Outward - old school RPG
Outward - old school RPG
This title is perfect for solo players, pairs, or anyone looking to customize (like my gaming crew). It’s intense—every choice counts. Most of its features bring back memories of the games others nearly mastered. If you purchase it on Steam, you can cancel if you’re not satisfied.
If you have a pending quest but want to postpone, this is your chance. The urgency is real: your initial city, where you spent all your time fortifying your base, doesn’t matter anymore. The Bandit King is closing in faster each moment. Let the clock tick—every decision shifts the situation. You might not realize how time-sensitive it is until it hits.
This game stands out from what my group has done before:
We all bought it simultaneously after one of us praised its quality. We played late into the night, and we’re all seasoned players. After those early hours, work becomes impossible due to upcoming updates. Take a break, use vacation time, sleep for two hours, repeat.
You can also tailor the experience with mods. We only used the multiplayer mod to support more than just two players. You can also exploit the porting system to simplify things if you prefer. However, don’t buy it if you’re seeking a gentle experience—otherwise, you might exhaust yourself quickly.
I’ve spent about 36 hours over the past three days and remain in Tier 1 or 4. We explored T3 as a group of four and still found ourselves at the mercy of the developers (and we’re top-tier players). In that period, I completed roughly four quests—refusing to make it easy with online tools.
This game offers a unique challenge: no maps, just dungeons, puzzles, traps, and all. You’ll need to memorize locations in your mind.
Overall, it’s a refreshing experience to dive into a classic RPG, especially as an indie title that delivers quality.
What a no pic?
Thanks for the feedback, I'll look into it when I get back.
I have to purchase two copies myself; my wife wasn’t as enthusiastic as I am. Since we had kids a few years back, we actually stopped playing RPGs because of the time commitment (as you mentioned earlier). However, she enjoys crafting and is more interested in that than soloing. She likes being able to join us easily, hop on board, and go on dungeons together right where we are.
At first, I was hesitant about the price. Even for just my own copy, but if you have time, I think it’s worth it (for a single copy). It really motivated me to buy a lot of granola bars, spaghetti, and call in sick for a week instead of leaving the house. I haven’t had a game like this in years! Luckily, I only called in on Monday and used a vacation day.
What I can say is that what they say about the game in the video reviews (like the Steam intros) is true. This game has all the right elements and is quite challenging. While Google can simplify things, you still need to make smart choices or risk losing. It can handle dungeon details, puzzles, and surprises, but mods might help. In short, I’d recommend getting it and giving it a try—just return it through Steam if you don’t like it.
Just remember: you’ll only have a compass, no mini-map or location map. Learn to navigate using time of day, landmarks, and...good luck!
I've been eager for this game for some time now, as it offers a challenging RPG experience without being a Souls-like title. Since I don’t have friends who’d enjoy it, I’ll be playing alone. Is the game mostly open-ended, focusing on survival and exploration, or does it have a clear story and structure? Also, the melee combat in the videos didn’t look smooth, but I generally prefer magic-based characters in RPGs. How does the magic system work?
Not a testing environment where you can freely build structures; it functions as a sandbox for placing items in the open world, but only temporarily. Dropping something on the ground makes it stay there until you collect it again—though we’ve only encountered one dungeon that resets if the host drops it. Campfires and tents remain permanent once set up, subject to the world’s changes like seasons, people, and towns evolving over time.
Survival hinges on balancing factors such as temperature, hunger, fatigue, and preparation. You must constantly adapt to environmental shifts—whether from weather, biome changes, or location-specific conditions. Staying alive means exploring to gather resources, materials, and supplies needed for shelter or tools.
Questing is present but lacks clear indicators, blips, or icons. Your journal offers only brief updates on tasks, leaving much to interpretation. The experience strongly resembles a DnD-style adventure, though the mechanics feel more challenging than typical PC game modes.
A defined storyline guides you through initial phases and leads toward the main narrative, though its direction remains unclear. Every decision now has lasting consequences, shaping your path without easy guidance. Side quests appear sporadically, offering hints or items but rarely providing consistent support.
Combat is more strategic than in other titles; collisions require careful timing to avoid mishits. While melee feels less glitchy than expected, it demands precision. Combos and button usage (like mouse movements) add depth, but opponents can counter effectively with dodging, blocking, or parrying. The AI behaves predictably, influenced by terrain.
I opted for the mage path, deviating from traditional wizard techniques. No powerful spells like NUKEM exist; instead, a variety of magic is available. Successful spells often require coordination—pairing them with others to create buffs or area effects. The Chakram spell offers sustained damage, though careful use is essential. Rune Mage stands out for its versatility and utility in controlling enemies.
Magic schools differ: Chakram focuses on energy manipulation, Rune Magic on spellcraft, and Shamanism on soul-based abilities. Learning spells like "Reveal Souls" from the Shaman tree can convert enemies into mana sources, a technique I found innovative.
You don’t begin as a mage; you must explore, gather resources, and gradually progress. Traveling to the Ley Line, learning from teachers, and interacting with NPCs (for lessons or items) are necessary steps. This journey demands patience and adaptability, as each choice now impacts your future.
I have a question about this. I was thinking of playing with a friend, but the most helpful review on Steam says only the host can receive quests and progress. The reviewer mentioned that a joining player didn’t get any quests, rewards, or skills. They also noted the host became stronger while the joined player did not. Is this still true?
However, I can clarify what this means – the Host is offering you a chance to join their version of the game. Whatever occurs in their world won’t necessarily carry over to yours. You’re helping them with important updates and challenges, such as dungeons. But the rewards, skills, drops, and gear become stronger in theirs, not yours. If your friend takes one item from your Game World (there are many unique and valuable items or quest starters for these), it disappears until they return it or you restart your character. Anything that can be picked up, changed, or is not just a single item—like the large backpack shown in my picture—can’t be shared between players. Your friends also have access to your items, inventory, personal stashes, all drops, trading partners, and trainers; they can transfer the world to theirs.
For instance, at the top of a significant mountain there’s a sword carved into stone. It’s a quest starter that anyone can collect. In your game you start with just one copy. If you’re the host, remind your friends not to overdo it. Our rule is: if you’re not hosting, don’t take it. The Host distributes the gear.
Similarly, the Rune Mages’ best book is a dungeon finish item—only one exists in the game and stays in a single room. The same applies here; they shouldn’t click-happy or trade it back.
But everything you do in their world—skills, coins, items, upgrades—remains with you. While we all play solo, we let others know when we reach major cities in different biomes so people can join us as a duo (or more) in your game. You can speak to trainers, port over to their game, sell gear, and return instantly to your own save.
EDIT – the highlight is that you can play alone, complete your tasks, then instantly rejoin your duo and start questing together, whether it’s dungeoning or trading in your Game Save.