Chris InglisOutcast – A New Beginning is a sci-fi open-world adventure developed by Appeal Studios and published by THQ Nordic. It released on March 15, 2024, and is a sequel to the original 1999 game, with Cutter Slade, a grizzled ex-Navy Seal who finds himself back on the planet of Adelpha. The game features a wise-cracking Slade who explores an amazingly detailed world with jetpack traversal, fast travel portals, alien creatures to work with and a plethora of side quests. As I was playing, I felt the game reminded me most of playing a genre blend of Scars Above (with less boss combat) and ELEX II and its plethora of quests and exploration options.
Resurrected by the almighty Yods, Slade has returned to find the Talans enslaved, the world stripped of its natural resources, and his own past intertwining with the invading robot forces. It’s up to him to go on a mission and save the planet again. Slade is a charmingly rough-around-the-edges space cowboy with a hint of middle-aged weariness and great banter to boot. There’s an intriguing alien civilisation to learn about, and the mystery surrounding Cutter’s return to Adelpha keeps things interesting. I really appreciated the glossary of alien terms that you can toggle on during conversations to give you context on the alien dialect. That was a great touch.
The environment design and detail of various biomes of Adelpha are outstanding. Unlike many open worlds that rely on familiar biomes with a sci-fi twist, Adelpha feels genuinely alien. Lush, vibrant jungles give way to sprawling deserts and otherworldly plateaus. Traversing this diverse landscape becomes a joy thanks to the iconic jetpack. Soaring through canyons, skimming over shimmering lakes, and scaling sheer cliffs never gets old. It’s a blast to be zooming through the trees, dive down to complete a quest which will involve some quick combat, then zoom off to the next area. The sometimes-wide open spaces felt much more fun with this exploration method.
There is a heap of aliens to talk with in Outcast – A New Beginning to gain more background knowledge of the planet and its inhabitants. Some lead to other side quests, but the voice acting across the board is excellent. Big open world games like this often have so many side quests on offer that story progression can get confusing, especially if you are like me and need to clear an area/zone as much as you can before moving on. Some side quests also fall into repetitive fetch-and-go patterns but it’s your choice as to which ones you chain together or move on for a change of pace and scenery. While the open world is vast and can feel sparsely populated, your trusty jetpack and the fast travel system makes up for it.
The quirky dialogue, B-movie sci-fi vibes, and the jetpack traversal felt like a joyful combination and there is plenty to do in the game. For others looking for a full AAA open world experience might find it dated and clunky, and sometimes it is, but that I don’t mind some jank in my games. The combat system offers a decent amount of customisation and satisfying shooting mechanics, though sometimes the swooping flying creatures are a little tough to target. The game did have some occasional frame rate drops but otherwise I was constantly impressed with the level of detail of the environments each time I entered a new area.
Overall, Outcast – A New Beginning is a fun sci-fi adventure with a wise-cracking protagonist and an amazingly detailed world to explore. There is an intriguing story with a plethora of side quests, made easier with the jetpack traversal and fast travel system. The B-movie sci-fi charm and wise cracks from Cutter Slade make this an enjoyable game to play through at your own pace and does well to service fans of the 1999 original and 2017 remake.
This review utilised a Steam key provided by Gametomb.gg and Outcast – A New Beginning is available now on Steam, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5.
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