It's finally here! Outriders, the long awaited third person shooter / RPG / MMO title by People Can Fly and Square Enix is only a few days away. I couldn't be more excited after playing the demo, and knowing it'll be here on April 1 has me super pumped. While the genre of looter shooter RPG's has been chock full over the past decade or so, Outriders looks to build upon that history, avoid the pitfalls of earlier games' failures, and make its mark as a worthy title to sink some hours into!
The story of Outriders revolves around an advanced party of colonists called 'Outriders' that land on the alien planet of Enoch. When they encounter a mysterious energy storm, many are killed. Others are mutated into evil creatures with superhuman abilities that the surviving members must confront in order to survive. That's where you come in. As an Outrider, the game can be played solo or with up to three players in a drop-in-drop-out fireteam (think Destiny) with four different classes and a myriad of weapons and armor to collect, upgrade, and modify. Where Outriders looks to improve in this aspect is not only the sheer amount of gear to upgrade, but to make it completely customizable and easy to use in order to maximize your build. This is perhaps where earlier titles such as Anthem failed to deliver. Sounds awesome!
If the demo that came out last month is any indication, the combat is weighty and intense, and the RPG elements are deep, just like they are in the great The Division series. Also of note, Outriders will have an extensive amount of post-game content for when the main storyline is completed, in the form of 'Expeditions'. Similar to raids in Destiny, this endgame content is replayable missions with the goal of finding the best gear and weaponry in the entire game. Again however, Outriders is doing it right. No fear of having to grind the same three missions over and over...there will be a whopping 14 missions available, with more to come down the road in future DLC's. There are two other modes that are as-yet unannounced (come on, multiplayer!) to make sure Outriders is here for the long haul. I can't wait!
Wow, how amazing does that look. Outriders is out April 1 on essentially every platform: Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PS4, PS5, PC, and Stadia. Next gen platforms will get it in a much smoother 60fps and eventually 4K resolution (free, later in the year).
It will also be available for free, day one, on Xbox Game Pass!
Let me know if you plan on jumping in and fighting the good fight on Enoch!