Stories from the Outbreak

About

"Stories from the Outbreak" is a turn-based roguelike zombie RPG set in 2

Genres & Tags

Role Playing

Play Modes

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

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 210 reviews

gameplay24 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

The game features solid depth in combat mechanics and engaging pixel art, creating an enjoyable atmosphere.
It offers a variety of character abilities and unique interactions, allowing for interesting team combinations and strategies.
Despite its steep learning curve, the game provides a fun and challenging experience, especially for fans of turn-based roguelikes.

The game suffers from balancing issues, with some enemies being overly strong and the healing mechanics being limited and frustrating.
Content feels lacking, as many players report that after a few hours, they have seen most of what the game has to offer.
The game can be punishingly difficult due to RNG elements, leading to frustrating experiences for players, especially newcomers.

gameplay
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
55%
5%
The gameplay is characterized by solid combat mechanics and a steep learning curve, with players noting that while the combat can feel slow and some mechanics are unintuitive, the overall experience is engaging and addictive. The game offers a variety of challenges and character interactions, though it can be punishing due to random elements and enemy mechanics. Despite some repetitiveness and a desire for more character synergy, the gameplay loop is enjoyable and provides significant replayability.
- “Love the graphics and the gameplay, and it still can feel challenging!”
- “Gameplay is tough but not especially frustrating; there's some variety of enemies and strategy is required in most encounters, and learning different skill and party combinations is a satisfying loop.”
- “Fun gameplay loop and tons of replayability with each run; the little detours to unique scenarios are really enjoyable too.”
- “Has a steep learning curve and some mechanics are unintuitive.”
- “The gameplay loop can be somewhat tedious at times depending on what strategy you're using, as some are very repetitive and spamming a single thing to manage your resources mid-combat.”
- “It is a pretty punishing game and while its combat system feels a little unfair (if your luck is kind of meh and your team composition isn't cohesive) at first, as I started to understand the mechanics it got a little easier.”
story
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
70%
10%
The game's story is described as engaging yet sparse, with players appreciating the hidden quests and vignettes that enhance immersion. While the narrative lacks depth and complexity at this stage, many are optimistic about future updates and expansions that could enrich the storytelling experience. Overall, the combination of a grim zombie apocalypse setting and turn-based combat offers a unique backdrop, though concerns about potential repetitiveness remain.
- “I cannot overstate how monolithic the entire experience is - while still being in early access, it manages to produce complicated enough systems and evocative enough storytelling never to become tiresome.”
- “It's a bit of a unique mix of turn-based combat in a way often seen in JRPGs, but with a grim zombie apocalypse story and environment.”
- “Simple, but offers lots of story and mystery about the surrounding world.”
- “I didn't read any of the story because the game didn't interest me to want to read it.”
- “I do worry though that the story will quickly become repetitive and generic, much like in FTL.”
- “While the storytelling is sparse, the game compensates with its intense combat and decision-making scenarios.”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
14%
14%
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its fitting and enjoyable nature across different areas. However, some criticism arises regarding its repetitiveness and brevity. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong complement to the engaging pixel art and solid combat mechanics.
- “The music is incredible and I enjoyed listening to the different songs for the different areas.”
- “Graphics are the pixelated type and feel retro in a good way, and the music and sound are top notch and help the atmosphere.”
- “Incredibly solid turn-based combat with a heavy focus on manipulating the turn-order timeline to your advantage, with fantastic pixel art and a jamming soundtrack.”
- “The music is very short and repetitive.”
- “The soundtrack is small but very effective.”
- “The music is very short and repetitive.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The graphics are praised for their retro pixelated style, effectively contributing to the game's bleak, apocalyptic atmosphere. Players appreciate the art design and audio elements, which enhance the overall experience and challenge of the gameplay.
- “The visuals and audio design successfully capture the bleak, apocalyptic atmosphere.”
- “Graphics are the pixelated type and feel retro in a good way, and the music and sound are top notch and help the atmosphere.”
- “The aesthetic and setting are fantastic.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its successful blend of retro pixel art and high-quality audio design, which effectively captures a bleak, apocalyptic setting. While some players feel that voiceovers could enhance the experience, the overall combination of visuals and music contributes positively to the game's ambiance.
- “The visuals and audio design successfully capture the bleak, apocalyptic atmosphere.”
- “Graphics are the pixelated type and feel retro in a good way, and the music and sound are top notch and help the atmosphere.”
- “The game has a very nice atmosphere with fitting music and appealing pixel art.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
38%
13%
The game offers strong replayability, with players enjoying the diverse stories and the opportunity to explore new strategies, particularly in boss encounters. Overall, it successfully delivers on its promise of engaging content that encourages multiple playthroughs.
- “I've really enjoyed the stories from the outbreak, and I appreciate how replayable the game is.”
- “Delivers on its promise and offers lots of replayability.”
- “Decent replayability, especially if you like finding new strategies for the bosses.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game presents a theoretically amusing casual concept, featuring local tropes that resonate well with players. However, its humor is undermined by poor balance and a preference for voice-over rather than text, which could have enhanced the overall atmosphere. Despite these issues, the game is solid and free of bugs.
- “Solid game, no bugs, local tropes are funny.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the lengthy runs and random event outcomes that can unfairly penalize certain choices. The repetitive nature of some strategies, especially in resource management during combat, contributes to a gameplay loop that can feel monotonous.
- “Discovering the optimal ways to resolve random events was pretty tedious given the length of runs and node RNG. I especially disliked that 'evil' choices were punished in one type of event but not another. It sucks to be handicapped by an event because you had no way of knowing the outcome.”
- “The gameplay loop can be somewhat tedious at times depending on what strategy you're using, as some are very repetitive and involve spamming a single action to manage your resources mid-combat.”
- “The gameplay loop can be somewhat tedious at times depending on what strategy you're using, as some are very repetitive and involve spamming a single action to manage your resources mid-combat.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users consistently report that the game is completely bug-free, indicating a high level of stability.
- “Bug free in every sense.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game to be deeply emotional and often heartbreaking, highlighting its ability to evoke strong feelings and resonate on a personal level.
- “This game, man, this is heartbreaking.”