At the Digital Showcase 2023, publisher THQ showed new gameplay for the Outcast sequel A New Beginning. The action-adventure game lures you back to Adelpha after more than 20 years with jetpack action and a dash of strategy.
Who of you still remembers Outcast? The action-adventure classic from 1999 took you to the alien planet Adelpha in the skin of Navy Seal Cutter Slade and set standards for open-world games at the time.
But then it was quiet around the brand for a long time. A sequel was not realised due to the insolvency of the developers, and a remake under the title Outcast: Second Contact failed to convince us in 2017.
But something is happening in the Outcast universe. At the end of 2021, publisher THQ Nordic announced that the series will finally be continued. The studio responsible is none other than Appeal, the Belgian developers of the first part. In the course of its Digital Showcase 2023, THQ has now shown a new trailer for the game. We took a closer look at it.
New name, new luck
The first change is immediately the name: The number two is dropped from the title, the game is from now on called Outcast: A New Beginning. The developers want to make it clear that the sequel is also a new start for the series . Furthermore, they don t want to give anyone the impression that they have to have played part one first in order to understand A New Beginning. The game wants to tell you a stand-alone story.
But you can play an old acquaintance. Ex-soldier Cutter Slade returns as the main character This time, however, he does not have to save Earth, but the world of Adelpha. The planet and its native inhabitants, the Talans, are threatened by a hostile robot army
The invaders are exploiting Adelpha’s resources and destroying the environment, cutting off the fragile link between the Talanese villages. As Cutter Slade, you must drive out the robos by allying with the creatures of Adelpha and harnessing the powers of nature.
Beautiful Old World
We already know the game world Adelpha from the old Outcast. But in A New Beginning it shines as colourfully as before. From icy mountains with bizarre rock formations to colourful forests and dry sandy deserts, it all looks really chic thanks to the heavily modified Unreal Engine 4. And you can also explore these landscapes, because the new Outcast, like its predecessor, offers you an open game world.
But what’s new now, we hear some of you ask? The first big innovation is the jetpack, with which main character Cutter Slade can fly around in extreme style. Whether on an exploration tour or in battles – the thing is versatile and reminiscent in concept of the flight armour from Anthem
If an enemy on a tower annoys you? Then fly up there and knock out his lights. Do you want to get from A to B quickly? The rocket backpack helps here too. And it also makes dodging as easy as pie.
But Cutter Slade doesn’t only score with technical gadgets. The forces of nature are also on his side At least when you help liberate and expand the villages of the Talans. When a region is in good shape, you gain powerful abilities called Talan Powers that come in handy in battles. For example, you can summon a swarm of angry killer flies or manipulate gravity to creatively defeat your enemies
Our main character’s weapons are modularly customisable. With a total of 30 different upgrades, you can tailor the guns to your individual playstyle.
Now it’s getting strategic
A brand new feature is the strategy map This shows you which villages you have already connected, which skills and resources you can expect there and where enemy convoys are currently moving.
If you raid these, you can effectively cut the robot invaders’ supply lines. How organically this strategic element ultimately combines with the rest of the adventure gameplay remains to be seen. But it’s certainly an interesting idea.
Outcast: A New Beginning is scheduled for release on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and the PC The developers estimate the duration of the single-player campaign to be around 35 hours A release date is unfortunately not yet known, but you can already add the game to your wish lists.
What do you think about Outcast: A New Beginning? Are you fans of the predecessors and were you convinced by what was shown, or can you not do anything with it yet? Feel free to post your thoughts in the comments!
