ENG:

A truly successful and stylish platformer game. Perhaps, even the first Ubisoft released a proper and efficient level leap game.

Referral! 3


FIN:

Todella onnistunut ja tyylikäs tasoloikka peli. Ehkä, jopa ensimmäinen Ubisoft julkaisema kunnollinen ja toimiva tasoloikka peli. Suositteluni! :3

An excellent PC port of a pretty decent Playstation Store game. Works fine at high resolutions at smooth 60+ fps.

Play with a controller for best experience.

What I've experienced (purely the single player) so far is a beautiful game, with interesting mechanics and engaging boss fights. I guess what I would sum it up as would be "Old school platformers meet Metroid meet Ikaruga." It doesn't really bring anything new and innovative to the table mechanic wise, but it does mesh them well against a unique art style.

Unfortunately the keys are not rebindable, a pretty basic feature that I would have expected, especially in a game where response needs to be fast and intuitive. I struggled with the default keyboard keys - switching to gamepad made it a lot easier. The settings are minimalistic. Resolution & Vsync, that's your lot.

I'm struggling a little with the combat; I'm not sure if enemies vary widely in difficulty, or if I'm just incredibly slow sometimes. I often find myself repeating segments and suffering trial-by-patience but I imagine a large part of that is my inexperience with platformers. The puzzle parts for me far exceed the action. I've found them very engaging and well designed.

It's far from perfect; but in my humble opinion it's a pretty high quality game and excellent value entertainment for a full price of £5. Sadly I can't comment on the co-op until one of my friends goes ahead and buys it... hint hint.

I played this game back when it first released on the xbox 360 and it was great back then. I bought this game *twice* if that doesn't show how much I recommend this game, nothing will.

Outland is one of my favorite downloadable games from the last console generation, and I'm extremely happy that it was ported to PC. The only strange thing about the port is that achievements unlock after you close the game. Weird, but it's okay. (Edit: this has been addressed in patches)

Outland is something of a simple metroidvania with an Ikaruga color-changing mechanic. Players can change between light and dark after an early section of the game and use these forms to attack opposite aligned enemies, harmlessly absorb same-colored bullets and beams, and interact with the environment. There's a somewhat large world to explore and plenty of bosses to take down. The game features an arcade mode with leaderboards, and a coop mode that has a few specific levels. There is also some cooperative stuff in the game - some specific coop challenges and the main campaign allows coop (though due to the nature of the game, only the host progresses).

The player's main weapon is a sword, and combat is very quick and simple. There are some upgrades to the player's abilities, but no alternate weapons, armor, etc (the game doesn't really need them).

The game is absolutely gorgeous, especially at high resolutions and it's pretty to see in motion. The story is very much something of an origin/creation story for a different world, and it's kind of neat, but don't expect a ton of character development, spoken dialog, etc. If there's a reason to buy this game, it's delicious eye-candy and solid gameplay.

Outland, the action-platformer by Housemarque, originally came out on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 over three years ago. It was a good game then, it's still a good game today.

First off let's discuss the port. It's decent, but could be better. For whatever reason the vsync locks at 30 fps, which causes frame-rate judders. The alternative is to turn off in-game vsync and then force it on via your videocard's control panel. I tried this but somehow I still got screen-tearing. Maybe I just suck at computers. Also there's no option to turn off vibration if you're using a 360 pad. Never been a fan of force feedback, so needless to say I didn't like this. The image-quality is a bit too soft as well. It supports resolutions at and above 1920x1080 but I dunno, it feels like it could use some AA, that would make the art-direction really stand out.

Usually when people talk about this game they mention a shump called Ika...ikar...? Oh right. Kid Icarus. Yep that old Nintendo game about Greek Mythology and Eggplant Wizards. Seriously though, the world the hero explores is governed by light and dark(or blue bullets and red bullets). Early on you're given a sword and not long after that, the ability to switch between light & dark(blue & red). When you want to absorb bullets or lasers you should be the same color, when you want to attack enemies you have to be the opposite color. Your color can also affect objects such as floating platforms or spikes. Expect numerous situations to crop up where you have to switch between colors constantly to proceed. This isn't a puzzle game but you will have to think every now and then, at least for a moment.

Switching colors isn't always an option. For example, you might run into a red enemy while area is filled with red bullets. The trick here is to use one of your special attacks. These can include a power strike, a laser, and flashy explosion. Next up are the exploratory powers. Certain powers can be attained to make getting around easier. In typical fashion, previous areas can be explored to find more cash, life/energy upgrades, and concept art unlocks. Fair warning, this is the full extent of the exploration in this game.

Main reason I enjoy this game is it's just so fluid. Back when it came out in 2011 I started the demo thinking "Well...whatever..I guess I gotta try it." I immediately fell in love with its smooth controls, responsive moves, and that wall-jump. There's nothing better than a good wall-jump. So many games these days have them, but they rarely get it right. Outland's wall-jump is smooth, clean, and tight. Just running, jumping, and slashing also feel real good. Exploration is solid as well, though as I mentioned this game is mostly linear, so it's not like you'll miss any huge optional areas if you don't check around. On the other hand, at least you don't have to slash every wall in the hopes of finding a secret. Most of these areas are clearly marked by a cracked wall, a hole big enough to slide through, etc.

There are also a handful of boss-fights. There is a slight puzzle element involved with each fight, and constant slashing won't get you anywhere. One of the minor additions to the PC version is that there are checkpoints during boss-battles. It's a nice gesture, though I figure most people will get stuck at the final boss. The finale doesn't really have any checkpoints either, so you'll definitely want to have all the life upgrades.

Content-wise you should get your money's worth. The first play-through is likely going to take about 5 hours, 6-7 depending on how fast you can collect everything. While there isn't a hard difficulty or anything, there is an arcade mode. Basically this cuts the world up into stages, and your goal is to shoot for the high score. Housemarque did a fine job designing this game with an arcade mindset. There's a time limit to account for and a multiplier bonus that continually rises, just as long as you don't take any damage. The arcade mode is definitely worth checking out. There's also online co-op. Story & Arcade mode are available as well as special co-op challenges. The real challenge however is finding somebody to play this game with. Hopefully you'll have better luck than I.

To sum it all up, Outland's strengths are in its controls, its audiovisual direction, and its focused arcade-like game design. If you go in expecting some Metroidvania you're gonna be severely disappointed. This isn't a exploration-heavy game, and there definitely aren't any sweet rare drops. Outland does well in most everything it sets out to do, so it deserves my every recommendation.

Outland is a great game. I had not recommended this game initially due to the lack of rebindable keys, but the devs have fixed it and so a proper review is in order.

I had heard many great things about Outland, and this game really was on the top of the list of games I wished would come to PC so that I could play it. Overall, after playing it and beating the final boss, I must say it has lived up to expectations.

The visuals and settings is amazing, there is a good score accompanying the action, and the challenge (especially the boss fights) is well-done. I loved the tight and responsive movement controls...really one of the best-controlling platformers in that respect I've played.

Gameplay is composed mainly of platforming, combat and polarity switching, often times combining two or all three of the gameplay mechanics. The regular level sections aren't necessarily difficult. They pose a challenge, and you may die, but compared to the boss fights they are pretty do-able.

As for the boss fights, they increase in difficulty from one to the other. I found the 4th boss rather difficult, and the final boss is about learning and applying everything you have learned. It is not easy, and took me more than 2 hours to complete the final one. But still I found the challenge fair and kept going at it until I was done. Only 3% have completed the game...so you get an idea.

Alongside all that, there is a decent amount of exploring to do. Some exploring can be done linearly (meaning as you progress), while others are done while backtracking. I did as much linear exploration as I could, and it took me slightly more than 10 hours to complete the game.

All in all, Outland is as great as I expected it to be. I enjoyed the challenge and setting of the game. As such, naturally the game gets a thumbs up from me.

A platform game with some heavy metroidvania influences, it takes a few cues from games like Giana Sisters with the dual gameplay of red vs. blue (you’ll see when you watch the video, promise), and even taking some cues from bullet hell shooters, surprisingly effectively used in this platformer.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=338031259

I've only put a couple hours into this game so far, but already I'm in love with it. Classic platform style gameplay with beautiful art, dynamic enemies, enough combat skills to keep it interesting, and the storytelling is pretty decent for a platformer. The ability to switch from light to dark mode really does it for me. It adds a dynamic to the game and keeps it interesting and fast paced enough to keep you going and going. Highly recommended to anyone who loves platformers of any kind.

Very solid Action platformer, great art style with nice soundtrack and great platforming. don't expect deep fighting mechanics or combos, for me i don't mind and i had a really great time beating it. higher difficulty levels and some collectibles also stretch the game's length, Recommended for sure.

Best platformer to date.

Same level as Strider

An amusing combination of Ikaruga, Metroidvania and the original Prince of Persia. An art style that doesn't overuse grey and brown, a story that can be followed easily enough and controls thata novice to this genre can "get by in" as it eases you into the combat system to begin with, then gets harder as you aquire more abilities.

Another winner from Scandinavia.

I bought this game when it first came out on the PlayStation Network in 2011. It was delayed because of the infamous April 2011 PlayStation hack, but I didn't know about it until the day it released. I played the demo to see what it was about; immediately after finishing the demo, I ran to my dad and begged him to help me buy the game.

Outland is an action platformer implementing a system that lots of gamers seem to have fond memories of whereas Outland is still the first instance of it to me: "color" switching. When you change to red energy, you can absorb red energy from the world and attack blue enemies. Vice versa, when you change to blue energy, you can absorb blue energy and attack red enemies. This comes together in a non-puzzle game to give you some challenges that you'll have to think for a moment about how to solve. That being said, there's nothing challenging about the "puzzles" you come across, and the solution is fairly simple. Easier said than done, as the saying goes!

Gameplay: Outland's gameplay is very much based off of this one mechanic. You'll be color-switching a lot. Thankfully, it's done instantaneously through the push of a button, so you'll be back to hack-and-slashing as if nothing happened. Hack-and-slash is very expertly done here, and the color system is often used but never to a point where you get sick of it. It feels completely natural. Jumping and moving around feels fluid, and seems to work better than most other platformers. This is especially so with the wall-jumping, which, as other reviews have stated, works better here than anywhere else. Boss fights are given major importance, and the game does well at making them feel large and epic even when they don't have to be. It works brilliantly.

Story: The story is so intriguing. This is a case of "the story is minimal and doesn't matter much" and "it's good enough to make you want to keep going and enjoy it" at the same time. You play a man who has been experiencing visions of the past due to your spirit being a reincarnation of a hero from 30,000 years ago. You're tasked with the same quest that he was: defeat the Sisters of Chaos who aim to destroy the world that they created. The enemies you meet were once good, but they have been corrupted by Chaos, and you must defeat them to restore balance to the Earth along the way. The only voice actor is the narrator, and while his lines and acting are not as iconic as Bastion's, he gives a solid performance that has stuck with me.

Music/Sound Design: I want to keep this short and sweet: Buy the Outland - Special Edition pack. I did so as soon as I could. You won't regret owning the soundtrack, composed by Ari Pulkkinen (Super Stardust HD, Trine, Angry Birds, Resogun). The music fits perfectly with the settings they were composed for, and the boss fight tracks have been on loop on my computer since 2011. As for the sound design, it's absolutely solid. That sound when your blade hits an enemy is one of my favorite, and there's a lot of subtle cues like running through the grass, sliding down a wall, that just make this feel like a living world. For an Earth corrupted by Chaos, it still sounds beautiful.

Graphics: And I thought the graphics were beautiful on the PS3! Holy crap! The game looks absolutely gorgeous at 1920x1080. I can't tell you if a game is running at 30fps or 60fps because I really don't care either way, but the game definitely runs smoothly on my computers with no issues.

Summary: For an indie game at $10, you are not going to go wrong here. The replayability is definitely limited, but the experience is one that may stick with you for three years like it has for me. There are few minor issues with the PC port specifically (I don't want to see two control schemes at once), but those absolutely pale in comparison to the rest of the game. I have recommended Outland to all of my friends since 2011, and that has not changed.

EDIT Oct 21 2014: I have now played co-op since writing the review, which works just as well as on the PS3 version. Unfortunately, that also means the game is just as dead, so if you want to play the campaign in full co-op or do the co-op challenges for the achievement, I'd suggest getting a friend.

Additionally, Housemarque and the devs at Knockout Games who ported Outland to PC are continously updating the game! My review previously mentioned a bug with the intro video glitching out, and this has since been fixed along with other updates such as better GPU handling and smoother co-op experiences.

This is one of the best platformers i have ever played. the graphics are what really got me and the combat. But the story, its ok but better than most plaformers this year. Trust me i had to have this game. This game will blow your freaking mind the art design made me cry.

Gorgeous and challenging platformer, been waiting for this one to come to PC. However you -NEED- a gamepad to play it optimally. Digging it so far!

Played with a controller, very fluid gameplay. Seems like a pretty nice game.

Wow! ...... just Wow! This game is amazing!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64ic_MWcAuI
It looks fantastic, it has a superb atmosphere and graphic style and its a blast to play. Outland is a a fast-paced, dynamic platformer where the player uses powers of light and dark in an epic journey to save the world from forces of chaos. I have fallen in love with this game and I'm not a big platformer fan. This game is simply stunning in all areas. - Superb and highly recommended.

This is a nice metroidvania lite similar to guacamelee. You can go back and explore but it's really rather linear after all. Still it's a very nice game and rewards the skilled player with stylish sword and jump action.
So you got slashing and there's a lot of bullet dodging and platforming.
Unique selling point of the game is you can switch your color to absorb same color bullets and hurt different color monsters among other environmental effects. Awesome when you can pull it off with the right timing.
The graphics are very artsy which I personally liked and enemy and boss design was also good.
Warning: you should use a xbox-controller and it seems vibration can't be switched off.

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Platformers are fun, and so is exploration. Both of those go together like peanut butter and jelly. Outland is no exception. Developed my Housemarque, Outland originally was released for Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network back in 2011, but the game is just now making its way to PC. Now before going any further, it is crucial to point out that while it’s published by Ubisoft on the Xbox 360, Housemarque is self-publishing on Steam and as a result Uplay is nowhere to be seen.

Story

The game starts with the nameless hero having strange dreams and visions of the past. Thinking it may be illness, the hero turns to medicine which proves to be ineffective. He turns to a shaman who told him stories of a huge battle that took place 30,000 years ago between a Great Hero and Two sisters of Chaos, who control Light from the sun and the other controls the darkness of the moon. The battle imprisoned the sisters, but it also took the life of the Great Hero. The shamantells him how the hero is the reincarnation of that Great Hero, and only he can stop the event from reoccurring.

Playability

The player controls a nameless hero throughout numerous stages and areas. Completing these areas involves running through the level once to hit a level or switch followed by navigating back through the level to advance, but that makes it sound simple. I can assure you that you will be in for a surprise. Outland is difficult and sometimes infuriating. While the first area may seem easy to begin with, difficulty increases the further you progress. Oh but it’s not just using melee attacks to kill the various enemies and endless amount of spiders, Outland quickly throws you in to the Bullet-Hell and puzzle genres. One of Outlands key features is the ability to switch colors, or ‘spirits’ as they are referred to.

Switching from red to blue is crucial to navigating your way through the beautifully designed levels. You will find yourself wondering “how?” several times throughout the game. Rapid spirit switching, wall jumps, slides, the works. It is a tough game. Enemies will kill you, opposite spirit projectiles will kill you, and spiders WILL kill you. Outland is tough, but it is very fun. Now we should probably talk about how the game actually runs. It’s safe to say the port is a very good one. I’ve had a few issues where the game crashes after tabbing out for a short period, but so far that has been a very rare occurrence. Since the game originally released on consoles, using a controller is recommended here. The keyboard controls feel very cramped for the many abilities you can unlock.

All the keys are just grouped together in a very non user friendly way, sadly those keys cannot be rebound outside of switching to the only other layout, which isn’t much better. Control issues aside, performance is very good. It’s a 2D Platformer so most anything will be able to run the game. I haven’t noticed any major issues outside of some very rare tiny glitches, for the most part though the game performs and feels fantastic.

Visuals

Simply put, the game is gorgeous. Amazing backgrounds mix so well with the contrasting Blue and Red spirit colors. Outland presents itself perfectly. The moment you start playing the game, you can see all of the artistic talent that went into the game. 2D Platformers tend to always have a very unique art style, and Outland is just another example of that. The silhouette of the player and the various enemies is reminiscent of Limbo, but are highlighted by vivid shades of Red and Blue, and occasionally yellow.

Features

Singleplayer: Campaign Only, Metroidvania Style Story.
Co-Op: Campaign Modified Co-Op, Arcade Style Challenges, Co-Op Challenge Rooms
Steam Achievements: Specialized Tasks Awarding Honor Stamps
Steam Cloud: Ability To Back Up & Load Saves From The Cloud
Full Controller Support: Full Controller Support for Xinput Enabled Devices.
Steam Trading Cards: Tradable & Marketable Digital Cards Related To Medium Awarded Base On Playtime.

Soundscape

Outlands scores are composed by Ari Pulkkinen who is known for such games as the Trine franchise and most recently Resogun. As well as composing the scores, he also contributed to the general sound design. The game sounds good, sword slashes provide a satisfying sense of contact when you attack an enemy and everything else mixes perfectly with the setting to help immerse the player into the game.

Multiplayer

The multiplayer component of the game becomes more and more fleshed out as you go farther in the single campaign. There are certain elements that unlock as you encounter them throughout the game, the first of these modes is to do the campaign cooperatively, the changes from single player are mostly to switches or any specific advancement article is made to be needed to be activated by both parties. You are given complete free roam from your partner and not required to stay on screen, this helps with exploration as you cover more ground. The only gripe about the multiplayer was that it has this rubber banding issue where the game kept trying to sync what we both would be doing constantly. This led to some lag as it always appeared that animations were a frame or so behind then correct before going behind again.

Parting Shot

Outland is a fun game. Exploration feels fun and it feels good when you are rewarded for going off the beaten path. The music and sound ties perfectly with the gorgeous stages and background to create some very nice eye and ear candy. Combat plays a key role in the game. You have a basic melee attack as well as unlockable abilities such as the slide. Combos are very possible, and probably the most satisfying element of the combat system. A simple slide will throw the enemy in the air allowing you to set up for juggle combos that feel straight out Street Fighter or Marvel vs Capcom. Unfortunately, that novelty wears off fairly quickly.

Once you figure out the best combos to use, combat feels more like a routine and a choir, then something you might look forward too. Where the combat fails, the exploration makes up for those shortcomings. Wall jumping and spirit switching around the stages can be rewarding. It’s not always best to follow the straight and narrow, you are rewarded for exploring. Whether you find some of the 40+ collectable masks which can be used for unlocking concept art or upgrading abilities, or finding a totem which allows you to pay your collect coins for a very helpful health upgrade.

Combat becomes repetitive and feels like a choir that sometimes can be avoided, with the exception of boss battle which honestly are fun. The game shines in its tough and thought provoking puzzles and landscapes. Feeling that great relief once you get past that one puzzle you finally beat is something that some games today fail to even provide, but Outland does. I feel good about recommending Outland. Only being held back by the games length and the dull combat, Outland proves to be a very fun and satisfying mix of Metroidvania and Puzzle games.

Just played this game for about 30 minutes. I know it's not enough to post a review, but i guess a 2D side scrolling game tells a lot about itself if we find it awesome from the get go.

This game is fantastic. The visuals, graphics are beautiful and often times, jaw dropping. The use of colors is the highlight here. Cool combination of colors makes the game look vivid. Sound is crisp and sharp. Gameplay is fun and highly responsive. It has a strong metroidvania layer into its gameplay. Meaning it involves frequent puzzles while moving about the levels.

In short - Just get this game, good to fill up your time if you don't want to get into a AAA game right now.