Outland Review (PS3)

The last game I played from Housemarque was their fun zombie shoot-em-up. Outland is a definite departure from Dead Nation.

Outland is a simple side scroller with colourful graphics and satisfying gameplay, that manages to keep the genre fresh with colour-swapping flair.

Everything about Outland is simple. The characters' moves are easy to grasp and easy to implement. The characters itself is not overly detailed but brightly coloured and attractive. The backgrounds are lush and beautiful but not so much that they detract from the gameplay.

It's gameplay is smooth and responsive, pulling you deeper into your task.  has an excellent introduction of abilities and moves to keep you interested. Though you could play it with a boorish slash-slash-slash, there is an immense satisfaction to a crouch attack-upperslice-stomp. The addition of colour-swapping brings a layer of depth that breathes new air into an overdone genre.

The sound is subdued but lends itself well to the ancient feel of the game. The deep narration also fits well with the overall theme.

Then there are the little things that made me smile: the simple and nonintrusive help systems (map and "tutorial" in the beginning), the minimalistic character sounds, the general trip-factor of the colour system.

This seven hour game is well worth the ten bucks you drop to play it.

Trailer (YT)
Gameplay (YT)