The loot shooter Outriders was released on April 1st. MyMMO author Tarek was able to play for a few hours and was pleasantly surprised by the first real boss fight. Here he explains why and what was so cool about the fight.
After the demo of Outriders I was on the one hand satisfied, but there was one thing that left me disappointed: the boss fight against Gauss, who was previously announced as a fierce opponent.
But it turned out to be pretty lame. Gauss did have some cool lightning attacks that made you have to keep moving. But it was neither particularly challenging nor really exciting.
So my expectations for the boss fights in the actual game were relatively low. Sure, the demo only covers the first chapter of Ouriders, that says nothing about the rest of the game. Still, I feared that all boss fights would take place on that scale. After all, only a few shooters have good boss mechanics.
With the release of the shooter I was finally able to play “Eagle Peaks” until the third chapter.
Spoilerwarnung: I will hold back as much as possible with story details, but describe the process of a boss fight and the mission. If you don’t want to know anything about it, don’t read any further.
The “bosses” in the second chapter were even less spectacular than Gauss. There were always guys with armored armor and gatling guns who sometimes had a few skills.
I usually made short work of them. So at first I felt confirmed. But then came the “Inferno” mission, which leads to a volcano and I have to admit: I was very wrong! At least for now.
Because there I met the first, really fat boss from Outriders and he positively surprised me.
Fight in the volcano
In the mission, I had to reach the top of the volcano and work my way up. I did that too. In the run-up to the mission, I was warned of a danger at the summit that had already cost several men their lives. Of course, I couldn’t be told what that was.
On the way up I met a pretty big spider. By big I mean really big. Bigger than a truck. At first I wasn’t sure whether it was the boss or just part of the staging. But right from that point the anticipation began: Is it finally not possible against some armored random guy with Gatling?
On the way the spider climbed around in front of me a few more times, in between I was attacked by smaller offshoots. The anticipation grew with every meter. Then, having arrived at the summit, the fight started. Right in the crater.
Crunchy boss fight with several phases
This is how the fight went: In the crater, surrounded by lava, I then had to face the monster. The cattle repeatedly launched into jump attacks, caused the earth to shake and used large-scale fire attacks.
I myself am on the road with the technomancer and initially had problems. I didn’t react quickly enough and died relatively quickly.
Before the second attempt, however, I better prepared myself, rearranged my equipment and resolved to heat the spider with the rocket launcher and the tormentor, an artillery gun. Now the real fight started after the spider had “warmed up” me. In the second attempt I was able to kill the spider and left the (lava) field as a satisfied winner.
The fight has multiple phases, each with a twist.
- The first phase is still relatively leisurely and it is relatively easy to dodge the attacks.
- Finally, the spider withdraws briefly and rushes its offshoots on you. This is a great way to regenerate health.
- The second phase is the same as the first, except that mini-spiders now also attack in between
- In the third phase, the boss reduces the size of the field and you also have to be careful not to run into the lava
- The last phase is the grand finale.
Here the spider disappears in the lava basin and suddenly turns into a huge lava worm. How this is even possible from the physiognomy, I didn’t really care.
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That’s why I liked the fight so much: The staging is cool and the absurd transformation of the spider into the monster worm is what I like about Outriders. It is padded, not spilled. In addition, the different phases ensure variety and that you have to change your tactics in between.
I like boss fights that are at least somewhat challenging and require a minimum amount of thought. Combined with the cool design and the epic staging, I really liked this boss.
Hopefully Outriders will give me more of it! That remains to be seen, thanks to constant server crashes I haven’t seen much of the game yet.
Some problems at the start, but the most important things are correct so far
This is how the launch of Outriders went for me: At first, like many others, I had the problem of not being able to play at all. Constant server failures prevented that.
Actually, I also wanted to start together with my friends. That also fell flat because I’m on the PlayStation while they are playing on Steam.
Normally that wouldn’t be a problem thanks to crossplay, but at release it doesn’t work between the PC and consoles. People Can Fly is also working on a patch and many other problems: Outriders is struggling with initial difficulties – that’s what the developers are saying now
So I had to go out on my own without further ado. Other than that, I damn well like Outriders. Meanwhile I’m only level 13, but still give you my impressions:
- Die Story: At the moment, I’m still divided about the story. She has her good moments, especially some of the side missions tell interesting stories. The setting of Outriders is a bit overloaded, but basically interesting. It is too early for me to pass judgment. People Can Fly doesn’t take itself too seriously and the humor is macabre, which I really like.
- Loot: Collecting equipment is motivating from the very first moment and for me it is one of the best that has ever existed in the loot shooter genre. While I only started tinkering in Division in the end game, in Outriders it starts with blue gear at the latest. I’m excited to see how it will go in the endgame, so far I’m very satisfied with that point.
- Crafting: The crafting system is well thought out and allows extensive modifications to the equipment. It could be key as the game progresses to keep Outriders motivating.
- Gameplay: Compared to the demo, the weapon handling and the cover system feel even better. However, I still rarely use the covers.
- Difficulty level: Outriders is demanding, especially when you are solo. I had to bite the grass in some places. Usually it was my own fault. I like that it’s not too easy and when in doubt, you can just turn the world down. Fortunately, I’ve never had to.
I particularly like the interplay of the various mechanics. Equipment, the skill trees of the classes and crafting have so far formed a very motivating combination and complement each other well.
I’m constantly trying out new variants, I’m already making builds, only to discard them again because I’ve found a new weapon or a new piece of equipment, or to try out a new skill.
My interim conclusion: If this continues, Outriders could become the best loot shooter in recent years for me. Hopefully the technical problems will be resolved as soon as possible, but People Can Fly relies on transparency and communication, which is why I am quite optimistic on this point.
What is Outriders? This is a co-op shooter between People Can Fly and Square Enix. The game mixes story, RPG and loot mechanics and is a cover shooter that can be compared to games like Gears Of War or Remnant: From The Ashes. The setting is set in a dark sci-fantasy setting.
The humans have already ruined the earth in Outriders and now want to settle on the planet Enoch. You slip into the role of an outrider. This is a special military unit that has been trained to explore the new home.
When you arrive on Enoch, however, things go wrong and you are put into cryosleep for 30 years. When you awaken, you have special abilities that form the basis of the four classes of Outriders. But mankind is already on the brink of abyss. This is where these new skills come in handy. Here you will find an overview of Outriders: classes, system requirements, crossplay – all information about the loot shooter
Here is the launch trailer for Outriders:
