Out There

About

Out There: Ω Edition is a survival space exploration game that combines roguelike, resource management, and interactive fiction elements. As an astronaut awakening from cryonics in a distant part of the galaxy, you must navigate hostile space, gather resources, and encounter intelligent species to survive. The game features a rich narrative with ancient powers and the fate of mankind at stake, offering a thought-provoking and immersive experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

65%

Audience ScoreBased on 562 reviews

gameplay33 positive mentions

grinding28 negative mentions

The game features beautiful graphics and an atmospheric soundtrack that enhances the feeling of isolation in space.
The narrative is engaging, with interesting alien encounters and a unique language-learning mechanic that adds depth to the gameplay.
The resource management aspect is challenging and requires strategic thinking, making each decision feel impactful.

The game heavily relies on RNG, leading to frustrating experiences where players can lose progress due to bad luck rather than skill.
Inventory management can be tedious, as players often have to make difficult choices about what resources to keep or discard.
The gameplay can become repetitive quickly, with many players feeling that the core loop lacks variety and depth over time.

gameplay
147 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
69%
9%
The gameplay is characterized by simple mechanics and a heavy reliance on RNG, leading to a repetitive experience that can become tedious after a few hours. While the resource management and exploration elements are engaging initially, many players feel that the lack of meaningful decision-making and the randomness of outcomes detract from overall enjoyment. Despite its appealing art style and atmosphere, the gameplay often feels shallow and frustrating, with some players recommending it only for those who appreciate luck-based mechanics.
- “The gameplay is solid and reminds me of FTL, but it's not a copy of FTL.”
- “The gameplay elements are simple, rewarding, and feed into one another nicely.”
- “The gameplay involves traveling from star to star and planet to planet picking up vital resources and new technology that improve your capabilities.”
- “Gameplay gets very repetitive after a couple of hours and overall, succeeding in this game is way too dependent on RNG.”
- “The lacking feature to manually save cripples your progression and the gameplay itself gets mundane after playing more than 2 hours.”
- “The gameplay is however very deeply flawed and heavily reliant on luck (each game you play the universe and its inhabitants are randomly generated) and acts as a barrier to enjoyment rather than a source.”
story
128 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
55%
2%
The game's story is a blend of intriguing narrative elements and exploration, often described as captivating yet sometimes repetitive. Players appreciate the atmospheric writing and the sense of isolation, though some find the reliance on randomness detracts from the overall experience. While the storyline is engaging and offers multiple endings, many reviewers express a desire for deeper development and more strategic involvement in the narrative.
- “The game has amazing exploration, finding new aliens and having random events makes exploring the galaxy as we follow a great story incredibly interesting.”
- “Out there is a fantastic mix of game and story.”
- “The story is great and I really do want to get to the end but after repeatedly losing because of a bad roll of the dice I can't continue.”
- “Who needs a plot when you can just wander aimlessly through the void of space?”
- “Also, the game purports to be story driven, but the story is just a series of unrelated microevents that occur when you warp into a system.”
- “While the story has constantly new and different elements, even that loses its flavor after a while, because unlike FTL, which had more immediacy to it... there is very little driving force to push you forward.”
music
81 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
38%
4%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, enhancing the overall experience with a calming and evocative soundtrack that complements the visuals and gameplay. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, often comparing it favorably to other notable titles in the genre, and some even recommend purchasing the original soundtrack alongside the game. Overall, the music is described as a significant factor that draws players into the game's mysterious and expansive universe.
- “The music is phenomenal.”
- “The fabulous soundtrack only adds to the experience.”
- “The music is calming and the art style is simple and sweet.”
- “I get it for mobile games, but come on - sound designers and music composers really work in a stereo field. I would think most of us play with headphones or at least speakers - can we please make a stereo version of the audio for this!”
- “But the gameplay is just about adequate to keep you going with some music or a podcast in the background.”
- “This is 3/4 of a good game, with the last quarter being lazily programmed and amateurishly designed garbage, as is distressingly common with a lot of these games that rely on their music, writing, or art direction to draw people in.”
graphics
77 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
42%
4%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful art style and atmospheric visuals that effectively capture the essence of space exploration. While some players appreciate the retro comic-book aesthetic and detailed alien designs, others criticize the graphics for feeling outdated or simplistic. Overall, the visuals are often described as captivating and well-crafted, contributing positively to the game's immersive experience, despite some concerns about gameplay depth.
- “The game features a beautiful art style that really captures the vastness and mystery of space.”
- “The graphics are presented in this retro sci-fi comic book approach, with everything done out in this comic book presentation of how space would look as if it were presented in a late 60's / early 70's era comic book. The ships, planets, alien races are all lavished with attention and the environments are spared no expense when it comes to the love and care that's gone into them.”
- “Out There Omega has a beautiful art style that totally captivates your imagination for an interstellar adventure.”
- “Personally, I don't like the graphics style; it looks like a 2010s flash game.”
- “While I thoroughly enjoyed the 2D art of the original game, the Omega Edition has created aesthetically 3D planets and systems in the planetary view while maintaining much of the spirit of the original 2D art.”
- “I want to like this game for the graphics and story, but it seems like there isn't enough of a game to really make it worth more than a few playthroughs.”
atmosphere
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
23%
6%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive qualities, combining beautiful visuals, a fitting soundtrack, and a sense of loneliness and mystery that enhances the space exploration experience. Players appreciate the unique art style and the emotional depth conveyed through the game's narrative and design, although some note that the challenging gameplay can detract from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the atmosphere is described as evocative and engaging, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “An extraordinary atmospheric space sci-fi experience, complete with visuals, soundtrack, and a lore that you uncover each time you reach a unique ending.”
- “The atmosphere is beautiful, desolate, and strange.”
- “The soundtrack, the text, and the visuals all work together to build on that atmosphere.”
- “Basis of the game is: go to a gas giant to gather fuel, pray that its atmosphere won't damage your ship too much and that you get enough fuel to make it worth it (totally random).”
- “That being said though, I love the art style and the atmosphere, but it's not enough to make up for a fundamentally aggravating gameplay experience and I wouldn't recommend this to anyone but the most die-hard gambling addicts.”
- “It manages to maintain a sense of quiet anxiety and an atmosphere of loneliness in the depths of space.”
grinding
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, with players noting that the initial fun quickly diminishes after a few hours. Many reviews highlight the frustrating reliance on RNG, lack of shortcuts, and cumbersome resource management, which contribute to a monotonous gameplay loop that feels unrewarding. Overall, while some players appreciate the atmospheric elements, the grinding mechanics detract significantly from the overall experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Fun for about 5-10 hours, then quickly becomes repetitive and tedious.”
- “The core moment-to-moment loop of the game is so tedious and repetitive; whenever something actually happens, it feels like a big deal, and you're almost willing to convince yourself the game is decent, but it really isn't.”
- “The fact that everything also requires its own special element and you will almost never find said element when you need it, nor ever have the cargo space to carry 1/5th of them for future use, makes the game incredibly grindy while also being too luck-based to grind in the first place.”
replayability
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
48%
12%
Overall, the game exhibits a strong sense of replayability, with many players appreciating its mix of randomness and strategic elements reminiscent of titles like FTL. While some users noted limitations in crafting and a finite number of endings, the diverse paths and encounters available contribute to a rewarding experience that encourages multiple playthroughs. However, a few critiques highlight that the replay value may diminish after several attempts due to a lack of depth in certain areas.
- “Tons of replay value since there are all sorts of nuanced and unique paths through each game.”
- “Deeply replayable, tough to the point of occasionally being unforgiving, but always rewarding with new, gorgeous planets, and amazing encounters, along with starships designed with as much love and care as the comic book spaceships of old.”
- “Not only does it add near infinite replay value, it turns what would otherwise be a simple game into something much deeper.”
- “Because of its simplicity, replay value is limited (I beat it just twice before losing interest)... but even so the 9 hours I spent on this game was easily worth the price of admission.”
- “The game is sometimes described as FTL without combat, which is an apt comparison; however, it lacks FTL's replayability.”
- “Lastly, this game has very few endings for a rogue-like that needs to boast replayability, and most of the endings are poorly designed and give you a very poor taste and bad memories of the game afterwards.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever writing and hilarious endings, providing a mix of fun jabs and inspiring moments. While the visuals enhance the comedic experience, some players note minor grammatical issues. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted touch to the otherwise tense gameplay.
- “And the various endings are hilarious.”
- “Good for idle playing, hilarious to boot.”
- “The writing is top-notch (outside of some grammatical mistakes) and funny when it counts, and the visuals are stellar (pun intended).”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been criticized for being buggy, with frequent glitches affecting gameplay, such as issues with the GUI that hinder essential actions like refilling oxygen. While some players found the game enjoyable despite these problems, the overall consensus points to a lack of polish and reliability.
- “This game is a buggy mess.”
- “The GUI often glitches, not letting you refill your oxygen.”
- “TL;DR: The game is dull and buggy; buy this if you like dull and buggy.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express that the game evokes strong emotional responses, highlighting its ability to touch them deeply, a rarity in the space genre. Many note that it has left a lasting impact, comparable only to a few other titles like X-Tension and the original Mass Effect. Overall, the emotional depth of the game is a standout feature that resonates with players.
- “I don't tend to write reviews, but playing this game has made me feel like I should.”
- “It's touching.”
- “I really haven't been as emotionally affected by a game in a long time.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
Players who focus on optimizing their strategies report significantly improved success rates, suggesting that the game's mechanics reward thoughtful planning and execution rather than relying on chance.
- “People who are saying it's a coin flip are playing sub-optimally; I can now probably win most of my runs now that I have thought about and optimized every aspect of this game.”
- “The optimization options in this game are incredibly deep, allowing for a tailored experience that can significantly enhance your chances of success.”
- “I've spent hours fine-tuning my strategy, and the optimization mechanics really reward that effort, making each run feel unique and engaging.”
- “The game feels unbalanced and poorly optimized, making it frustrating to play.”
- “I often encounter performance issues that hinder my overall experience.”
- “The lack of optimization leads to frequent crashes and long loading times.”