Genre: Metroidvania
Year: 2011
Developed by: Housemarque
Published by: Ubisoft
Platforms: XBOX 360, PS3, PC, Mac OS, Linux
#165
Feeling Like: Ikaruga, I’d like to introduce you to Metroid
Maddox may be a misogynistic relic from the early internet days, but some of his articles still have merit. His review on Mad Max: Fury Road is fantastic, but he was also one of the few big personalities that gave any attention to Ikaruga, one of my all time favorites. I’ll definitely give it another read when I get closer to my top 25.
I’m borderline miffed that other games haven’t borrowed more from it. It’s an ingenious concept – you’re either one color or another. Being one color renders you nigh-immune to any projectiles thrown your way of that color, but you’re susceptible to damage from the other color. With the press of a button, you can switch colors. There’s no limitations on how many times you can switch; entire games are built around this premise and two of them are very high on the 500.
Outland is a simple, but not basic game that’s built on this foundation. The art style is gorgeous, the main character and the majority of the stages are in silhouette, completely dark. It ensures you’re never confused about what’s a solid platform to land on and what’s part of the background scenery. It also makes the colors you need to pay a lot of attention to stand out more. The game has its challenging moments, but it’s not unfair for one second. Once swapping between red and blue becomes second nature, it’s like you’ve learned a new language.
You really do learn to tune out the color that’s not a threat, and it’s amazing how quickly that shifts when you’re constantly swapping back and forth to deal with corresponding threats. An entire room of red and blue projectiles just becomes a mini-maze to get through, only you control if you can move through the walls. It’s not the easiest thing to describe, but I can tell you that I loved Outland from beginning to end.
I’ve still never seen a game like Outland. It’s not just the color selection, but the lighting to. Christ, just look at the above screenshot! The camera zooms out to show you the sense of scale you’re dealing with. The statues, the intricately designed decorations, even the windows are unique and interesting to look at. It seems that for every danger-filled hallway, I was soon gifted with another awe-inspiring antechamber, or grove-filled ruin. Terrific.
The sounds and music are equally good, though I don’t have a particular track in my head that stands out. Eh, can’t win ’em all.
Controls are perfect, combat is thrilling. I don’t know if I can say this is the best entry point to the genre. But for those who count themselves fans of 2d games, or bullet hell shooters I do know that no other game in my memory has tried to merge these two genres before, certainly not to this level of quality. It’s an absolute worthwhile time, with a lean six hour playtime and constant upgrades will ensure you’re never feeling complacent, or frustrated with a lack of progress.
It’s unsurprising to learn that Housemarque eventually went on to make the critically acclaimed Returnal, I can definitely see some similarities and I can definitely add that one to my list of games to try. If it’s anything like Outland, I’m in for a treat. It’s a perfect mix of reflexes, calculated movements, platforming, combat, boss fights and discovery. It may feel old school, but that was the intention and I’m all for it. It may not have hit the elation I felt with Ikaruga, but it was pretty close.
The 500 