Outcast: A New Beginning

Explore the rich land of Adelpha while saving it from an invasion with some help from the Yods.

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"Outcast: A New Beginning" is the sequel to the acclaimed 1999 action adventure game, bringing back protagonist Cutter Slade to the alien world of Adelpha. The Talans are enslaved and the world's resources are depleted, and it's up to Slade to save the planet once again. With the original team back, players can explore the open world using a jetpack, encountering dangerous creatures and completing missions to restore Adelpha.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 382 reviews

story68 positive mentions

optimization14 negative mentions

The game features stunning graphics and a beautifully designed open world, making exploration a joy.
The jetpack mechanics and traversal options are fun and engaging, allowing for dynamic movement throughout the environment.
The writing and humor are charming, with well-developed characters and a nostalgic connection to the original Outcast.

The story is often criticized for being predictable and lacking depth, with some players feeling it doesn't live up to the original game's narrative.
There are numerous bugs and performance issues, including stuttering during cutscenes and glitches that can disrupt gameplay.
The tutorial is lengthy and can feel tedious, with excessive cutscenes that interrupt the flow of the game.

story
298 mentions
23 % positive mentions
68 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it engaging yet flawed. While some appreciate the world-building and character interactions, others criticize the narrative for being cliché, disjointed, and at times, lacking depth. Fetch quests dominate the gameplay, which can feel repetitive, but the vibrant world and humor help maintain interest, even if the overall plot leaves much to be desired.
- “The story is intriguing and has a vibe of positivity and optimism, which is quite refreshing from the usual bleak narratives found in other RPGs.”
- “The main quest line is expertly crafted, making you really dig into every settlement you visit and learn what makes this alien society tick.”
- “The story is full of humor and weird twists, and every side quest is connected to the main story, presented in a very informative way.”
- “The story is extremely cliché and not engaging, and it doesn't hold my interest.”
- “The end of the story was completely rushed and made almost no sense compared to the rest of the story.”
- “The writing is okay for the most part, except for everything pertaining to the 'main story' that is a succession of deus ex machinas, of uninspired intercharacter relationships that are mostly unjustified and awfully artificial.”
gameplay
104 mentions
28 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Outcast: A New Beginning" features accessible mechanics and enjoyable traversal, particularly with the jetpack, which enhances exploration and combat. However, many players find the gameplay loop repetitive and marred by frequent cutscenes and loading screens, leading to a disjointed experience. While the combat mechanics are generally praised for their fun and variety, the overall execution suffers from a lack of depth and polish, leaving some players feeling that the game does not fully capitalize on its potential.
- “Outcast: anb provides a fantastic system of mechanics and activities, killer traversal, and really intense combat.”
- “The traversal mechanics, especially with the jetpack and boosts, are fantastic.”
- “Great gameplay, great visuals, great story - great game!”
- “Gameplay is interrupted every 30 seconds for either a cutscene or a loading screen.”
- “The combat is very repetitive with no challenge at all; once you know the mechanics, it becomes really easy, and that also includes the bosses—no challenge for them as well.”
- “The gameplay feels awful, the dialog is cringe, and the environments might look alright, but the characters are ugly.”
graphics
77 mentions
57 % positive mentions
39 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received generally positive feedback, with many players praising the beautiful open world, inventive design, and overall visual fidelity. However, some users noted issues such as graphical glitches, performance problems, and a sense that the visuals, while nice, do not push the boundaries of modern gaming. Overall, the art direction and aesthetic appeal are highlighted as standout features, despite some technical shortcomings.
- “Beautiful open world and good graphics.”
- “I was very impressed by the gorgeous graphics and the freedom of movement allowed around the game world.”
- “The graphics are absolutely fantastic, with a huge open world (including a lot of verticality) and massive draw distances.”
- “Animations are rigid and character visuals are mediocre to poor.”
- “Sadly, the performance is horrible for the okay-ish graphics this game has, unless you have good hardware.”
- “Some enemies are just graphics and don't even move at all and stay still on screen sometimes.”
music
57 mentions
51 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives a mixed reception, with many praising its orchestral quality and nostalgic ties to the original soundtrack, describing it as phenomenal and beautifully produced. However, some users criticize the music for being generic, repetitive, and poorly integrated into the gameplay, which detracts from the overall experience. While the soundtrack is often highlighted as a standout feature, there are calls for more diversity and better music direction to enhance immersion.
- “Phenomenal music; this is easily some of the best video game music I've heard.”
- “The orchestral music is once again very epic and manages to stay true to the original while bringing some very cool new tunes to the mix.”
- “The beautiful orchestral soundtrack makes exploration of all the vibrant environments feel just like the first game, and the many charming NPCs spouting optional dumps of lore are familiar too.”
- “The music is a problem for two reasons; first, the score is just your generic Hollywood orchestral music that absolutely doesn't fit in the game.”
- “The second reason is the OST gets repetitive very fast because it plays continuously, and that, my friend, is a capital sin in an open world game in which players love to dedicate long hours to exploration.”
- “The result is a music score that seems out of topic in most dialogue interactions or even gameplay, and forgettable because it lacks distinguishable themes since it plays continuously without any pause, ruining in the process the immersion that could have been added by otherwise nice ambient sounds.”
humor
39 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a standout feature, characterized by witty dialogues, funny character interactions, and a blend of ironic and self-referential comedy. Players appreciate the quirky personalities and humorous quests that evoke a nostalgic feel reminiscent of 80s and 90s sci-fi films. While some dialogues may be lengthy or clunky, the overall comedic tone enhances the exploration experience, making it both entertaining and engaging.
- “The whole game does not take itself dead-serious and is strewn with an ironic humor that I enjoyed.”
- “I love how the characters all have opinions about each other (mostly bad ones, which is absolutely hilarious) and how all the quests are connected: what you do in one corner of the world influences everything else as well.”
- “The dialogues and side quests are very entertaining, the humor just hits that certain sarcastic spot.”
optimization
28 mentions
14 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing smooth performance and good frame rates on high-end systems, while others report significant stuttering, especially in crowded environments or on lower-end hardware. Despite the appealing graphics, many users highlight ongoing performance issues and a lack of effective optimization, particularly with Unreal Engine 4, leading to an uneven gameplay experience. Overall, while some players enjoy the game despite its flaws, the consensus leans towards a need for further optimization and patching.
- “The game felt smooth to play (at least on my PC), quick loading and good performance.”
- “This is an example that you can make a game with good graphics and well optimized; I was able to play the game with 50-60 fps.”
- “Good graphics, good performance, well optimized; it's like a Mass Effect style in an open world concept.”
- “Sadly, the performance is horrible for the okay-ish graphics this game has, unless you have good hardware.”
- “When it comes to the negatives, the main problem of the game is sadly Unreal Engine 4: it was never really designed with games like this in mind, so there is a fair bit of stuttering when traversing the map at high speeds.”
- “Bland, boring, huge performance issues on 3070ti even with DX12 on medium settings.”
stability
24 mentions
13 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
88 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting various bugs and glitches, including sound issues, graphical errors, and occasional crashes. While some users experienced significant problems that affected gameplay, others noted that the game runs well on high-end systems and only encountered minor glitches. Overall, while the game is enjoyable and visually appealing, it suffers from stability issues that may detract from the experience for some players.
- “Runs great on 4070 Ti and 7800X3D, usually 90-110 maxed out.”
- “Runs great on upper mid-range system. Great animations and voice acting.”
- “The game looks good, it feels good, it runs great on my system (AMD CPU + NVIDIA 4080, 32GB RAM, game installed on NVMe storage) and after 10 hours of play, I have yet to see any serious bugs or glitches.”
- “This is a buggy mess.”
- “Over the course of the game, I experienced a handful of crashes, numerous sound glitches, and even some lines of dialogue that were clearly flubbed by the actors, yet somehow made it into the game.”
- “Controls are messed up, camera glitches occasionally getting stuck or turning randomly.”
atmosphere
13 mentions
54 % positive mentions
23 % neutral mentions
23 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by its beautiful world design, engaging character movement, and a distinctly European charm infused with humor and self-mockery. Players appreciate the lighthearted, whimsical tone reminiscent of a children's book, complemented by a captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. While some feel the atmosphere has shifted from the original, it remains unique and immersive, offering a blend of adventure, mystery, and detailed environments.
- “The atmosphere in this game is truly unique and you won't find it in any other game.”
- “The pleasant light atmosphere of the game is largely based on music.”
- “I enjoyed this very much - very atmospheric with a nice story line, lots of detail put into the environment and quest design and a nice mix of doing quests, combat, and jump-and-run-style side activities.”
- “At the same time, the atmosphere of what is happening is closer to Hogwarts Legacy than to Avatar.”
- “It is interesting to pour into this nonsense, as if you are reading a perky children's book — even glimpses of 'serious drama' do not interrupt the atmosphere.”
- “The feeling of adventure, mystery, and atmosphere aren't on the same level as the original.”
grinding
11 mentions
9 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
91 % negative mentions
Reviews of the grinding aspect in the game highlight a mix of opinions, with some players finding the gameplay loop tedious and repetitive, particularly during timer-based missions. However, others appreciate the separation of fluff dialogue from the main story, which helps mitigate the grind. Overall, while some players enjoy the open world and challenge, many feel that the grinding elements detract from the experience, making it feel unnecessarily tedious.
- “Luckily, it's not grinding like in Ubisoft's latest games.”
- “Both felt tedious and repetitive at times.”
- “The gameplay loop is horrendous, tedious, and made worse with timer-based missions (the main reason it's a red thumb).”
- “This game is extremely tedious and runs poorly even on a good system.”
character development
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
Character development in the latest iteration of Outcast is significantly improved compared to the original, with more engaging NPCs and a deeper exploration of personalities beyond just the main character, Slade. However, some players still feel that the original's character design was superior and criticize the overall combat experience as mediocre.
- “The original Outcast had a lot of NPCs that you talked to only once, and many did not really get much character development or unique personality; that was generally saved for Slade.”
- “Terrible character development and mediocre combat.”
- “Character development is way better than the original Outcast (when I say 'original', I've only played Second Contact, not 1.1 or the true original).”
replayability
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Overall, users indicate that the game's replayability is limited, with some expressing skepticism about its long-term value despite enjoying the experience. Technical issues and length also contribute to concerns about returning to the game.
- “Replay value is limited.”
- “I don't have much faith in it being replayable, but I'm happy to have acquired it despite the length and tech issues.”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players express a deep emotional connection to the game, likening their experience to reuniting with a long-lost friend, enhanced by the personal qualities of key characters. However, some feel that the characters' emotional volatility and boldness result in a somewhat uneven narrative progression.
- “This visit to Adelpha made me feel like I was visiting a long-lost friend with a new pair of eyes.”
- “The personal qualities of some major characters contributed to the emotional depth of the story, making the unfolding of events feel impactful.”
monetization
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-500 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The game offers over 25 hours of engaging gameplay without any intrusive microtransactions or downloadable content, providing a complete experience without additional costs.
- “There's probably 25+ hours of great gameplay here (I'm well over 30), with no tacky microtransactions or DLC.”
- “The game offers a fair monetization model that respects players' time and investment.”
- “I appreciate that the developers focus on delivering a complete experience without pushing for additional purchases.”
- “The game is fun, but the monetization is aggressive and feels exploitative.”
- “I was disappointed to find that many features are locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the full experience without spending extra money.”
- “While the gameplay is solid, the constant push for in-game purchases really detracts from the overall enjoyment.”