The demos of the new shooter Outriders are playable and the first players have expressed their criticism, with mixed to negative opinions. MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus can understand the criticism but still has a lot of fun with the game.
What is Outriders? The new co-op shooter from Square Enix and People Can Fly is part of the cover shooters in the style of Gears of War. You play as one of the titular Outriders, who are to explore new habitable planets after the (self-inflicted) destruction of Earth.
However, something went wrong and you find yourself waking up from cryosleep a few decades in the future. The new planet Enoch is once again caught in the eternal war of humans who slaughter each other.
Only there is something different about you: You are now “changed” and possess magical powers that give you control over earth, lightning, and fire, and make you immortal. Quite useful in a futuristic post-apocalypse full of blood and death.
What can you test in the demo? In the demo of Outriders, you can play the first almost three hours of the game and already discover a lot of content. All four classes in Outriders, their skills and equipment are available up to the corresponding level cap of level 7 for the character and level 5 for the world.
Basic mechanics and the story of Outriders are already outlined or explained. It is really a demonstration, not just a beta. It could have gone better for a demo – but it is still fun.
Technical problems, or: How a demo should not look
What is being criticized? First of all, the launch went completely wrong. The demo was supposed to start on February 25 at 6:00 PM, but was only playable later. Especially players on PlayStation could not find a demo to download for hours in the German store.
In the game itself, there were mixed opinions about Outriders. Especially here on MeinMMO, the technical aspects were criticized; on Reddit, it looks a bit more balanced, but still not entirely positive. We have already reported on the first reactions to Outriders , here are the biggest criticisms summarized:
- Cutscenes are locked at 30 FPS and the camera shakes constantly, which can lead to motion sickness
- Capes clip through characters or swirl wildly – the physics are probably not quite right yet
- Lip synchronization and dubbing in general often do not match
- Motion blur particularly disturbs players on PC and cannot be turned off in the usual way
Is it really that bad? Yes, indeed. Even in my test, these are the points that stood out negatively to me, although I am fortunately not prone to motion sickness. Clipping capes and general graphics glitches usually bother me little, which is why I overlook them.
But the cutscenes and poor dubbing detract from the immersion of the game, which is otherwise maintained really well. These breaks unfortunately detract from the fun of the game, which I think is generally high in Outriders.
Are improvements planned? Yes, for the full release, cutscenes are supposed to run at least at 60 FPS, and motion blur will probably get its own option in the menu. This will eliminate some of the major criticisms.
Motion blur can already be disabled with a trick. What else will change in terms of technology and visuals by the release on April 1 remains to be detailed by the developers.
Cool skills, strong weapons, and tough enemies
That’s why I’m having fun with Outriders: It all sounds a bit apocalyptic, but it really isn’t. Despite the flaws, I’ve had immense fun with Outriders, and that’s mainly due to the gameplay.
The different weapons challenge and encourage different playstyles. Mods for weapons and armor enhance skills and encourage trying out different builds. The classes have their own tasks and approaches, so each character plays differently and has a different experience with the enemies.
For instance, I died several times with my devastator because I played him incorrectly. As a tank and melee fighter, I shouldn’t just stand behind cover and shoot enemies with a sniper rifle, even though I love sniping.
Once I adjusted, grabbed a shotgun and an LMG, and simply overran the enemies, Outriders became not only more action-packed but also more exciting and fun. Enemies become more dangerous this way, as they can hit me easier – but they also die faster if I apply enough pressure.
After all, I have abilities that interrupt enemies, heal me in melee, and protect me from damage – so I should damn well just run in and shoot them in the face! That’s how my class is built… I think.
What are the good sides? Outriders manages to provide excitement with a high level of difficulty that keeps increasing, along with unique skills for the classes. Enemies can’t simply be swept away – unless you do it right and take risks.
Elite enemies and bosses even adapt to your behavior. If I interrupt them too often, they become immune to it. This requires different approaches that can vary from class to class.
Depending on which skills and weapons are available, a fight can play out quite differently. In a group, this is certainly different again, although I haven’t been able to test that so far.
The interplay of different styles, a lot of action, and challenge raises the adrenaline. It’s the overall package that makes Outriders fun and the necessity to commit to it. And then there are the visuals and the damn dark world…
Blood, war, and corpses – gaming fun for adults
When I first saw images of Outriders, I thought: it looks like Destiny 2, but good. Alien planets, space mages, and tons of loot at least suggest that. So I assumed that the story and the world would be rather “tame”.
Far from it. Outriders is dirty, brutal, and strikes again when you think you’re getting used to it. The first scenes after the prologue are an example: After being awakened from cryosleep, my “saviors” first leave me behind.
A nice break from the otherwise classic scene of rescue. Afterwards, I am captured and taken away – which is normal. Along the way, my guard stabs my fellow prisoner in the head with his knife and kicks him off the truck while his blood spills on the loading area. Okay… unexpected, but still within the realm of reason.
Afterward, I am driven through a long tunnel where people hang from ropes from the ceiling, crucified or otherwise killed. After the tunnel comes a camp with prisoners who are beaten, executed on their knees or tortured. And as a crowning finale of this rebel camp, someone is hanging tied by their hands above me by a rope, being roasted alive with a flamethrower.
That was just the first of my WTF moments, of which I will not spoil any further. But the end of this first journey presents a scene where I am thrown into an anomaly storm and impaled by a metal rod. That should have been a hint for how dark Outriders would become…
Conclusion: A rough diamond
All in all, I am very satisfied with the approximately 3-4 hours that I was able to play the demo up to the current ending. I had my fun, and I look forward to testing the other classes with friends on upcoming evenings.
I only see urgent need for improvement regarding the technical shortcomings. If the status remains as is, the gameplay has to compensate a lot. And so far, detailed experiences with the crafting system and the endgame are missing to determine whether that’s feasible.
For a “demonstration,” which this version of Outriders is supposed to be, it’s clearly suboptimal. If you present potential players with something that doesn’t work, under the premise that it is a preview (and not a test), you have to expect criticism.
That’s why I hope these errors are fixed by the release. There’s still a bit of time, and at least the gameplay systems currently seem complete and refined. So hopefully only a few details are missing for a smooth gaming experience. The final touch, if you will.
What is your first opinion on Outriders? Did you play the demo? Did you have fun, or did the technical issues prevent you from progressing?
If the demo is still pending for you, feel free to join our survey on MeinMMO and tell us which of the four classes in Outriders you will play first.
