Outbuddies DX

With only a cursory understanding of what makes a “Metroidvania” interesting, Outbuddies is a game you don’t need to explore.

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OUTBUDDIES DX is a passionately crafted metroidvania game by Julian Laufer, inspired by classics such as Super Metroid and Castlevania. It offers challenging yet encouraging gameplay, designed to skip punishing mechanics and grinding. The game is regularly updated with feedback and supports cross-platform cloud saving.

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Reviews

61%

Audience ScoreBased on 208 reviews

gameplay24 positive mentions

grinding18 negative mentions

The game features a large, engaging world to explore, reminiscent of classic Metroidvanias.
Unique mechanics, such as the robot buddy that assists in exploration and puzzle-solving, add depth to the gameplay.
Boss battles are well-designed and challenging, providing a satisfying test of skill.

Controls can feel clunky and unintuitive, leading to frustration during gameplay.
The map system is confusing and lacks clarity, making navigation difficult.
The game can be punishing with its difficulty, often resulting in cheap deaths that detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
98 mentions
24 % positive mentions
69 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Outbuddies is a mixed bag, featuring a vast map and complex level design reminiscent of classic Metroid games, which encourages exploration and experimentation. While the unique buddy mechanic adds depth, many players find the controls stiff and certain mechanics clumsy, leading to frustration with the game's physics and puzzle design. Overall, the game offers solid metroidvania elements and challenging bosses, but suffers from design missteps that hinder a cohesive and responsive gameplay experience.
- “The gameplay is amazing... you'll soon enough find yourself feeding the metroid-hungry 10-year-old inside of you all the exploration he or she might crave.”
- “The huge map and complex level design is very reminiscent of early Metroid/Super Metroid gameplay with lots of exploring that needs to be done and rooms that will seem to stop your progression until you find the right upgrade.”
- “I liked how the game doesn't hold your hand too much and leaves it up to the player to figure out mechanics and what to do.”
- “Then you encounter the gameplay, moving boxes a lot with janky physics, a wall jump that doesn't seem to work on every wall, but every wall looks alike, so...”
- “Most notably I just don't like how many decisions were made to intentionally slow down the game; there's a run button, for one, which is completely unnecessary and only serves to mess with the platforming; the co-op mechanics bog down single player as you basically have to come to a complete stop, and then there's the block puzzles where, for literally no reason, blocks can rotate 360 degrees... and get stuck in places because of that.”
- “The player movement is poorly implemented, the enemies are unsatisfying to fight, tons of things are just thrown at you immediately to explain how the game works instead of learning them through gameplay, and the art style is hideous.”
music
58 mentions
28 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its moody and atmospheric qualities that complement the visuals, while others criticize it for being repetitive and uninspired. Many noted that the same short loops are used extensively, leading to monotony during longer play sessions. Overall, while the soundtrack fits the game's themes, it lacks the memorability and variety found in other titles within the genre.
- “The soundtrack by Robin Ogden fits very well to the overall desolate and mysterious Lovecraftian theme of the game.”
- “The strong visuals are accompanied by a lonely, moody soundtrack and an adaptive soundtrack to boot.”
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “The music was so bad I had to turn it off.”
- “A lot of the soundtracks sound really similar, and although there are differences, the music really isn't the best for me.”
- “I'm also tired of hearing the same short music track on repeat for 30+ minutes now.”
graphics
44 mentions
41 % positive mentions
52 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the charming art style and retro pixel-art aesthetic, particularly the Lovecraftian themes, while others criticize the visuals as muddled and lacking atmosphere. Many players find the color scheme odd and the graphics reminiscent of older, less polished titles, leading to a sense of confusion during gameplay. Overall, while the visuals have their appealing moments, they are often overshadowed by issues related to readability and control.
- “The art is charming and the aesthetic is perfect.”
- “The strong visuals are accompanied by a lonely, moody soundtrack and an adaptive soundtrack to boot.”
- “Definitely very well done in the visuals department.”
- “The graphics and color scheme in this game is...odd.”
- “The game isn’t all that readable either; there are lots of games I've played and liked with a simplistic pixelated art style, but this one in particular is very muddled and easy to get lost in.”
- “The player movement is poorly implemented, the enemies are unsatisfying to fight, tons of things are just thrown at you immediately to explain how the game works instead of learning them through gameplay, and the art style is hideous.”
story
32 mentions
38 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the games reviewed is a mixed bag, with some titles offering engaging narratives and moral lessons about perseverance, while others suffer from a lack of depth and character development. Players appreciate environmental storytelling and entertaining dialogue, but many express disappointment in the overall plot coherence and character personalities. Overall, while some games provide a compelling story experience, others feel lacking or overly simplistic.
- “My roommate and I had a good chuckle at the dialogue at the first boss, and the story and lore are pretty entertaining.”
- “The boss fights are awesome, the upgrades are pretty cool, and the story seems pretty interesting, and the graphics just take you right back with the old Metroid games.”
- “- It's beautiful overall, the story's interesting and easy to follow even if you don't get too deep into it, but still complex and interesting enough to have substance for those who do want to really get into it.”
- “For a story that supposedly plays out under the sea, there are surprisingly few water mechanics: no flooding passages, no limited oxygen, no underwater currents.”
- “There's some minor lore in the game, but I'll be honest, I still have no clue what the actual plot is, and neither of the two protagonists get even a shred of personality after the opening cutscenes either.”
- “If you swapped out the protagonist in Outbuddies with Samus and a federation robot helper, you would have basically the same game, save for whatever lore you would have to swap to make the story work.”
atmosphere
32 mentions
69 % positive mentions
22 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its mysterious and unique qualities, reminiscent of classic titles like Super Metroid, enhancing the overall exploration and gameplay experience. While the art and sound design contribute positively, some players noted issues with the music's repetitiveness and the controls, which detracted from the immersive experience. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, making it a compelling entry in the metroidvania genre.
- “A wonderfully atmospheric game that does a great job of scratching the action/exploration itch!”
- “There is a mysterious and unique atmosphere in the game.”
- “As it stands, it is a very atmospheric game, with great art and sound design, pretty decent level design, and combat, etc., which could become challenging and fun (rather than challenging and frustrating) with an update to the controls.”
- “It's got a neat atmosphere but there was too much wrong with it for me to put more time into it.”
- “Vast looping levels, very clever routes to avoid dead ends, strong weird sci-fi atmosphere, minimal dialogue or lore.”
- “So far the atmosphere and level design is what sparks my attention, can't wait to play more!”
grinding
18 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players frequently describe the grinding aspect of the game as tedious, particularly due to repetitive combat, excessive backtracking, and unfulfilling side quests. The need to switch between characters in co-op mode adds to the frustration, while boss battles often feel drawn out and reliant on random number generation. Overall, the lack of health upgrades and the monotonous nature of exploration detract from the enjoyment, making the experience feel laborious as the game progresses.
- “Combating these foes became tedious after a while, especially when the end game of exploration was my main goal.”
- “The game simply becomes tedious.”
- “But the traversal and tedious backtracking is just way too annoying; you don't get any health upgrades, which leads to dying way too often, especially when you want to go somewhere as quickly as possible.”
emotional
4 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional aspect of the game particularly rewarding through the rescue of 80 wozan, whose cute designs and celebratory animations enhance the experience. This emotional connection is further deepened as rescued wozan provide assistance during boss fights, adding a layer of investment to the gameplay. However, some players feel that the overall atmosphere and music lack variety, which detracts from the emotional immersion.
- “There's 80 Wozan to rescue in the game, and not only is finding them emotionally rewarding, with their cute designs and cheer animations, but finding them helps you too as during boss fights, depending on how many you've rescued, they'll occasionally show up with health orbs to give you.”
optimization
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for stuttering performance, clunky controls, and blotchy graphics. Additionally, the map lacks refinement, making navigation challenging in the expansive world.
- “Stuttering, clunky controls, and the graphics seem blotchy.”
- “The map could have used more optimization, as it is hard to find what you're looking for in the huge world.”
stability
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is characterized by its non-linear exploration, which allows for sequence breaks and is prone to glitches, indicating a mixed experience where players may encounter both creative freedom and technical issues.
character development
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a lack of character development in the game, with players noting that there are no meaningful changes or growth for characters beyond basic progression mechanics, such as health points.
- “There is no character development at all, aside from the basic progression mechanics; even the maximum HP can't be increased.”
- “The game lacks any meaningful character development, with only progression mechanics in place and no way to increase maximum HP.”