My Outriders Early Impressions

At this point I have sunk in about 6 or 7 hours into Outriders by People Can Fly, not including the time I sunk into the demo. I do not mean this to be a full review, rather as a purchase guide. Out of the time you had sunk into the demo or your curiosity well spent playing the game.

At this point I have sunk in about 6 or 7 hours into Outriders by People Can Fly, not including the time I sunk into the demo. I do not mean this to be a full review, rather as a purchase guide. Out of the time you had sunk into the demo or your curiosity well spent playing the game.

The loop is simple. Eliminate enemies as quickly as possible or transition from cover-to-cover spot as you eliminate enemies. After about an hour of the game the player begins to understand the cover system is not as important to you as it is to the survival of the npc’s. You as the player need to flush the npc’s from their cover or be ready for the to flush you out. Action is a critical part of the loop. After playing on my couch for a few hours, the loop begins to become predictable but still enjoyable. Layouts of areas are varied enough that you are working out the puzzles on how to best approach every encounter. Although repetitive Outriders presents a good enough system to allow players to enjoy even the most basic of encounters.

Regarding encounters, Outriders presents three basics encounters that you will repeat throughout its game thus far. Players will either encounter tactical based puzzles (humans), swarm puzzles (beasts), or boss puzzles. In this way the loot you pick up becomes critical in how those encounters are approached. Different classes and skills will have answers to all three of those, but you as a player will only have an answer to one, or maybe two depending on the class you are running. One mechanic that I find that bleeds over to all three mechanics is crowd control. Tuning your gear and skills to effectively approach each battle is how I have approached encounters to make sure I am not empty handed at any time.

The game may be action oriented, but I have found the loop to be very relaxing. World tiers can be turned up, and at level 17 my character has found a good place in World Tier 6. No challenge is too hard that I cannot overcome it with some planning and strategy. Sitting back and working through side quests and an B written story has been a good way to decompress after work. I predict that many will agree with me. Outriders does not present itself as a 300 hour game life Warframe or Destiny. Even this early on Outriders is letting me know that it intends itself to be a 40 to 50 hour game. Those who enjoy playing video games as a relaxing hobby instead of a serious hobby will find them selves right at home to what Outriders has to offer.

I intend to play the game to the finish. I have been enjoying my time playing as the Trickster. If nothing more compelling is to offer in the next month, I may consider even leveling another class to see how different my approaches to each puzzle will be. You would be hard pressed not to find a purchase if you are looking for a new game to play. If you are playing on X-Box and have game pass, there is not really a reason not to try out the game. This game feels as if it was made for Microsoft’s Game Pass as wit offers an enjoyable experience that a player can jump in and out of without repercussions of FOMO. What is in the on the box is what you are getting.

If you have not already, go download the demo and play Outriders. It is a great example of a studio achieving what they set out to do. People Can Fly have done a fantastic job of presenting a good game without over promising on what you should expect. It’s hard to find a looter shooter that does not want all of your time, and Outriders displays a good palette cleanser on how the genre should play.