Disambiguation: Three Upcoming Games

A few games are releasing soon that are similarly titled. Let’s clear up the confusion with a brief discussion of each game.

Outward
Developer: Nine Dots
Publisher: Deep Silver and Maximum Games
Availability: PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One
Release: March 26, 2019
Official Website

Outward releases today for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Outward is third-person RPG. It’s set in a a high-fantasy open-world and features both combat and survival. The game pitches the perspective of an ordinary adventurer as opposed to a world-saving hero. Players are challenged with not only monsters, but also survival elements like hunger and thirst. Genre-standard systems including resources, crafting, and recipes are present. The combat is real-time but methodically paced, demanding a deliberate approach from players. Medieval weapons are at hand, including swords, maces, and bows, but Outward also features a unique magic system. Magic is not readily available, as is common in most games. Rather, magic is broken into parts and steps. It’s intriguing. Finally, Outward offers two-player co-op, both online and local split-screen.

The Outer Worlds
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher: Take-Two (Private Division)
Availability: Playstation 4 and Xbox One. PC limited-time exclusive to Epic Games Store, later to be released on Steam.
Release: 2019
Official Website

The Outer Worlds is from the developers of South Park: The Stick of Truth, Fallout: New Vegas, and Pillars of Eternity 1 and II. Specifically, it’s lead designers are the creators of the original Fallout titles. The Outer Worlds has a colorful sci-fi setting that is in a way post-dystopian, taking place after mega-corporations have desecrated a solar system (not ours) after humans emigrated from Earth. Players play a custom-created character whom, in RPG tradition, is mute. The game is first-person, and combat is real-time, except for the option of a bullet-time skill similar to the V.A.T.S. system. Like Fallout, The Outer Worlds is driven by player-choice, featuring branching dialog paths with fully-voiced NPCs. Game Informer’s February Feature was on The Outer Worlds. They have lots more information on their website. Their YouTube playlist is also a helpful shorthand.

Outer Wilds
Developer: Mobius Digital
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Availability: PC, Xbox One, and Linux (Maybe)
Release: TBD
Website

Outer Wilds won both the Seumas McNally Grand Prize and the Excellence in Design Awards at the 2015 IGF awards. The game is set in a small, hand-craft solar system during the final 20 minutes of the star's life. The style is almost magical realism. The star goes super-nova 20 minutes after the game begins, resetting players to the beginning so that they retain only their experience and memories. Press relations for Outer Wilds is fairly cryptic because the developers don't want to spoil the experience, but it seems to consist primarily of exploration and puzzles.