELY be looking at the META for this game, and you will be doing it a LOT. The story and lore are only to facilitate the game play. The game is all about exploring, getting you BUTT KICKED, and then going around, getting the gear you need, and coming back and either mopping the floor with the enemies, or barely scraping by, by the skin of your teeth.

if you try it and dont like it, i strongly suggest you think about what the game is, and isnt, watch some youtube videos on how to get some momentum, and even watch some of the videos from the dev talking about the type of game they were trying to make, and playing it that way, rather than playing it like every other rpg youve played, because its really doing something VERY different, even if it may not look that way from the outside. It is not skyrim, it is not the witcher, it is not a soulsike, it is not fable, it is not dragons dogma, it is not dragon age, it is not greedfall, it is OUTWARD and it is UNIQUE.

please, i implore you to give this game a fair chance. it truly holds a special place in my heart.