They just don’t make games like this anymore.
I have to hand it to Housemarque, they make games I love. From genre to genre, its PlayStation titles–Super Stardust HD, Dead Nation, and Outland–have had a strong hand in making my PlayStation Network experience stellar over the years. I can say that this company is mystically gifted at crafting refreshing PSN games, and they are, but instead of gushing over them, let me just tell you about Outland. I have our podcast, PlayStation Derailed, for that anyway.
If you don’t know much about Outland yet, let me tell you what it’s all about. Now, I hate to reduce Outland’s core design down to a comparison to two other games, but I simply cannot think of a better way to give you an idea of what the game is like. Have you heard of Castlevania? Yeah? Have you heard of Ikaruga? Maybe? Well then, I’ll have you know that this game combines the best of both aforementioned games into one, and then some.
Outland is a 2D action platformer where players must learn to properly switch a lone warrior’s polarity between blue and red (or light and dark), in order to overcome obstacles, enemies, and even maze-like puzzles. The game circumvents feeling linear by allowing players to roam freely in rather expansive levels, revisiting areas that have already been bested, and by adding a touch of exploration to the mix. If you’ve heard the term “Metroid-Vania” used when describing a game before, then this is a perfect example of a title that falls into that sub-genre.
Like some of my favorite classic action-adventure games, you’ll need to unlock new moves and abilities to proceed in Outland. Replaying earlier levels with late-game upgrades will reward you with hidden areas that offer Doubloons—money used to purchase health/energy upgrades—or even better, Marks of the Gods, which will reward players with concept art as well as new abilities.
For fans of old-school games like Super Metroid or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Outland might hit some of the same outstanding notes for you as said games did years ago. Let me break it down for you: Outland has solid platforming, wall-jumping, swift melee combat, and dashing (yes, like Mega Man). If you’re a fan of old-school games like I am, then that last sentence is all you need to know to assess if Outland is your jam or not.
However, the game doesn’t come across faultless, as just like some of those classics that we all know and love, the difficulty spikes can be frustrating. You’ll be asked to survive a bullet hell of diabolical red and blue dots, jump over spike-filled gaps, and fend off against an astonishing variation of enemies. Boss fights are without checkpoints, meaning that if you die 95 percent of the way through that health bar, you’ll start from scratch. The last boss in particular can be mind-numbingly painful, but the sense of accomplishment I felt after besting the fight made it all worth it.
Outland was $4.99 USD during the Christmas break, which is what prompted me to finally try it out since I had been extremely curious from a distance. I’m glad I did, because I would have paid three times as much for this game had I known exactly what it had to offer. Out of unfortunate coincidence, Outland slipped past our staff in 2011, and wasn’t nominated for Best PlayStation Network game of 2011—something I now regret.
It’s not too late to pick up Outland—I heard they’ve still got copies on the PlayStation Store shelves. Do yourself a favor and try it out. I reiterate: They just don’t make games like this anymore.