It’s a fully fleshed out setting where each NPC has a specific job and function, making you feel like a visitor in their daily lives. The game world, while limited, doesn’t feel like a sandbox of toys conveniently arranged for the player’s benefit. Which is a shame, but Outcast has a real creative charm that still feels fresh today. While it was critically praised for many technological achievements, its awkward gameplay kept it from becoming a commercial success. Its shooting mechanics were clumsy, level designs were overly simplistic, story and dialogue were laughable, and many puzzles were better suited to an adventure setting. So why don’t we talk about Outcast more today? Well, just because you’re an innovative open world title doesn’t mean you’re especially polished.

There’s even an emphasis on resource collecting and crafting reminiscent of modern survival games. You could fast-travel on riding animals well before Halo offered vehicles. It gave us huge open worlds two years before Grand Theft Auto 3. Few games highlight this truth more than Outcast. Available on GOG.com, Steam.Ĭalling a video game “revolutionary for its time” is a double-edged compliment: You’re saying it has great historical importance, but also implying it hasn’t aged well.