Outland

First, let me say that I think I got this product for free. Somehow. I’m not sure how, but I don’t think I paid for it. Who knows with Steam. I’m always discovering new things in my Library that I have no idea how it got there.

That said, Outland caught my eye. It is an action platformer. What is it’s main mechanical hook? A color changing system. Enemies are either light or dark, and bullets are either light or dark. If you match the color, you negate bullets. But if you are opposite colors, you can damage the enemies. So it’s a tradeoff of getting through unscathed while dealing with threats.

Tying things together is a cool look, responsive controls and a decent challenge.

Find it on Steam.

The first thing that strikes me about the game is the visual style. It has a more muted color tone for the backgrounds, but that leads to more clarity with the enemies. Everything matches well with the look of the world. I quite enjoy the way things look.

But a platformer is only as good as the controls. The only problem I have with Outland is that ladders are sticky. If you touch a ladder, you get on it, whether you want to or not. Also, I think you can only get off ladders at the top or bottom, not in the middle.

Other than that, it is solid. The character moves a bit fast, but I got used to it easily. Combat is satisfying. There is a good variety of enemies, and you get a lot of different moves to deal with them. You need a strategy to deal with enemies. Or Charge Strike.

This is a platformer with a main gimmick, and I described it earlier. A color changing system between light and dark to negate bullets and damage enemies. It works great and the levels are thoughtfully placed out to make you switch.

Sure, you have enough light and checkpoints to just power through obstacles, but getting through it without damage feels good.

And let me say, later stages have great bullet patterns. The way the bullets match the setting is really cool. They don’t simply fly straight. They twirl, spin and form shapes making really nice looking obstacle pieces.

Changing colors also activates different platforms. Sometimes you want them on, sometimes you don’t.

Perhaps my favorite part of the game is the bosses. There are a few. The first one is simple, but starting from that point on, each one gives you new and interesting ways to defeat them.

It’s not as simple as attack them. Getting to the right point to damage them is a good part of the combat. Each boss has a different feel, making them all memorable.

That’s the first boss, and an easy one to start you off. But the later bosses get really creative. Unfortunately, the final boss could be more epic.

Outland is a good, solid action platformer with a good mechanic. It’s not original, but the game is structured around it all the way. The game also features online only co-op with special co-op rooms. I didn’t experience any since I played by myself. Oh well.

Find it on Steam.