Outshine

About

Outshine is an arcade-style typing game where players control Hue, a character with powerful typing abilities, and use them to destroy enemies and bosses in different worlds. Players can customize the game experience with modifiers and climb the leaderboard to show off typing skills. The entire game is controlled with the keyboard, from combat to menus.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 52 reviews

story4 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Engaging fast-paced action that effectively combines typing with arcade gameplay, making it a fun and addictive experience.
Highly adjustable difficulty levels cater to both novice and expert typists, allowing for a personalized challenge.
Visually appealing with a cool techno dystopian aesthetic, and the game mechanics are introduced gradually, enhancing the overall experience.

Repetitive gameplay due to recycled minibosses and a limited word database, leading to a lack of variety in challenges.
Visual clutter and overwhelming effects can make it difficult to focus, especially at higher difficulty levels, which may frustrate players.
The story is predictable and uninspired, and the game suffers from performance issues, including memory leaks and inconsistent recognition of typed words.

story
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
72%
12%
The story in this game is generally viewed as predictable and uninspired, with many reviewers suggesting it feels like an afterthought compared to the gameplay. While some appreciate the unique storytelling mechanic of typing out the narrative at checkpoints, others find the overall narrative lacking depth and coherence, especially when compared to the developers' previous titles. Overall, the story is not the main draw of the game, and players seeking a rich narrative experience may be disappointed.
- “Story was unexpected and interesting.”
- “Love the art design and the fact that there is a story weaved in; did not see the end coming although I feel I should have.”
- “One of my favorite flourishes is that there's a bit of a story framework around the levels, which are presented to you at checkpoints in each level, where you type out the narration (against a timer) to continue the level -- a fun detail which makes the (intentionally) threadbare story feel a little more personal.”
- “The story is predictable and uninspired.”
- “The only thing I didn't like was how slow the story goes, and after all the building up, it has a really disappointing ending.”
- “Story is a huge downgrade from the devs' previous typing game 'Nanotales - Typing Chronicles'.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
33%
25%
The gameplay is characterized by engaging, fast-paced action that combines typing mechanics with movement and obstacle navigation, creating a fun and dynamic experience. While the introduction of game mechanics is gradual and meaningful, some players note that the recycling of minibosses can lead to repetitive gameplay. Overall, the game offers a unique blend of arcade-style action and typing challenges, enhanced by modifiers that allow for varied difficulty levels.
- “The game forces you to navigate to avoid terrain hazards and obstacles while fighting off an onslaught of various enemy types with interesting mechanics.”
- “Game mechanics are introduced little by little and then combined in a meaningful way.”
- “Outshine is a fresh experience, combining some endless runner-type gameplay (dodging, activating shield, etc.) with good old typing-words-to-attack-enemies mechanics we've all grown to love.”
- “The level minibosses (stage bosses) are often recycled, making for some repetitive gameplay.”
- “It's quite unique as a game as it combines arcade style gaming with typing and heavily relies on the gameplay.”
- “Honestly, the gameplay and the level design are very well made, there are what is called 'modifiers' that enable you to modify the difficulty of the game in one way or another (yeah, try to play with the words reversed, that's challenging!).”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
38%
25%
The graphics are praised for their cool techno dystopian aesthetic and excellent art style, contributing to an immersive experience that feels more like a game than a typing test. However, some players noted that the screen can become cluttered, making it difficult to see individual elements. Overall, the visuals, combined with a fast-paced cyberpunk soundtrack, enhance the gameplay significantly.
- “By far the best typing game Fishing Cactus made, this really feels like a game and not some typing test with tacked-on visuals.”
- “But all in all, the strategy and the gameplay were fun, and the graphics were amazing!”
- “Fast-paced cyberpunk soundtrack is a plus; the art style and graphics overall are quite excellent.”
- “It can be downright difficult to see all the individual letters homing in on you when you’ve got so many other typographical objects on the screen.”
- “Graphics, mechanics, and delivery are alright.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game's optimization has been criticized for significant performance issues, including memory leaks and disruptive decay over time, which can detract from the overall experience. Players recommend restarting the game to alleviate some of these problems, but many feel that substantial improvements are necessary for a smoother gameplay experience.
- “The above bits are definitely annoying and I hope the devs address some of them, especially the sharply swerving routes flinging prompts off screen and the memory leakage causing performance issues, but despite all that I think it's fun enough for its short arcade experience.”
- “The game doesn't seem to be optimized that well.”
- “If you find performance decaying over time to a point you find disruptive to your play, take a moment to restart the game.”
- “But it needs a lot of optimization work because performance is a joke.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game is generally well-received, featuring a fast-paced cyberpunk soundtrack that complements the gameplay and enhances the overall experience. While it effectively supports the game's narrative and aesthetics, some users find it somewhat generic and suggest that the environments could benefit from greater variety.
- “Fast-paced cyberpunk soundtrack is a plus; the art style and graphics overall are quite excellent.”
- “It has a great story and a great soundtrack, and it's more than just a typing test with some graphics.”
- “Music is a tad generic.”
- “Environments could be more varied.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The game offers high replayability, particularly for those who enjoy honing their typing skills, despite a relatively short initial playtime of around four hours. Its low price point further enhances its appeal for repeated playthroughs.
- “The price is low, and replayability is high if you enjoy practicing your typing skills, so a few problems are acceptable.”
- “A single full runthrough won't last too long (I finished mine in a little under 4 hours), but fans of typing games will find plenty of replayability in this one.”
- “The game lacks significant variation in gameplay, making it hard to justify multiple playthroughs.”
- “Once you've experienced the story, there's little incentive to replay, as the choices don't significantly alter the outcome.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional impact of the game is largely negative, with users expressing disappointment in its visual presentation and storytelling, likening it to a poorly executed student project rather than a polished release from an established studio.
- “I love their typing games, but this one is so bad overall. It feels visually clunky with a boring story and poor art. It feels like a student project rather than a game from an established studio with prior releases.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players appreciate that the game offers features to make grinding less tedious, particularly for those who may find certain levels challenging, allowing for a more enjoyable experience during reruns.
- “Grinding feels like an endless chore, with little reward for the time invested.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding makes the game feel more like a job than a fun experience.”
- “I find myself stuck in a loop of grinding, which takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users find that some of the word prompts in the game elicit humor, suggesting that the comedic elements can be hit or miss but do contribute to an entertaining experience.
- “Some of the word prompts are surprisingly funny!”
- “The humor in this game is clever and keeps you laughing throughout.”
- “I love how the game incorporates witty jokes and puns that make every session enjoyable.”