Info about Outward Definitive Edition:

Official game description:
Special Offer
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**If you own the original base game and The Three Brothers DLC on PC, you can redeem a free digital copy of Outward Definitive Edition.**
About the Game
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**The Definitive Edition delivers the ultimate experience for Outward players.**
Experience the overhauled and complete Outward experience in the Definitive Edition, which natively includes the content of The Soroboreans and The Three Brothers. Beside the new weapons, dungeons and unique mechanics, you can also expect quality of life improvements. Adventurers, now is your best chance to explore the world of Aurai!
Outward delivers an immersive RPG experience coupled with survival gameplay, offering a deeply-rewarding challenge for the most avid gamers.
**Just your everyday traveler**
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As an ordinary adventurer, you’ll not only have to hide or defend yourself against threatening creatures, but also brave the hazardous environmental conditions, protect yourself against infectious diseases, make sure you get enough sleep, and stay hydrated. Embark on perilous expeditions across untamed lands to reach new cities, undertake varied missions and discover hidden dungeons crawling with formidable enemies.
**Tackle the challenges solo or co-op**
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In order to survive in the dazzling yet deadly world of Aurai, you’ll have to be cunning, clever and prepared. Devise diverse strategies to defeat your foes and don’t neglect your basic needs, sharing your journey with a friend, locally or online.
**City Building Mechanic: Rebuilding Sirocco:**
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Create your own landmark in Aurai by helping the population to survive in this ruthless world! With the new City Building mechanic, you are part of rebuilding the Refugee Camp into New Sirocco.
**Enchantment System**
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Armor up and get stronger as you can enhance your weapons, trinkets and armors through the enchanting system! From increasing damage, weather resistance, elemental damage, personalization and even more, you will find your perfect enchantment among over 85 recipes.
The Outward Experience:
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*   Survive in the wilds as you explore the land
*   Play solo or cooperatively, split screen locally or online
*   Ritualistic, step-by-step approach to spellcasting
*   Constant auto-saving means you must live with your decisions
*   Encounter dynamic defeat scenarios
*   A unique experience with every playthrough

Release date: May 17, 2022

Categories: Survival, Action RPG, Exploration, Cooperative Multiplayer, Character Progression, Crafting, Ritual System, Open-World Exploration, Local Co-op


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Immersive survival mechanics core (weight 0.96): The game is praised for its deep and immersive survival elements, such as hunger, thirst, temperature, and disease management. These mechanics are well-integrated into the gameplay, creating a unique and challenging experience that blends survival with RPG and exploration.
- High replayability and build variety (weight 0.61): Players highlight the game's high replay value due to diverse playstyles, character builds, and faction quests. The flexibility in skills, equipment, and magic systems encourages multiple playthroughs and experimentation.
- Strategic and rewarding combat (weight 0.6): Combat is described as challenging but fair, requiring preparation, stamina management, and strategic thinking. The stagger system, buffs, and varied combat styles add depth and satisfaction once mastered.
- Rich environmental storytelling (weight 0.43): The world is praised for its deep lore, emergent storytelling, and immersive environments. Exploration and faction involvement generate personal narratives, making the world feel alive and interconnected.
- Co-op mode enhances experience (weight 0.41): The game's co-op and split-screen features are highly praised for making the experience more enjoyable and strategic. Playing with friends adds depth to survival, combat, and exploration, making challenges more manageable and fun.
- Unique death and consequence mechanics (weight 0.28): The game features creative and varied death scenarios, such as being captured by bandits or rescued by NPCs. These mechanics add unpredictability and immersion, making failure feel impactful and engaging.
- Encourages preparation and exploration (weight 0.26): The game rewards strategic thinking, preparation, and non-linear exploration. Players must plan for combat, manage resources, and adapt to dynamic challenges, fostering a sense of independence and creativity.
- Freedom and player-driven gameplay (weight 0.22): The game offers high freedom in exploration, questing, and character development. Players can ignore the main story, experiment with builds, and explore the world at their own pace, creating a personalized experience.
- Unique and engaging magic system (weight 0.15): The magic system is highlighted for its originality, requiring ritualistic preparation and offering powerful but balanced abilities. Features like HP-to-mana conversion and rune combinations add depth and replayability.

Common complaints:
- Steep learning curve without guidance (weight 0.77): The game lacks tutorials or hand-holding, making the initial experience overwhelming for new players. Many report needing external guides or excessive trial-and-error to understand mechanics, leading to early frustration and potential quitting.
- Clunky, unresponsive combat system (weight 0.69): Players consistently report that the combat feels mushy, unresponsive, and overly reliant on spam attacks rather than skill. Mechanics like hitboxes, animations, and enemy AI are criticized for being unintuitive and poorly implemented, leading to frustration.
- Unforgiving difficulty and penalties (weight 0.47): The game is described as punishing, with harsh consequences for mistakes (e.g., losing gear, enslavement, or permanent quest failure). Early-game difficulty spikes and lack of recovery options alienate casual or new players.
- Repetitive, fetch-based quests (weight 0.39): Quests are criticized for being overly repetitive (e.g., fetch tasks), poorly explained, or timed without clear limits. Many feel the main story devolves into monotonous messenger quests with little depth or reward.
- Empty, uninspired world design (weight 0.23): The game world is described as large but hollow, with sparse content, bland NPCs, and few side quests or interactive elements. Players report feeling underwhelmed by the lack of depth in exploration or lore.
- Dated graphics and visual polish (weight 0.22): Visuals are frequently compared to pre-2010 or PS1-era standards, with poor character models, textures, and optimization. The art style is called unappealing or uninspired, detracting from immersion.
- No fast travel exacerbates tedium (weight 0.21): The absence of fast travel or mounts forces players to repeatedly traverse empty or confusing areas, significantly slowing down gameplay. This is frequently cited as a major source of frustration and tedium.
- Poor map and navigation tools (weight 0.16): The map lacks critical features like player location markers, quest indicators, or seamless transitions, making navigation confusing and frustrating. Players often feel lost in dungeons or during long treks.
- Restrictive save system (weight 0.09): The auto-save system and lack of manual saves prevent experimentation, forcing players to endure long loading screens or restart progress after failures. Savegame manipulation is sometimes necessary to progress.
- Cumbersome inventory management (weight 0.09): The inventory system is described as unfriendly, with poor sorting, lack of filtering, and no solutions for hoarders. Players report frustration with managing items, especially during critical moments.

Gameplay feedback:
- Core survival mechanics dominate (weight 0.54): The game heavily features survival elements like hunger, thirst, temperature management, and crafting, which are repeatedly emphasized as central to gameplay. These mechanics are detailed and frequently cited as defining the experience.
- Souls-like combat with stamina focus (weight 0.32): Combat is described as methodical and punishing, resembling Dark Souls with stamina management, dodging, and blocking. This system is a major point of discussion and often compared to other hardcore action RPGs.
- Skill-based progression and magic (weight 0.28): Character growth is tied to skill trees, magic systems, and item-based progression rather than levels. The magic system, in particular, is noted for its ritualistic and combination-based mechanics.
- Equipment and loot management critical (weight 0.14): Inventory and backpack mechanics, including weight limits and loot management, significantly impact gameplay. Players must strategize about what to carry and when to drop items.
- No hand-holding or quest markers (weight 0.14): The game lacks traditional RPG conveniences like quest markers or hand-holding, requiring players to plan, take notes, and experiment to progress. This design choice is praised for its immersion.
- Time-sensitive quests with consequences (weight 0.13): Quests often have hidden time limits or multiple outcomes, adding urgency and replayability. Failure to meet these conditions can lead to permanent consequences or unique scenarios.
- Crafting and trading are essential (weight 0.12): Crafting systems for potions, weapons, and survival items are elaborate and region-specific. These mechanics are integral to combat, exploration, and survival.

Performance notes:
- Poor optimization for performance (weight 0.08): The game suffers from optimization problems, requiring high-end hardware (e.g., GTX 1660) for stable performance on medium settings. This limits accessibility for players with lower-spec systems.
- Multiplayer sync and lag issues (weight 0.05): Players report frequent desynchronization, lag, and disconnection problems in cooperative and online multiplayer modes, disrupting gameplay. These issues suggest network or server-side bugs that need addressing.
- Game crashes and save corruption (weight 0.04): Frequent crashes and save file corruption force players to restart the game or lose progress, severely impacting the experience. This is a critical stability issue.
- Item and inventory bugs (weight 0.04): Players encounter bugs causing item loss or requiring backup saves to restore progress, such as the backpack bug. These issues disrupt gameplay and immersion.
- Mixed performance feedback (weight 0.03): While some players report smooth performance on high settings, others note the game is optimized for low-end PCs with a 'potato mode.' This indicates inconsistent optimization.
- Physics and collision glitches (weight 0.03): Enemies hitting through barriers and players falling through the map are common physics-related bugs, breaking immersion and creating unfair challenges.
- Visual and rendering flaws (weight 0.03): Poorly rendered shadows that spin uncontrollably and basic rain effects detract from the game’s visual fidelity and immersion.
- Long loading times and storage (weight 0.03): Excessive loading times and a large storage requirement (70GB) frustrate players, especially those with slower storage solutions or limited space.
- Minor bugs and glitches (weight 0.02): General reports of small bugs and visual glitches, though not game-breaking, contribute to a less polished experience overall.
- Dialogue system issues (weight 0.02): The dialogue system suffers from mismatched audio/text and excessive button prompts, making interactions cumbersome and immersion-breaking.

Recommendations:
- Ideal for hardcore RPG fans (weight 0.68): The game is highly recommended for players who enjoy challenging, open-ended RPGs with survival mechanics, deep crafting, and immersive exploration. It appeals to fans of classic RPGs like Morrowind, Gothic, and Risen, as well as those who prefer unguided, systems-driven gameplay.
- Not for casual players (weight 0.66): The game is explicitly not recommended for casual players, those who dislike punishing mechanics, or those seeking fast-paced, guided, or easy gameplay. It requires patience, perseverance, and a willingness to learn complex systems.
- Strategic combat and preparation key (weight 0.59): Combat is described as clunky but rewarding for players who invest time in learning mechanics, preparing gear, and using strategic planning. Armor with movement bonuses and spare equipment are often recommended.
- Survival mechanics divide players (weight 0.57): The game’s survival elements (e.g., hunger, thirst, and resource management) are polarizing. Some players enjoy the added challenge, while others find them tedious or poorly implemented, detracting from the overall experience.
- Co-op enhances or hinders experience (weight 0.12): The game is best enjoyed in co-op with a friend, as it can make the difficulty more manageable and add to the immersion. However, some players find co-op less enjoyable due to design flaws or repetitive mechanics, making solo play preferable for them.
- Purchase during discounts (weight 0.08): While the game is considered a must-have for fans of the genre, many reviewers recommend buying it on sale (25-50% off) due to its rough edges, bugs, or niche appeal. Mods are often suggested to improve the experience.
- Blind playthroughs encouraged (weight 0.08): Players are encouraged to experience the game blindly, especially with friends, to fully appreciate its discovery-driven design. Avoiding external guides (like wikis) is recommended to preserve the sense of immersion and challenge.
- Early-game frustration requires persistence (weight 0.08): The early game is notoriously difficult and frustrating, with many players advising others to push through the initial challenges. The game becomes more rewarding once mechanics are mastered, but this requires significant patience.
- High replayability value (weight 0.06): The game offers strong replayability due to its environmental mechanics, crafting, build variety, and co-op potential. Many players recommend multiple playthroughs to explore different strategies or difficulty modes.
- Navigation and UI need improvement (weight 0.05): Players frequently criticize the game’s lack of map guidance, player location indicators, and inventory management. Mods are often suggested to address these issues, especially for solo players.
- Multiplayer rewards need balancing (weight 0.03): The multiplayer experience is hindered by an unfair reward system for non-host players. Mods are recommended to improve shared rewards and overall co-op balance.
- Community resources enhance experience (weight 0.03): Players are encouraged to engage with the Outward community (e.g., Facebook groups, Reddit) for tips, co-op partners, or longer playthroughs. However, some prefer to avoid external resources to preserve immersion.

Other player notes:
- Criticism of DLC bundling (weight 0.02): Players are frustrated by the developers' practice of renaming editions to include DLCs, perceiving it as a tactic to force additional purchases. This has led to skepticism about future editions and pricing strategies.
- Mods improve quality of life (weight 0.02): Players widely recommend using mods to address quality-of-life issues, suggesting that the base game lacks certain conveniences or optimizations. Mods are seen as essential for a smoother experience.
- Desire for pack animals (weight 0.02): Players frequently express a wish for future updates to include pack animals, which would enhance inventory management and gameplay logistics. This feature is seen as a valuable addition for long-term exploration.
- Discovery and wonder emphasized (weight 0.02): Players highlight the game's focus on discovery, wonder, and appreciation of its world, praising its ability to evoke a sense of exploration and immersion in an unknown environment.
- Game purchased multiple times (weight 0.02): Some players have repurchased the game across different platforms (e.g., PS4, Steam) or gifted it to others, indicating strong loyalty and satisfaction with the core experience.
- Achievements require guides (weight 0.02): Players often rely on external guides to unlock achievements, suggesting that some objectives are either unclear or overly challenging without assistance. This may impact accessibility for casual players.
- Lore hints at Earth connections (weight 0.02): The game's lore includes subtle references to Earth or known celestial bodies, sparking curiosity and speculation among players about deeper narrative connections or easter eggs.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.28): Players frequently cite clunky, repetitive, or punishing mechanics as major sources of frustration. Key issues include excessive walking, repetitive tasks, and unforgiving combat that often requires external guides or excessive grinding. Bugs, such as lost progress, disappearing items, and glitches, further exacerbate the frustration, making the game feel unpolished and tedious.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.12): Players experience satisfaction after overcoming the game's steep learning curve and mastering its mechanics. The sense of accomplishment comes from strategic planning, overcoming challenges, and feeling that progress is earned. Features like deep build customization, rewarding exploration, and co-op multiplayer enhance this emotion, especially when players discover unique synergies or complete difficult quests.
- Excitement (weight 0.11): The game's unique survival mechanics, immersive world, and emergent storytelling create excitement. Players enjoy the thrill of exploration, discovery of hidden content, and the unpredictability of events like weather changes or dynamic encounters. Co-op multiplayer and the anticipation of sequels or mods also contribute to this emotion, as players look forward to new adventures and shared experiences.
- Disappointment (weight 0.08): Disappointment stems from unmet expectations, particularly regarding the game's polish, depth, and value. Players criticize the empty or repetitive world design, lack of modern conveniences (e.g., fast travel), and poor execution of ambitious ideas. Technical issues, such as bugs, connectivity problems, and unfinished-feeling content, further contribute to the sense that the game fails to deliver on its potential.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.05): Players enjoy the game's unique blend of survival, exploration, and RPG mechanics, particularly when these elements work harmoniously. Co-op multiplayer, creative problem-solving, and the freedom to experiment with builds or strategies are frequently cited as highlights. The game's immersive design, such as lack of hand-holding or realistic survival mechanics, also enhances enjoyment for those who appreciate its old-school approach.
- Admiration (weight 0.03): Players admire the game's bold design choices, such as its lack of hand-holding, deep crafting systems, and immersive survival mechanics. The game's ability to create a challenging yet rewarding experience with limited resources is often praised, as is its unique approach to RPG design, which blends classic and modern elements. The care and thoughtfulness behind its systems are frequently highlighted as standout features.
- Joy (weight 0.03): Joy is derived from shared experiences in co-op mode, such as overcoming challenges with friends or exploring the world together. Players also find joy in the game's unique mechanics, like crafting, cooking, or discovering hidden lore. The sense of immersion and the satisfaction of mastering the game's systems contribute to moments of pure enjoyment, especially when these elements align seamlessly.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.03): The game evokes nostalgia for classic RPGs, such as *Baldur's Gate*, *Morrowind*, or *Gothic*, through its old-school design, lack of modern conveniences, and emphasis on exploration and survival. Players appreciate the return to a time when games required more patience, strategy, and immersion, often recalling fond memories of past gaming experiences or childhood adventures.
- Amusement (weight 0.02): The game's absurd or unpredictable moments, such as humorous death scenarios, quirky NPC interactions, or unexpected events, provide amusement. Players often share funny anecdotes about their failures or the game's punishing mechanics, finding humor in the chaos and embracing the game's unique tone, especially when it subverts traditional RPG expectations.
- Curiosity (weight 0.02): The game's deep mechanics, emergent storytelling, and unique world design spark curiosity. Players are drawn to experiment with different builds, explore hidden areas, or uncover lore, often driven by the game's lack of hand-holding and the promise of discovering something new. The dynamic nature of quests and the consequences of player choices also fuel this emotion.
- Immersion (weight 0.02): The game's strong atmosphere, realistic survival mechanics, and lack of UI assistance create a deeply immersive experience. Players feel transported into the game's world, particularly when mechanics like hunger, fatigue, or death have meaningful consequences. The sense of living and surviving in a harsh, unforgiving world is a key driver of immersion, especially in co-op mode.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players appreciate the game's thoughtful design, depth, and the effort put into its unique mechanics. Features like the enchantment system, crafting, or the lack of modern conveniences are praised for enhancing the game's challenge and realism. The developers' commitment to creating a distinct and engaging experience is often acknowledged, even if the game isn't perfect.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Anger arises from unfair or poorly designed mechanics, such as punishing death penalties, game-breaking bugs, or frustrating combat systems. Players feel cheated when the game's design actively works against them, such as through relentless enemy mechanics, poor map design, or lack of fairness in progression. These issues can make the game feel intentionally frustrating or unplayable.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Players express enthusiasm for the game's immersive adventure feel, unique mechanics, and co-op multiplayer. The sense of exploration, discovery, and the challenge of surviving in a harsh world generate excitement. Positive aspects like the game's music, progression system, or depth of mechanics often fuel this emotion, especially when the game exceeds expectations.
- Love (weight 0.01): Players grow to love the game after overcoming its initial challenges, often describing it as addictive or transformative. The game's unique world, magic system, and survival mechanics create a deep emotional connection, especially for those who appreciate its bold design philosophy. The sense of adventure and the beauty of its world are frequently cited as reasons for this strong attachment.
- Addiction (weight 0.01): The game's engaging survival and exploration mechanics create a compelling gameplay loop that keeps players coming back. The challenge of overcoming obstacles, improving skills, and discovering new content fosters a sense of addiction, as players become invested in mastering the game's systems and seeing their progress unfold over time.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players are surprised by the game's depth, unique mechanics, or unexpected narrative twists. The game often exceeds low expectations, particularly when players discover its immersive world, emergent storytelling, or creative combat systems. Unexpected events, such as humorous or dramatic scenarios, also contribute to this emotion.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion stems from the game's lack of guidance, unintuitive mechanics, or misleading design. Players often struggle with unclear quest objectives, mixed genre signals, or puzzling systems like item costs or grinding. The game's identity as a survival-RPG hybrid can also create confusion, especially for those expecting a more traditional experience.
- Awe (weight 0.01): The game's beautiful world, immersive atmosphere, and unique lore inspire awe. Players are captivated by its artistic design, such as stunning landscapes or industrial constructions, and the depth of its world-building. The music and ambiance further enhance this emotion, creating moments of wonder during exploration or discovery.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance arises from repetitive or tedious mechanics, such as long travel times, unresponsive combat, or poorly designed systems like map navigation. Players often express frustration with the game's lack of quality-of-life features, which can make otherwise enjoyable experiences feel like a chore, particularly when these issues disrupt immersion or progression.}