As of late, there has been a resurgence of 2D game offerings, courtesy of XBox Live Arcade and mobile platforms.  2D games are certainly easier to program and design for independent studios, and they tend to appeal to a wider market by containing mostly fluffy offerings of throwback nostalgia. However, some of the larger studios are taking notice of this phenomenon and returning to 2D as well, such as the recent Mortal Kombat. The 2D resurgence is upon us, brothers and sisters, and Outland is certainly one of the notables. Not only does this  game see a fun return to the days of side-scrolling platforming, Outland reminds us that this need not be a mere chintzy novelty, but rather a viable design element for a play experience on par with any $60 boxed game. Is it really that epic? Yes it is.

The alternating light and dark energies provide unique challenges.

Described as an action/adventure platformer, the game contains one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had in a long while. As the story tells us, the world was created by two sisters, one light, and one dark, and that they then sought to destroy that which they created, by releasing their energies upon the world. What this means, in in game play terms, is that players encounter a variety of enemies and puzzles involving light (blue) or dark (red) energy. Fortunately, the player is embodied with the powers of light and dark, though you must switch between the two sides, as you are immune to the corresponding magic — and yes, you do look like the good or bad guys from Tron. While this may sound simple enough, the complexity lies in a variety of situations, bosses and challenges that require you to quickly change between your powers lest you die an unseemly death. Often these quick changes must happen while running, jumping, grappling and fighting. Did I mention many of these challenges will require cracker-jack timing? I cannot count how many times through the course of the game I found myself executing a particularly difficult run, jump, switch, kill, switch, jump, switch, climb combo and uttering, aloud, “Yes, that just happened.” So much of the game is just 65-shades of awesome, it must be played to be truly understood.

The combat mechanics are fairly simple with swing, upper-swing and really big swing being your primary options for attack, however the above light/dark power change adds a level of complexity. For instance, in a particularly challenging boss fight, I found myself facing a priestess whose main gimmick was teleporting from one side of the screen to the other, and changing from red to blue, thus requiring you to change from blue to red respectively. Oh, yeah, you’re also doing an epic freefall, needing to hop from a variety of falling platforms, and dodging rather deadly hands that crush platforms and shoot light and dark energy. This made for one of the more innovative and fun boss encounters.

Don't be fooled: this fight is one heckuva ride.

While some may consider it vapid to commend a game for graphics (and generally, in this console generation, this is true), Outland does deserve special recognition. Not only are the graphics utterly smooth and seamless, the artistic style is nothing short of awe-inspiring. I was reminded much of Okami (one of my favorite games of all time), in that the style not only helps immerse the player within the world created, it also means that every new level solicited an audible “Wow, this is gorgeous.” The stark, visual contrast of the simple black foreground showcased the sublimity of the vivid backgrounds so well, it was easy to feel as though the game were a moving painting. Maybe this is my inner-artist speaking, but the eye candy of this game was never lost on me, not even for a moment.

This sense of style is also present in the game mechanics. The fluidity of the movement and combat feels especially sweeping and engaging to such an extent that, when executed perfectly, it feels downright organic. Much like the Prince of Persia series, the nature of what you need to do to progress through levels and challenges becomes intuitive, but never oppressive. In fact, if I had to pick the most amazing feature of the game, it would be this sense of fluidity and grace. It is, for lack of better word, simply delightful.

Words cannot do the art of this game any degree of justice.

As a person considered to be fairly hyper-critical of games, I am amazed to find myself with only a minor complaint. On occasion, the screen pulls back to show such a large area, the player character becomes rather difficult to see, and in a game where platforming and precision dodging are key, this is problematic. But again, never to the point where I wanted to throw my controller in frustration.

This is not some gimmicky piece of fluff. The overall sense of challenge was high enough to feel rewarding, but never frustrating or grating. Much like with Okami, the experience resonated with me and stuck to me — that is to say, I wanted more. At a mere $10, this game is a downright steal. Outland is currently available on XBox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network (pending the PSN restoration.)

Editor’s Note: Jen was provided a review copy of Outland by Ubisoft.

Written by Jen Bosier  (460 Posts)

Jen lives with her husband, daughter and super-villain kitty. An avid gamer since the Atari, she honed her skills on Doom 2, Daggerfall and System Shock. A bonafide 360-convert, she plays more than is humanly healthy and is determined to find a decent horror game this generation if it kills her.