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

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 757 reviews

story132 positive mentions

optimization31 negative mentions

The game features a beautiful and immersive world with stunning graphics and diverse environments.
The jetpack mechanics and traversal system are highly enjoyable, allowing for fluid movement and exploration.
The humor and quirky characters add charm to the game, making the dialogue engaging and entertaining.

The story is predictable and lacks depth, often feeling like a cliché and failing to capture the essence of the original game.
The game suffers from technical issues, including bugs, performance problems, and frequent cutscenes that disrupt gameplay.
Many quests are repetitive and lack variety, leading to a sense of monotony in the gameplay experience.

story
572 mentions
23 % positive mentions
68 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The story of "Outcast – A New Beginning" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it predictable and clichéd, often likening it to a B-movie or drawing comparisons to "Avatar." While some appreciate the world-building and character interactions, others criticize the disjointed narrative, weak writing, and reliance on tropes, leading to a lack of engagement. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop for exploration and gameplay, but many feel it falls short of delivering a compelling experience.
- “The story is intriguing and got a vibe of positivity and optimism to it, which is quite refreshing from the usual bleak and depressing stories found in other RPG games.”
- “The main quest line is expertly crafted in such a way to make you really dig into every settlement you visit and learn what makes this alien society tick.”
- “I really love how the side quests progress the story and while there are fetch quests they are all reasonable and fit with the story, the open world elements are manageable and exploration is fun.”
- “The story is extremely cliché and not engaging and doesn't hold my interest.”
- “Sadly, the story is utter garbage, which ruins the entire experience.”
- “Outcast – a new beginning features dated storytelling, poor writing, and an overreliance on tropes we’ve all seen a thousand times by now.”
gameplay
206 mentions
27 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Outcast: A New Beginning" features enjoyable jetpack mechanics and solid combat, providing a mix of exploration and action that many players find engaging. However, it suffers from repetitiveness and a lack of challenge, with some players noting that the mechanics can feel dated and derivative. While the game offers a visually appealing world and a variety of quests, the overall experience is marred by frequent cutscenes and performance issues, leading to a mixed reception regarding its gameplay depth and originality.
- “The jetpack makes for interesting gameplay and tactics that you don't get in every shooter.”
- “The traversal mechanics, especially with the jetpack and boosts, are fantastic.”
- “Great gameplay, great visuals, great story - great game!”
- “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.”
- “Gameplay can get repetitive and boring; it's not the most original thing in the world.”
- “Story is terrible, the game runs poorly even with a 4080, gameplay is trash, and the flying has garbage controls to the point where it's not even fun—it's more of a chore.”
graphics
153 mentions
58 % positive mentions
39 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many praising the beautiful art design, diverse environments, and impressive visual fidelity. While some players noted occasional graphical glitches and performance issues, particularly on lower-end hardware, the overall aesthetic and creativity in world-building were highlighted as standout features. Despite some criticisms regarding character animations and optimization, the game's visuals are often described as stunning and engaging, contributing significantly to the overall experience.
- “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.”
- “The graphics are impressive—not groundbreaking, but the art direction is stunning, offering a lot of variety in the world.”
- “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 will say there's weird PS1 texture and the graphics suck.”
music
110 mentions
50 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its orchestral quality and nostalgic ties to the original soundtrack, often highlighting its ability to enhance the game's atmosphere and emotional depth. However, some critics point out issues such as repetitiveness, abrupt cuts, and a lack of thematic diversity, suggesting that while the score is well-composed, it sometimes feels generic or poorly integrated into the gameplay experience. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a significant strength, though it could benefit from more variety and better direction.
- “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 soundtrack is at the level of Star Wars/Indiana Jones, pure magical moments; and even better than the original from 1999.”
- “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 the immersion that could have been added by otherwise nice ambient sounds.”
humor
76 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its witty, sarcastic, and ironic tone, with many players enjoying the quirky character interactions and amusing dialogue. While some found the humor to be a bit over-the-top or tropey, it effectively captures the charm of 80s and 90s sci-fi, providing a light-hearted experience that complements the game's exploration and storytelling. Overall, the humor is a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal and enjoyment.
- “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.”
- “Characters are all connected and well written - a bit tropey but in a light-hearted, funny way which fits considering it's basically a love letter to corny 80s sci-fi flicks.”
optimization
60 mentions
12 % positive mentions
37 % neutral mentions
52 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, particularly on lower-end systems and during high-action scenes, leading to stuttering and jerky animations. While some users experienced smooth gameplay with good frame rates, others noted that the game struggles with performance despite its decent graphics, indicating a need for further optimization and patching. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the game has potential, its current optimization leaves much to be desired.
- “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.”
- “Also, the music is good if not extraordinary, and the game is actually well optimized if not devoid of bugs.”
- “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
45 mentions
11 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
89 % negative mentions
The game is generally described as "buggy," with players encountering various graphical glitches, sound issues, and occasional crashes that can disrupt gameplay. While some users report minor glitches that do not significantly impact their experience, others have faced more serious problems, including soft locks and control issues. Overall, despite its stability flaws, many still find the game enjoyable and recommend it, acknowledging that such bugs are common in modern releases.
- “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.”
- “Runs great on 4070 Ti and 7800X3D, usually 90-110 maxed out.”
- “Runs great on upper mid-range system. Great animations and voice acting.”
- “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.”
- “This is a buggy mess.”
- “Having finished the game, I'd still recommend it as it's quite fun to play, but with the caveats that the story really gets a bit silly and convoluted by the end, the overall writing seems a bit messy, the retcons from the first game don't sit well with me, and there's a lot of weird glitches and bugs that do hamper the experience.”
atmosphere
24 mentions
54 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is described as unique and engaging, reminiscent of a whimsical children's book, with a pleasant lightness enhanced by its music and detailed environments. While some players feel it captures the charm of the original, others note that the sense of adventure and mystery has diminished, leading to a mixed reception regarding its overall impact compared to its predecessor. Despite these critiques, many appreciate the beautiful graphics and the immersive world that invites exploration and enjoyment.
- “The pleasant light atmosphere of the game is largely based on music.”
- “The atmosphere in this game is truly unique and you won't find it in any other game.”
- “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
21 mentions
5 % positive mentions
5 % neutral mentions
90 % negative mentions
Reviews of "Outcast" highlight a significant issue with grinding, describing the gameplay loop as tedious and repetitive, particularly with timer-based missions. While some players appreciate the challenge of the hard difficulty when focusing on the main quest, many find the overall experience frustrating and poorly executed, leading to a loss of interest in the story. Despite these criticisms, some note that the game avoids the excessive grinding seen in other titles, offering a more enjoyable open-world experience.
- “Luckily, it's not grinding like in Ubisoft's latest games.”
- “Both felt tedious and repetitive at times.”
- “- 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
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players feel it has improved compared to the original, others criticize it for being lacking and superficial, with many NPCs offering minimal interaction and personality. Additionally, there are sentiments that the original character design was superior to the current iteration. Overall, the character development is seen as mediocre, with some players expressing disappointment in the depth and engagement of the characters.
- “Terrible character development and mediocre combat.”
- “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.”
- “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
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is considered limited, with many users expressing doubts about its long-term engagement potential. Despite some enjoyment of the game, technical issues and length contribute to a lack of confidence in replay value.
- “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
4 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, likening their experience to reuniting with a long-lost friend. However, while the characters' personal qualities contribute to this sentiment, their emotional volatility and boldness result in a mixed reception regarding the overall narrative progression.
- “This visit to Adelpha made me feel like I was visiting a long-lost friend with a new pair of eyes.”
- “This could be attributed to the personal qualities of some major characters, but overall it felt like their brazenness and emotional volatility led to an okay unfolding of events.”
monetization
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
0 % 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 ticky-tacky microtransactions or DLC.”