The release of Outcast Tales is getting closer. We hope the game provides plenty of fun for everyone, with many hours of content to take a crack at. But don’t just sit on your hands simply replaying The First Journey over and over in anticipation, as we will be releasing an update to The First Journey, so you might want to wait before jumping into adventure with fresh eyes.
How about you play or watch something else for now instead? And that’s why we’re here today.

Together, we are going to take a look at media with obvious similarities to Outcast Tales; some of it might’ve even inspired us in some ways! Hopefully, these stories will tide you over while you’re biting your nails off in wait for the game.


It’s a zombie apocalypse and only your dim-witted friends can save you! Explore the cute and quirky side of post-civilizational mayhem, ward off zombies with a bunch of random items, and survive while ransacking locations for fuel and resources.



The idea of a team of unique characters going on a large, semi-randomized adventure definitely was a big inspiration for the general progression of Outcast Tales. We really wanted our game to have tons of items, unique events, and character interactions that make every playthrough feel different. And yet, even with all the carnage going on, each new run still manages to tell a unique story and create a fun memory.

The big highlight for us were the car rides in-between the action locations: each one sets up some sort of a unique scenario and mini-story, lets the player do a meaningful choice that changes the outcome of their playthrough or affects their resources, and also acts as a springboard for character dialogue and fun banter. Having these episodes accomplish multiple goals at the same time while keeping things brisk and breezy is something we definitely learned from for our Campfire sections.



Surely you expected a Western picture to be a big inspiration, didn’t you? Many probably expected something closer to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, though…

Both Trigun and Outcast Tales fall into the category of “Western”, but only metaphorically so: things don’t literally take place in the Wild West (in fact, both take place in the far future), but things do happen against a somewhat desert-y backdrop meant to symbolize an unconquered frontier.



What really sets these apart is injecting a hearty dose of comedy into the usually stoic setting, with both Vash and your main party bouncing off other characters in unexpected ways (that said, Outcast Tales definitely brings even more havoc to the table).

It isn’t all smiles and laughs, though: as you watch or read Trigun, deeper layers will come into play, revealing secret pasts and clandestine conspiracies. While this isn’t exactly the template used in Outcast Tales, we did want to highlight a few more thought-provoking moments throughout the adventure: as you play, your party will be faced with plenty of funny and somber choices, leading to unexpected and permanent consequences. A lot of these moments are played for laughs, but they’re often based on some type of a real moral dilemma, and we hope these sequences give you a nice opportunity to engage with the game on a slightly deeper level.
Sometimes just stopping and thinking for a few moments makes the ensuing carnage all that sweeter, you know? It’s just a few moments, though!



You might have expected that, and it’s no surprise, as the games do share some of the DNA.


Obviously, Outcast Tales is not a deck builder game, but what we really wanted to hone into are the tactics surrounding your opponents. Each battle in Slay the Spire is an event that requires you to plan your deck accordingly and engage in an arduous fight that will test your planning, wits, and maybe a little bit of your luck.

For Outcast Tales, we aimed to take that feeling of each fight being an important, boss-like event, and boosting the strategic factor way up.

You are not dealt a deck of cards this time, but you are also not braving the sandstorms all alone. The key factor to every battle is your party composition and being able to plan around your team’s moves and long-term growth.
Most importantly, Outcast Tales lets you view the upcoming turns and actions of your opponents. All the machinations are laid bare, which lets you focus on the strategizing aspect of a particular fight. Your luck really only matters for the critical hits and out-of-battle scenarios.


We hope the tactical nature of our game’s battle system produces plenty of synergies with your customizable party and the myriad of random events, making each run truly a unique experience and a tale to be told and retold.


Last but not least. Let’s address what is possibly the biggest highlight of Outcast Tales: the writing.
We always wanted to zero in on the concept of making an RPG rougelite game. But is it really a true RPG if you don't have miles upon miles of optional dialogue that dives deep into every characters’ personal history, the worldbuilding, and the social mores that echo our own predicaments?
We thought so too, so instead we filled the game to the brim with jokes and outrageous situations to make it as shareable and repostable as possible.

In all seriousness, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a brilliant piece of writing and a masterpiece of sci-fi satire, and if you haven’t listened to it, or read it, or at least watched it — you really should.
What makes it special for us, is that it deconstructs its genre while still preserving what makes it fun for the readers in the first place. Taking the sci-fi tropes and plot contrivances and cranking them up to eleven doesn’t take away from the core aspects of a sci-fi story, nor does it make the what-if philosophical quandaries less compelling; lampshading the trappings of the genre only ends up making them shine brighter. That, and we just wouldn’t be able to live without the thick, succulent paste of its British cheekiness.

A moment from the 2005 movie adaptation

For Outcast Tales, we strived to do a similar thing for the Western genre, post-apocalyptic scenarios, and sci-fi, all rolled into one. We even brought in Samuel Barnett to do the voice and provide the game with that missing Englishman touch.
Of course, we wouldn’t be able to preserve exactly the same narrative structure due to the game’s interactive and randomized nature. However, we’re hoping the writing chops will shine through in a myriad of character encounters, scenarios that skirt the line between hilarious and morbid, and all the billions of words of character dialogue we’re working on.
Outcast Tales can be many things, but at the end of the day we hope it becomes a fun and funny story for you to experience and share with others.


So how was that for a trip down the memory lane? Obviously, these weren’t the only influences on Outcast Tales — we’ve also been inspired by even more video games, Terry Prachett, and our tabletop sessions, among a multitude of other media.

We hope sharing those with you gave you some insight into our creative process. Who knows, maybe you’ll even pick up some new favorites and have something to scratch that itch before the inevitable release of the game!

But enough about us: what is it that makes you excited for Outcast Tales? Are there certain inspirations you’re looking forward to? A certain gameplay mechanic you like, or a feeling you wish to capture?
Share all of it on the CRITICAL REFLEX Discord server! And don’t forget to follow our Twitter page and wishlist the game on Steam to stay posted on all the upcoming updates.

See you soon!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2551970/Outcast_Tales/

Continuing from last time...

One of your team-mates is exhausted after a long trip. Earth to Valery: we literally just camped out! You decide to urge your crewmate to keep going, but this choice comes with a personal check.
Here’s where your personality comes into play.


This is definitely a task for Big Buddy. Being a big charming goofball, he gives his big speech and lifts everyone’s spirits. Nice choice!

Finally, you arrive at your destination: the mysterious village hungry for blood, perhaps in more ways than one. Seems like beasts and men here mingle together, and everyone is everyone else’s kin.


Wishing to avoid any sanitary or virological catastrophe that would surely ensue if you stayed in this place for more than 10 minutes, you receive your reward and quickly press on. And I mean, really quickly.

…And immediately arrive at a more disturbing sight: a village that practices cock fighting. Or whatever grotesque substitute the Wasteland provides.

Sometimes, there are more choices than “fight” and “give money”

You decide to bet your pet companion, but an internal debate rears its ugly head: it seems like not everybody here is a fan of animal cruelty and the opinions within the group split (they can do that?). The personalities clash, and no mutant fight ensues. And who could blame them? No pet lizard is getting any harm coming its way on our watch. Unless it belongs to the enemy, obviously.


Afterwards, you stop at a shelter, which is just like a campfire but doesn't require spending any rations. where your crew rests by playing dice. Unfortunately, this is a zero sum game: some must win and some must lose, which means you inevitably gain some morale and lose some as well. Let this be a lesson: even gambling among friends and comrades can be bad for you.

Rest in peace, Chomp

As you make your way onto a new battlefield, Valery unfortunately loses her pet to the skirmish, and with that, her defining personality trait. That sounds sad on so many levels. Alas, unlike us, beasts were just not made to be permanent party members…

Finally, you arrive at the big boss fight. This is what your whole campaign led up to. Time to show those brutes the power of teamwork and a complete disregard for your own safety! You initiate combat...


…And promptly lose, perhaps joining Chomp in wherever he ended up.

What a downer ending, isn’t it? However, this is but a single day in the world of Outcast Tales, only one journey of many. What will your journey be like? Well, that one is easy: go and install the free campaign of Outcast Tales: The First Journey right now and try it out! With all the abundance of content in this free prologue, your story is sure to have a very different, perhaps even happier ending.

And with so many stories afoot, wouldn’t you just want to share them with fellow adventures? Well, you can do just that on our Discord and Twitter!

Finally, echoing the wise words of Big Buddy, make sure to add the full game to your wishlist so you can keep track of any and all upcoming updates! See you around!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2551970/Outcast_Tales/

...Who am I talking to? You three, obviously. You’ve got an important mission today, so let’s get on with it. Time for another day in the Wasteland. Let’s see if it proves fruitful, shall we?


Nobody in their right mind would set out for adventure without assembling a party first. The world of Outcast Tales might seem brimming with total loons, and yet you don’t see any of them traveling alone, do you?

Your team member’s personality type will determine their base stats, as well as perks and disadvantages they might receive during dialogue and other specific situations.
Do take a look at the attacks available to your character: one of them is a special and somehow it recharges other moves upon use. Do some attacks give respite to our heroes, somehow? Perhaps it’s just like when you take a break from your office job by moonlighting as a nighttime security guard… or something.

You can also set up custom names for your heroes, which is a great way to make some of your friends real mad!

Make sure you screen every party member before you set out. So what if all of half of them are good-for-nothing outlaws? You really don’t want a person with a record in your crew in this day and age, trust me.

An eye-catcher, a brave if unhinged daredevil, and a hermit pacifist walk into a bar...

As you examine the map, you realize you can choose your next destination after most encounters. Maps truly are the greatest invention of man. And yet, the first choice is made for you, so you venture forth.

You can also use this screen to set up camp and heal your party with rations


Alas, you are quickly thrust into battle. But don’t worry just yet: all the moves the enemy is planning are displayed in the upper part of the battle screen. That’s right: you can see the enemy’s turn order, who they’re planning to strike and the type of attack they will use. Let’s see how you fare with this information in mind.
Many of your attacks are also tailored to these strategies.


You use your foreknowledge of the enemy’s next move and execute an attack that deals extra damage to any enemy focused on that character. After you exchange regular blows and set up a protection barrier, you use your foreknowledge to quickly deal with the foes planning to gang up on your pet.
In the end, you emerge victorious, but one of your teammates receives some battle scars, while another receives enough experience for a new perk. Makes you wonder whose experience proved to be more valuable in the end…

Choose carefully!
Enough action for one day, eh? However, your encounter is far from over…


You combine your personal skills with a pinch of luck and trip up the fleeing enemy. As your sarcastic back-and-forth escalates, the outlaw… gives you a vial of his own blood as a parting gift? Wait, what?
Apparently, vast riches await you in his village if you bring this token to the outlaw’s kin. Wouldn’t the villagers beat you up if you come bearing blood of one of their own? Wait, that’s the plan, isn’t it? Nah, couldn’t be it.
A new destination is suddenly marked on your map, so you decide to make your way there.


However, you first make your way to a nearby settlement…


…Which apparently is hosting a tournament. Feeling exhausted, yet hungry for a distraction, you decide not to take part, but still watch the event. This boosts your morale, making you not only a better warrior, but a better comrade to your teammates, which will prove useful really soon.




Short on money, you buy some rations and continue your journey. The next destination might prove dangerous, so you decide to set up camp for the night.

Apparently our unhinged daredevil has a softer side?..

And what sort of campfire would it be without a heart-to-heart? Grown adults still do that, right? Apparently, the charming big guy really wants you to add something to your wishlist. You wouldn’t say no to a guy named “Big Buddy”, would you?

We've got to stop there, but this was only half of that crew's adventure. What will await them on Day 2? Fast friends, deadly enemies, or new philosophical quandries? Tune in for the second part of this entry in just a bit!

And while you wait, join our Discord and Twitter and gather round your own campfire with fellow adventurers! See you soon!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2551970/Outcast_Tales/

Hello, wastleanders!

The hotfix addressing multiple localization errors is live, and it also has a nice QoL feature — an option to adjust font size!

• Fixed localization errors.
  
• Added an option to adjust fonts size. It can be accessed in the settings menu. To apply the effects you need to restart the game.

Hey misfits!

Here's a quick post launch hotfix round of bugs we encountered (and successfully fixed!) just now:

• Fixed bugged behaviour in the Wasteland Beast Master event
  
• Fixed a bug in tutorial (not showing the button if you go back during the initial event)
  
• Fixed a few localization issues
  
• Fixed a bug with Twitch integration poll in RU localization

It is finally time to set foot into the perilous wastelands of Outcast Tales! You heard it right: as of this moment, the prologue chapter of Outcast Tales titled Outcast Tales: The First Journey is
out now! So you can pause reading this devlog and go download it right now. We’ll wait.



“But Mr. Outcast, what is this prologue chapter?” we hear you ask. Here is the rundown, just for you:


More than just a prologue, Outcast Tales: The First Journey features a unique shorter campaign you can sink your teeth into right now! Just don’t get any sand in your mouth.

Assemble your crew, battle your way through monsters and crooks, awkwardly stumble around social interactions, and maybe even defeat some big guy at the end of the run! Not yet an Outcast Tale, but an Outcast Short Story for sure!


The first step towards your own tale awaits.


Finishing your first run is just the start of that journey, though. It ain’t a good tale if you don’t want to read it over and over again, after all! And there’s plenty of stuff to keep you coming back: try out the 4 available characters and 5 available personality types, engage in numerous unique events, and challenge yourself with 3 difficulty modes.

Enjoy multiple characters and personality types, with more to come!


Once you finish your first run, you will get access to Contracts to spice up your journey
even more: finish unique tasks and who knows what might happen!


One can’t attend a big event without putting on something dapper! To celebrate the
game’s sort-of-birthday, we got it some new clothes as well: the UI has been completely revamped for that rustic Western-y look, and the backgrounds have all been given a new life. The Wasteland has also been populated with many more items and deadly enemies. So look around, but don’t dawdle!


The cool thing about surviving is not making it, but telling everyone else you did. To that end, we added Twitch integration for all your backseat gaming buddies. And if you’re more of a lone wolf, The First Journey will have plenty of achievements so you can style on your friends without ever having to lock gazes.


One can’t have a tale if there’s no one to tell it. Thankfully, Outcast Tales features a narrator ready to describe all of your ups and downs, failures and successes, questionable decisions and downright awkward moments.

To make the zany and often-ridiculous world of Outcast Tales more cohesive, the story needs to be delivered with all the deadpan impartiality of a British voice, and who could be better for the role than Samuel Barnett? Known for his roles as Dirk Gently and Cyberpunk 2077’s Delamain, Barnett’s soothing cadence is sure to alleviate the pain of failure and make that one sneaky dialogue choice resonate that much more.



We hope all of these arguments convince you to drop everything you were doing and give the game a go right now (aside from the whole prologue thing being free, of course).
All of that and more is just the start of our collective journey as we’re reaching the finishing stretch of development: expect the full game to feature a much longer campaign, tons of new enemies and items, more characters and personality types, and many more of those sweet unique events. Speaking of that…


Now that you’re all buttered up, set forth! And once you’ve had your share of adventure, don’t forget to share your tale on our Discord and Twitter.
See you soon!


https://store.steampowered.com/app/2551970/Outcast_Tales/

We’ve been through a lot together. The adventures, the drama, the extensively-written devlogs… And we finally arrived at today, a special day. No, we are not releasing Outcast Tales just yet, but we’ve got just the next best thing for you: the Prologue release date announcement!

Without further ado, Outcast Tales: The First Journey will release on…



That’s right! The release of the prologue chapter of Outcast Tales is just a few days away.
This prologue chapter is releasing free-of-charge, but it is more than a mere demo.

The release includes:
…and more!

We’ll share more details on the Prologue and the game proper on release day, so stay tuned!

Before you go and share the good news with all of your loved ones, join our Discord and Twitter! The people there are just as excited as you all are.

One last thing: the Steam page for the full release of Outcast Tales is now live, so you can wishlist the game and keep up with all the updates to come. See you around!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2551970/Outcast_Tales/

These past few months, you’ve read many entries about the world of Outcast Tales (formerly known as Ragtag Crew). Now you’re all prepared to brave the wilds and become the best diplomat/cutthroat you can be!
However, this time we’re going a little meta: we know you’ve been clamoring to know more about the current state of the game, and we’ve come with some good news. So here are some answers to questions you asked. Or didn’t. But you probably thought about them in your head anyway!




The game is steadily nearing completion. No specific dates yet, but a lot has been done in the meantime. There are still some things we’re working on, — such as adding more narrative events, balancing the game, tweaking meta-progression loops, adding voiceover, and giving everything that extra polish, — but rest assured: the biggest bulk of the game is done. We’ve also completely revamped the UI and updated the look of the game’s locations, some of which you might’ve noticed from our previous devlogs!

Nothing says “a blood-soaked wasteland” like that rustic UI look


True, it was: the game changed the name from Ragtag Crew to Outcast Tales. We feel that Outcast Tales is more than just a roguelite with loot and numbers going up, and really want to focus on the storytelling part of the experience, as well as the numerous stories (or “tales”) your characters will encounter along the way.
At its core, it’s still the same game you’ve all been looking forward to, just bigger and better.


Expect Outcast Tales to have lots of content and replayability. The game now boasts many characters, possible archetypes, and events. There are numerous ways to mix-and-match it all, so the number of possible variables and thus unique runs is somewhere in the thousands.
More than that, the heart of the game lies in its unique events, and rest assured we’ve got plenty of those (totaling up to 160k words and counting!). But don’t fret: you don’t have to read all of it thanks to all the narration we’re putting in! And with the many possible endings on offer, you aren’t going to be stopping your adventure any time soon…


You got us. No one likes leaving empty-handed: it’s a holiday, after all. Here’s one last piece of good news:


…And while you’re getting that sweet taste of wasteland massacre, we’ll be putting the finishing touches on our game.
Expect the Prologue to support multiple languages as well, such as English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
There are a couple curious tidbits we still wanted to share with you… but now you’ll just have to play the Prologue and find out on your own!

Whew, now that was a load off our chest. We hope this update answered some of your more pressing questions and got you excited for what’s to come. Now sit tight as we put the finishing touches on the Prologue!

And if you want to share the hype, don’t be shy and hop on in to our Discord and Twitter.

See you all very, very soon!

Last time we took a peek at the various personalities of Outcast Tales and took some guesses on what kinds of interactions might arise from these hellish concoctions.

This time we are diving even deeper into the banter, the contemplation, and the eleventh-hour backstabbing.🗡

As you venture through the Wasteland, it’s not just mindless goons and loot that await you. There are also events, encounters, sticky situations, and all manner of shenanigans to block your path forward. Will you shoot ‘em with your gun or strike ‘em down with the pure, unadulterated power of your mind?

Ah, witch hunting. Your run-of-the-mill moral dilemma.

Some dialogues are tied to in-game mechanics, such as shops. But unlike many other games, accepting or declining the offer ain’t your only choices…

The famous 30% off stare-down.

Still, some choices are more complex than that…

Child’s play indeed.

Not only are there skill checks, but you can choose between personal and party checks as well. Really puts all that character creation you did in the beginning into perspective, doesn’t it?

Dead bodies in a post-apocalyptic wasteland?! The horror!

Beware: failing skill checks might put a damper on your morale, among other things. And nobody likes a party pooper. But hey, at least you'll have your two trusty (and deadly) sidekicks to bail you out, just try not to make them regret tagging along with you in the first place.

If only our parents saying that came with a perk…

As in life, failing at something can also come with experience of its own. No pain no gain, right? Not all encounters are one-off affairs, by the way. Some are multi-phase events that just keep going as you keep traveling. But just like in reality, actions have consequences. So don’t expect being a weirdo not to catch up with you.

This road sign just won’t let up!

So many people, so many stories! Sometimes you meet a kind stranger on your way, sometimes you get indoctrinated into a weird cult. Stuff happens. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, so we hope you join in for more soon! And do expect a bigger update just around the corner. 👀

Finally, here's something to chew on for dessert: a couple of dialogue snippets you might or might not run into during your adventure. Don’t forget to join us on Discord and Twitter while you’re chewing: they say it’s good for you.

That’s right! Outcast Tales will take part in the Roguelike Celebration Steam Event taking place on October 19 through October 26. You know, Outcast Tales is not just an exercise for tactical masterminds, or a story of many choices, or a gritty post-apocalyptic tragicomedy. It is also, coincidentally, a video game of the roguelite variety that you can play. And play it you will!

In the spirit of the event, let’s take a couple of (carefully curated) peeks at some of the things that make Outcast Tales a roguelite.


You grow as one does in most RPGs. However, this game being a roguelite contractually forces us to turn progression into an irreversible choice…


…Still, you continue to grow even after you finish your run…


…No run ever ends without pain, though…


…Which is still worth it, as you might unlock something much bigger than a typical 0.1% damage boost.

We hope that our use of the scientific method has demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that Outcast Tales is, indeed, a roguelite, and thus deserves to take part in this milestone event.

We’re looking to celebrate it with you, so join the festivities on Discord and Twitter and share your impressions of Outcast Tales and other cool rougelik(t)es you find (just don’t forget to play our demo while you do that). Sit tight, some bigger news is coming up pretty soon.

See you out in the Wasteland!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/882590/Outcast_Tales_The_First_Journey/