Outcast - A New Beginning Review: "Feels Quite Archaic For 2024"

There’s something very warming about seeing a cult classic game finally get a revival. Whether it’s the third part of or Nightdive Studios’ perseverance to get classic FPS games back on the map, it’s nice to see game get a second wind, providing the end result works for fans. Enter from developer Appeal Studios and publisher THQ Nordic.

is the follow up to 1999’s, a game that claims to be the first proper 3D open world game, and was released a full two years before would popularise that format. After a middling remake in 2017, takes the form of a fully fledged sequel, returning the players to the role of Cutter Slade, a wise-mouthed former Navy SEAL transported to the alien world of Adelpha. However, the potential of this new beginning is hampered by design choices that make it feel rather old-fashioned.

One element that succeeds about is the design of the world itself. Although relatively small in scope, with an open world of seven towns, there’s a vibrancy that makes up for it. Adelpha and the culture of the Talan people who inhabit the planet are enjoyable to explore, with biomes of everything from jungles to sandy coasts through to icy mountains, all created effectively.

In particular, the vertical design of is very impressive. All too often open world environments are quite flat and lacking in the peaks and troughs that real spaces provide, but Adelpha excels here, with the player climbing up to villages at the top of rock pillars or clambering around treetops. It’s very different from the lifelessness of , for instance.

Players will see the benefit of upgrading their jump pack early, both for additional boosts but also for new abilities, to really emphasise the qualities of exploring the game world.

When it comes to overall design, those looking for a direct comparison to another piece of media would be best placed to think of – although of course would arrive a full decade after the original. This is not only because of ’s vibrant color scheme and varied