Sci-fi

Outriders Demo Continues to Draw in Fans Ahead of Full Launch

People Can Fly’s demo of Outriders shows a glimpse of the full release which is set to launch on April 1.

James

Mar 15, 2021 • 5 min read

Outriders Demo - Blast, Burn, and Bamboozle the Badguys to Save Humanity!

People Can Fly’s demo of Outriders has gamers excited with its fun and highly customizable powers.

*Outriders | Credit: People Can Fly & SQUARE ENIX*

The More You Play It, the More You Want to Play

People Can Fly bills Outriders as a hybrid shooter/RPG with a fast-paced, aggressive feel and an epic science fiction storyline. The game is a single purchase rather than following the games-as-service model.

[Outriders] is set to launch on April 1, 2021.

Outriders offers extensive cross-platform play and will be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Google Stadia. Initially scheduled for late 2020, the full game is set to launch on April 1, 2021.

People Can Fly has released a free demo to introduce players to the game and build interest. The release has been successful on that score, drawing a large number of reviewers and curious gamers to try it out. People Can Fly promises that players will be able to keep all their progress in the demo and carry it over into the full game when it’s released.

The consensus so far? The Outriders demo shows us nothing special in terms of its graphics and story, but the gameplay - particularly the character powers - feels pretty spectacular. Not only that, but it looks like your character’s powers will grow in a customizable fashion which will hold player interest for many hours of play.

Help Me, Player1. You’re My Only Hope.

In Outriders, Earth is a dead planet, and humanity is waging a desperate war to claim a living space on the “hyper-evolved” planet of Enoch. You play an Outrider. These elite soldiers have the best training and equipment humanity can provide. They’re fighting with all their courage and skill to save the human race ... and they’re losing.

Having been altered by a mysterious alien entity, you have extraordinary powers that could be humanity’s only hope. Tracking an unknown signal, you travel across the exotic world of Enoch looking for a secret that could be our last chance for survival.

More of the Same, Until ... Whoa, Okay, That Was Cool.

Outriders looks and sounds good. But for the most part, it looks and sounds good in the same way as most other modern shooters. The characters, guns, and environments mostly look familiar. Even the advanced technology and alien creatures tend to look like those you’ve seen before.

The exception is your character’s powers. These look and feel creative, fresh and exciting. Their distinctive look and extensive customizability promise to distinguish Outriders from other shooters.

So. Many. Options!

Let’s get this out of the way first: as it stands in the demo, Outriders starts slow. The intro includes a thorough tutorial and a lot of world-building detail.

That means walking around, performing basic actions, talking to NPCs, and watching cutscenes. The dialogue is painfully generic. This part of the game goes on for nearly an hour until you finally get your cool superpowers and the action really gets rolling.

But when it does, it’s worth the wait. The Outriders demo has made an impressive display of its gameplay. The shooter mechanics are standard and familiar, but the powers are fun and engaging to use, and the RPG mechanics allow for an amazing degree of customization even in a fraction of the full game.

The Outriders demo has made an impressive display of its gameplay.

Outriders offers four character classes. The Devastator is a tanky close-range class which offers self-healing and earth control abilities. The Pyromancer is a controller type with flashy fire powers. The Trickster is another short-range class, one that dishes out a ton of damage and stays constantly on the move, outmaneuvering and outwitting opponents. The Technomancer is a versatile class which combines healing and sniper abilities.

Each of these four classes has three sub-classes, giving a dozen possibilities to explore. But the choices don’t stop there. Your skills and powers grow and change with experience and with gear. The exotic loot that we’ve seen in the demo can really change the feel of your character, and the full game is sure to offer vastly more.

Outriders delivers on its promise of aggressive play. You can’t hide behind cover for too long, because enemies will maneuver and try to outflank you. To beat them, you need to take the fight to them.

Outriders delivers on its promise of aggressive play.

Fortunately, your powers give you the ability to do just that, with a quick recharge rate that means you don’t need to save them for an emergency - you can pretty much use them in every fight.

A Promising Shooter

The demo release of Outriders has proven to be a smart move for People Can Fly. Players have dutifully slogged through the intro and been rewarded with gameplay that has something new and enjoyable to offer. Even better, Outriders shows every sign of staying enjoyable for the long haul with its deep customization options.

TL/DR

The Outriders demo starts a little slow, but it shows us a fast-paced sci-fi RPG shooter with powers that are thrilling to play and offer deep customization.