izigame.me

Outward is one hell of a game. about 70%good, 30%bad. 100% oldschool rpg.
this may not be for you, if you are looking for a hack&slay or like fast-paced rpgs.
the game wont help you. there is no minimap, no quest markers, no blinking from miles away to see interactables. if you happen to find a lever in a ruin in the forest, there will be no message as to what it does. every decision will alter the gameplay and the story.
re-/actions are logical (you are burning, so you need to douse yourself in water. or "this stonegolem is made of stone, so venom wont harm it at all.")
there are hundreds of different weapons, hundreds others of armors. you will have to compare your equip with each other for the various circumstances as there are stats that are hindersome or dont even matter for the upcoming tasks. it's not like most games, where you get a steel helmet with 2 stats. armor and durability and thats it. it still is a survival game, so you need to think about these aspects, too.
you dont have to follow a straight path in quests, most quests have different outcomes depending on how you want to go about them. peacefully, head first, slaughter everyone, it's your choice. but depending on your choices, your rewards will also be different.
playing solo or solo hardcore is more difficult, because death is quite crippling. on normal there's no permadeath. but you will lose your stuff on occasion. unique weapons and bosses dont all respawn, neither can you respec. once you made your choice you will have to live with it.
walking simulator.
sometimes you might need a specific item from a specific npc in a specific region. there are no vehicles. and certainly no fast travel (except some merchants who can bring you to a totally random city, reset every 3 days). there are pots and elixirs that give you +20% speed. but they are extremely rare or really expensive if you dont know how to craft them. but there is other equip that can help with that (master trader boots. still wear them in lategame)
thank god for the auto-walk.
high replay value.
as there are tons of different styles of playing, weapons and possibilities of combining skills and also personal legacy chests that upgrade the items put in for a future twink of yours, the replay value in outward is exceptionally high.
there are the following classes: archer, berserker, mage, sorcerer, wl, rogue, tank.
Jk. there are no fixed classes. mix up all you want.
i wanna go on an adventure!
the game is right for you, if you:
+ like survival games with survival aspects like hot/cold, hunger/thirst
+ like to play games with illnesses/ailments and their cures
+ dont need much help to orient yourself
+ think in patterns and can deduct
+ like to prepare for battle and timed combos rather than Just press MB1
+ like to collect unique equip even if that means to go through the horrors of mazes and puzzles
+ like to have a fantastic OST (enmerkar forest)
+ dont care what your char's face looks like, because you will never see it again after character creation.=P
+ like to play co-op (2 player or 2 player splitscreen)
+ like combining things out of curiosity
+ like fantasy rpgs with a slap in the face of realism
+ go about stuff tactically and strategically
+ like immersion. (everything has weight. even money or the bag you transport it in.)
the game is not for you, if you:
- are a hoarder in rpgs
- need help and highlighters to find stuff
- need completely read out dialogues for immersion (it's mostly text)
- only play graphically up-to-date games
- <> "lets try X". fail. <> "lets not do that, then." (no save points, no quick save)
- like fast-paced games and battles
- are dependent on journal entries, bc you can only play every few weeks. (there are next to none)
- need a tutorial
- get easily annoyed by failure (many monsters can onehit you, most 2-3hit.)
- have the attitude 'upgrades will only happen, if the new item is 50% better'
- need your char to be in a fitting or beautiful set
- freak out if minor bugs happen (monster attacks/can be attacked through doors)
- need to quickslot 20+ items/skills. there are only 8. choose wisely.
Sidenotes/tipps:
Magic is op. magic plus knowing how to dodge things is op+.
obsidian/meteoric pistol will break the game as you keep your foes burning until they die, without exception.
if facing a difficult enemy in coop, use aggro-pingpong and kiting.
learn to dodge and always have alternative gear with you, you might have to change it mid-fight.
get the definitive edition as it adds a lot of stuff quite handy in early game without unbalancing.
there is no unspec/respec. not even for a fckton of money. what's gone is gone for good.
there are no skillpoints, leveling, attributepoints.
selling item A is 5g, buying item A is 200g and there's nothing that unbalances that.
different merchants have different sell/buy rates. (f.e. cacti in the desert are cheap, but expensive in the snowy mountains)
first 20 hours you will be scraping every last bit of gold/silver. after 50 hours you will drown in gold. after 80hours you will be penniless. merchants are scarce outside cities. dont take everything with you and learn to organize.
crafting and remembering how to craft things will make a lot of money.
before leaving cierzo equip a weapon and burak will teach you a skill for free for said weapon. (2h axe/halberd is the most practical)
there are many hidden secrets. so go to the corners of the world, maybe there is a hidden item, chest or npc.
if you die, that doesnt have to be bad. trial by error, it will enhance your experience and make even small victories feel deserved and fulfilling.
Conclusion
Outward is a game not meant for the mainstream player and certainly not for the casual player. it caters to a niche of players who like to play games that have no EasyFromTheGetGo-setting. having said that, once you understand how the game is meant to be played and understand the battle patterns, it's as easy as stealing a lollipop from a child (without it noticing).
it can hook you to play for hours and hours, but you have to understand it first. took me 12 ingame hours in solo until i had found the right playstyle for me. i'd never have thought, i'd play this game more than 300hours or have more than one char. and i still die sometimes or make mistakes from which i cant recover. but man, there's just so much content, dungeoncrawling and different skills. finding the right coop partner is difficult, tho. i urged a few handfuls of friends with whom i played a lot of mmorpgs, jrpgs, rpgs and actiongames with, both in my youth and now, but only 1 was capable and persistent enough to give it a go and excel.
it has become one of our favorite games.
if you read everything, hats off to you. hope it helps.