Outbreak

About

Outbreak is a horror shooter game that offers both single-player and multiplayer modes, with a focus on local co-op play for up to 2 players in split screen. The game features a chilling atmosphere and a desperate struggle to escape a city overrun by the undead while managing a limited inventory. A single-player demo is available, allowing players to try the Tutorial and the first part of the Captive Nightmares scenario.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Co-Op Team up with friends to complete levels or missions together
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

60%

Audience ScoreBased on 96 reviews

atmosphere3 negative mentions

The game successfully captures the nostalgic feel of classic survival horror games, particularly reminiscent of the Resident Evil series.
It offers a variety of gameplay modes, including a challenging campaign and a multiplayer Onslaught mode, which enhances replayability.
The developer is actively engaged with the community, frequently updating the game and addressing player feedback.

The controls are clunky and can be frustrating, especially for players accustomed to more modern control schemes.
Inventory management is overly restrictive, making it difficult to carry essential items, which can hinder gameplay.
The game can feel repetitive and punishing, particularly when playing solo, as the difficulty spikes and resource scarcity can lead to frustrating experiences.

gameplay
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
78%
11%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing the control scheme and repetitive environments, which detract from the overall experience. While some enjoy the challenging puzzles and multiplayer scenarios, others find the mechanics frustrating and poorly executed, often feeling like a derivative of classic Resident Evil games. Overall, the gameplay is seen as flawed and lacking depth, with a need for significant improvements to enhance enjoyment.
- “Lots of puzzles and challenging gameplay.”
- “Outbreak is a decent attempt at recreating the gameplay and feel of a classic Resident Evil style game.”
- “Now the game has been beefed up dramatically with more content: new gameplay features, more polish, more (and better!) control schemes, new characters, new enemies, new everything!”
- “The control scheme is poorly made; even though you can choose from a few options, the sounds and a lot of elements are straight copies from Resident Evil, but the gameplay itself is quite horrible.”
- “As for the actual gameplay, once you figure out which of the horrible movement mechanics suits you best, you can finally start your adventure into the zombie/monster infected areas that are mostly just all the same textured walls and floors, room after room, some with awkward puzzles and others with randomly placed items.”
- “Gameplay elements are recycled, the storyline is weak, the characters are anonymous and lack personality, and the setting is a generic post-apocalyptic city with little to no background or explanation, resulting in content that is very limited and gameplay that is flawed, repetitive, and lackluster.”
story
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
73%
14%
The game's story is criticized for being underwhelming and fragmented, with essential narrative elements locked behind higher difficulty levels that require cooperative play. Players can uncover the backstory through scattered articles and memos, but many feel that the lack of character development and a cohesive narrative detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the story is seen as a barebones homage to classic survival horror, lacking depth and engagement.
- “After finishing the regular chapters, you can jump into a series of story-driven scenarios which are great.”
- “This game's story mode is an homage to the old-school Resident Evil games, where ammo counts, characters handle a bit sluggishly, inventory space is limited, supplies are dwindling, and the map is sprawling.”
- “Nightmares mode focuses on specific character-oriented scenarios, presenting the player with a more story-driven narrative than the semi-random generated style of the main campaign.”
- “The game's story is found by reading articles and memos found across the game, but the only way to hear the full story is to play through at the hardest difficulty the game has to offer, which would likely require a dedicated group of friends to play through it cooperatively.”
- “Pair that with the awful mechanic of 'play on nightmare difficulty for the full story!', means that unless you cheat or have very skilled and loyal friends to play these levels over and over with until you finally perfect it, you'll probably never know the 'full' story through your own gameplay.”
- “This game isn't very fun outside of goofy antics, the gameplay is pretty terrible and leaves a lot to be desired, the story is barebones and underwhelming, and the game looks awful.”
graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The graphics of the game are generally considered simplistic and lacking polish, with many reviewers noting that the 2D sprites feel like placeholders and do not match the retro pixel-style environments. While the atmosphere is praised for its character, the lack of dynamic elements, animations, and cohesive visual style detracts from the overall experience. Despite being developed by a single person and priced under $10, there is a strong desire among players for a graphical overhaul in future updates.
- “But what it lacks in stunning visuals, it certainly makes up for in an atmosphere oozing with character.”
- “The graphics are simple but gory in an old school top-down game way.”
- “Graphically speaking, this is not a AAA title.”
- “It is not without its faults, however - the top-down perspective is intuitive but removes a lot of potential tension from the game. While I am not a stickler for graphics, the sprites in this game feel very much like placeholders and need some serious work. The 2D in this game is shoddy at best, which ends up making the game far less interesting visually than it could be.”
- “Graphically, the game is barely sufficient. The pixel-style retro environments are decent enough, but the characters players impersonate do not match the same graphical style. They look like they've been made with MS Paint and stand out in a way that makes them feel alien to the game's world.”
- “For the rest of the graphics, there are no dynamic shadows, no modern light effects, and no shading of anything. The flashlight is literally a sprite with high brightness that does not react to the environment at all. Enemies do not have animations besides walking; they look like animated mannequins that rotate around the axis of their square hitbox.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its dark, foreboding tone and immersive environment, effectively conveying a sense of disaster and survival. While it may lack stunning visuals, it compensates with a rich atmosphere filled with character and tension, making it a compelling experience, especially in multiplayer settings. Overall, players find the atmosphere to be a significant strength, enhancing the challenge and enjoyment of the game.
- “The atmosphere is dark and foreboding, and there are bits and pieces of people who couldn't escape or survive all over the place, reminding you just how close you are to ending up the same way.”
- “If you want to challenge yourself with a dire atmosphere and grim chances of survival, Outbreak delivers that experience perfectly.”
- “But what it lacks in stunning visuals, it certainly makes up for in an atmosphere oozing with character.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The music in the game is highly praised, adding a great atmosphere, but players note that the overall experience can feel quiet at times, suggesting the inclusion of a background soundtrack for added engagement.
- “The music in this game is great, however.”
- “The game is often too quiet; a background soundtrack would really enhance the experience.”
- “The music feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it easy to lose interest.”
- “There are moments where the silence is overwhelming, and a more dynamic audio experience would be welcome.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Character development in Resident Evil Outbreak is notable for revealing personal backstories and emotional connections among characters, enhancing player engagement. In contrast, another game offers minimal character growth, with the most significant aspect being a character's hairstyle, while customization options provide a degree of personalization. Overall, the depth of character development varies significantly between titles, with some focusing on emotional narratives and others on superficial traits.
- “In Resident Evil Outbreak, you discover deep insights about the characters, and by the end of the game, you realize that some of them have feelings for one another, while others have personal goals they want to achieve.”
- “The ability to personalize your character with flashlight, laser, and character colors is a great way to stand out, and the character designs themselves feel refreshing after becoming so familiar with the characters from Resident Evil: Outbreak.”
- “In Resident Evil Outbreak, you found out things about the characters, and even by the end of the game realized some of them had feelings for one another, some of them had things they wanted to prove, etc. In this game, the most character development we found was that 'Alexia' has a hairstyle that looks extremely close to a facehugger from the movie Aliens.”
- “The ability to personalize yourself with flashlight/laser/character colors is a nice way to differentiate yourself more, and the character designs themselves are refreshing after getting to know RE:O's characters so well.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game incorporates many elements reminiscent of Resident Evil Outbreak, but users report that numerous bugs and glitches significantly detract from the overall enjoyment, indicating a need for stability improvements.
- “The game has most of the elements of Resident Evil Outbreak, which makes it great, but the current bugs, glitches, and other issues make it unenjoyable in its current state.”
- “Frequent crashes and performance issues ruin the overall experience, making it hard to stay immersed in the game.”
- “I encountered numerous glitches that not only broke the gameplay but also made it frustrating to progress.”