A tale as old as time…

Mention the game Outcast and one out of every five gamers from that era will likely tell you it is one of their favorite games of all time, while the other four have never heard of it. It is the definition of a cult classic, and it has been a long time since the series has been in the current conversation. Well, a sequel is finally here and for anyone who enjoyed the world and characters will be happy to know that A New Beginning looks and feels like the original with all the modern amenities we have come to expect. I don’t have a lot of nostalgia for the series, but I was able to hop right in and have fun, which is always a good sign.

If you are not familiar with the story of the original game, no worries, neither is the main character of the game. Cutter Slade returns to the planet of Adelpha, but he has amnesia. He doesn’t remember any of the events of the original game. This helps new players discover what happened and how he got here. This is a cool mechanic that helps tell the story of a game that is over two decades old. Also, Cutter Slade is the ultimate video game character name. You can clearly tell this game was made in a time when video games were just big packages of dumb fun.

MSRP: $69.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, PC
Price I’d Pay: $49.99

What we get here is a hybrid of familiar narratives. Cutter is on an alien planet and, stop me if you have heard this, Cutter is the great white hope. He steps into a conflict among the natives and saves them all from themselves. Reminds me a lot of Avatar or better yet, Fern Gully. These types of stories are commonplace, especially when this game originally launched. There is also a thread about Cutter’s daughter, but it is never fleshed out in a satisfying way. I never felt like the story was bad and Cutter is a funny character, he is just kind of generic. The voice acting is the definition of fine, and the narrative serves as more of a catalyst than anything else.

A New Beginning is an action RPG through and through with a little more focus on the action part. Cutter gets one of the more interesting kits right out of the gate. He has a shield that can reflect as well as serve as a melee weapon. His guns can equip various attachments to change their firepower. The most interesting aspect though is the jetpack. This starts off with a double jump, but eventually through upgrades Cutter can glide through the entire world at a brisk pace which gives me some strong Just Cause vibes as I scale over the familiar biomes. This is easily the standout mechanic in the game.

Combat feels fine, I do wish there was a bit more variety in the enemy designs. There are some unique creatures scattered throughout the world, but the main enemies are usually just humans occupying an outpost. It does switch up as the game progresses, which is nice. The quest design is a lot of go here, kill these enemies, or collect these items. This is a big world, over 30 hours to complete the game, but the quests rarely break up the monotony. The combat itself is not very challenging though, even on normal. There are plenty of difficulties to choose from, and if you want even a decent challenge, I recommend starting on the one above normal.

One thing that needs to be pointed out, this game talks…a lot. There is so much dialogue, it reminds me a lot of Mass Effect where nearly every character in the game has a ton to tell Slade. There are varying branches to learn more about the world and its inhabitants. I found myself skipping a lot after a while. It just goes on and on and on with the outcome being something that could have been an email.

The quest system is awkward. There is a map, and for the most part it is pretty linear. Each area has sections to choose your quests from, but it can be cumbersome. There were times I thought I had a mission selected only to find out I actually didn’t. It can be frustrating. Sometimes the direction is also not laid out properly. One example is when I needed to find a relic. It told me to scan the area, but I just didn’t see it. Turned out it was deep underwater, which I didn’t even know I could go to. This crops up regularly throughout the game and just feels like the design was a little more than two decades ago.

Visually the game can look stunning at times, and cheap at others. It is weird. The world of Adelpha has the normal biomes, gorgeous, lush green forests, snowcapped mountains, and of course a volcanic area, all the staples are here. The frame rate in performance mode has some hitches, which can be off putting. The graphics mode doesn’t really add a lot and halves the frame rate, so basically neither is perfect, but with the fast-paced combat I recommend sticking with performance. Even with these issues I enjoyed exploring the world of Adelpha, it was always interesting.

Outcast: A New Beginning is a weird game. On one hand it looks and feels great at times, while other times it feels a little janky. Still there is a lot to love here, even with all the talking. Seriously can we wrap it up? If you have nostalgia for the original, this is a no-brainer, for new fans I think it is worth checking out. It feels like a game we don’t often get anymore, and it is just fun to play when it is clicking. Recommend keeping your eye on this one, just maybe not at full price.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.