Outcast: A New Beginning Review – 25 YEARS OF CHANGE

If you’ve never heard of this series, then you were most likely a wee little tyke when the original Outcast game was first released in 1999. Now, a quarter of a century later, this sequel to the first open-world game ever (that’s a fact, look it up) has finally hit our shores. In this modern landscape, Outcast: A New Beginning is looking to draw in a new audience while still paying homage to its roots. However, that may be easier said than done.

Becoming a Rocket Man!

While I enjoy moving through Outcast’s stunning and seemingly alive open-world setting, the fetch quests and general bloat of this genre steadily started to wear me down. It won’t compel you to explore its many biomes like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom either. It’s no secret that open-world elements have changed dramatically over the last 25 years, and the things that were once awe-inspiring in the early 2000s are now considered more than a touch dated. There are only so many times that playing ‘go fetch’ will be entertaining over a 35+ hour experience. Even if there are some fun activities like obstacle courses and scaling up massive landscapes, blowing up enemy nests and clearing out similar bases over and over doesn’t make for the most thrilling of experiences.

Outcast: A New Beginning may not do anything particularly incredible, but the joy of jetpacking around the place is as pure as entertainment gets. It never gets old using the jetpack in and out of battle, since Cutter can dodge, duck, dip, dive and… double jump, as well as straight-up fly across the map. If you’ve ever played any of the Just Cause games, then you’ll be right at home here. Although, don’t expect the combat to be anywhere as fast or frenetic. The enemies usually have huge wind-up frames or will simply scuttle about minding their own business. If you’re craving that old-school Mass Effect combat, this ain’t it.

There’s also a solid amount of weapon customisation and power-ups that grant Cutter Slade many methods to take down his foes, like shooting out mines with regular shots or time-stopping enemies nearby. I only wish the shield bash featured momentum-based physics to slippy-slide along, as it grinds Cutter Slade to a halt and takes a good second or two to activate mid-combat, leaving him sitting high and dry. Talk about bringing a knife to a gunfight, am I right? There is a push-and-move ability with Cutter’s shield, but this has a different purpose with another type of utility.

Keys to the City

One thing I massively respect about this game is how players can tackle missions in any order of their choosing. Since the main mission objectives of Outcast: A New Beginning are given early on (to help out Adelpha’s villages and infiltrate the aforementioned bases) this lets players explore to their heart’s content and doesn’t funnel them down any particular paths. For example, if you want to bolt to the opposite side of the map and start taking on quests over there, go forth, young grasshopper.

As you travel through the colourful and vibrant vistas of Adelpha, you’ll take in some epic views and scenery that would rival any RPG worth its salt. It’s also brimming with life, as animals and aliens go about their everyday tasks and routines which helps to dial up the immersion factor to 10. Unfortunately, the frame rate struggles to keep up on PC, chugging around 40-60FPS on average when Cutter’s speeding through the sights or getting involved in a big-time bout. Several enemies also glitched into the floor or T-posed in the air a little too frequently for my liking. Thankfully, the orchestral soundtrack fits the tonality of this game like a glove. I’d find myself standing still just to soak in the awesome combination of visuals and music, more often than not. Hats off here.

The story of Cutter Slade being teleported onto an alien planet, looking to escape and settle threats from his past could’ve been more engaging, however. The thing is, there’s so much lore and terminology thrown at you from fifty different angles that your brain will soon start melting on the spot. Thankfully, there is a glossary to quickly look up important items in Outcast: A New Beginning, but it’s fair to say that I was checked out pretty early on. Cutter Slade’s B-movie dialogue is a breath of fresh air though. Imagine your eccentric uncle, Jim going on an epic space trek and you can already see what a hoot this would be. 

Decision

Has the 25-year wait been worth it? Well, it depends on what players are looking for. Fans of the first game will most likely be impressed if they’re hunting for a more modern take on the Outcast formula. In contrast, open-world vets might see this as a decent, yet generic outing on an Avatar-like planet. Either way, Cutter Slade’s journey to return home has a decent amount of amusing, open-world activities to experience, paired with an unhealthy portion of fetch quests that start to drag over time. Still, Cutter’s jetpack-fuelled shenanigans and his selection of highly modifiable weaponry are heaps of fun to mess around with. Even the way he talks, like a guest on Home Improvement, is a highlight in and of itself. It’s just a pity that the story is plagued with unnecessarily long dialogue and segments that ultimately aren’t that interesting.

By Anthony Culinas – Reviewed on PC

Good

Outcast: A New Beginning is just some good ol’ clean fun. Tinkering around with Cutter Slade’s customisable equipment and jetpack blazing through the biomes of Adelpha never gets old. His B-movie swagger is also a welcome relief from the seriously solemn protagonists normally associated with these types of games. Even if Outcast features a tad too many fetch quests and repetitive mission types, there are some fun side hustles and a serviceable story to be found amongst the excess of lore and spouty exposition.

This game was reviewed using a download code provided by THQ Nordic. The Beta Network uses affiliate partnerships, however, this does not influence reviews or any other content published. The Beta Network may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links that are on the website.