If a bullet-hell shooter with polarity swapping and a 2D hack & slash platformer ever had offspring, it could be a spawn of hell called "Ikarupersia" that could only be beaten by the most expert pro-gamers practicing it for weeks. Or it could be a really pretty little baby named Outland.
When I got this game I didn't know much more about it than that the screenshots looked nice and that it was apparently some sort of 2D jump 'n' run. Once I had started to play the demo, it wasn't long until I bought the full game - and if you have the slightest love for platformers, you should definitely give it a try.
Outland doesn't feature any game mechanics I haven't seen before elsewhere, yet it is unlike any game I've ever played. It does have a story, but it's presented in a very subtle way. The overall plot is about two sisters - one of dark energy, one of light energy - and about the balance between the forces of creation and the forces of destruction. Every now and then a narrator reveals a small piece of the story, and it's really up to you what you make of that and what it does for you. You can play the game without caring about the story at all; or maybe it will touch you in a way a very old fairytale does.
The basic game mechanics are explained rather quickly - you help the nameless protagonist to make his way across a series of platforming levels. To do so, you have to frequently switch his energy alignment between dark and light - represented by red and blue coloring of his tattoos - to help you pass obstacles and fight monsters. You can only hurt foes of the opposite alignment, but energy of the same alignment won't harm you. You can only use environmental objects - such as switches or lifts - that have your current alignment as well. Over the course of the game, you'll learn several special techniques that will help you master the levels and access areas you couldn't reach before. Last but not least, you can buy upgrades for your health or energy with your hard-earned coins.
Starting with really simple levels which teach you how to jump, wall jump and slash your sword at monsters, Outland will get gradually harder as the game progresses. Much harder. Sometimes I would walk into a screen littered with flying energy bullets of different colors, plus enemies on the platforms I'm supposed to jump on, thinking - OH SH... how the heck am I supposed to get through here?! In these situations, where other games tend to get frustrating and make you want to destroy your controller, Outland will start to impress. The controls are outstandingly precise and smooth; you won't have to waste one thought about "when to press the button to be able to pass that tricky wall jump", but you can focus on the more important tasks at hand - nailing down the timing for alignment switching! Other than that, you'll sprint, jump, slide and climb through the levels with such joy, ease and grace that... well, let's say you won't be able to blame the bad game design if you can't pass a difficult section. IF that's a good thing. But Outland is one of the games that make me feel proud and happy after putting down the controller.
Let's go back to the main reason why I initially downloaded the game - I love the way it looks. Outland has a very distinctive graphics style, and I think it's gorgeous. Eye candy. Yum. Outland's solid black foreground and several detailed, silhouetted background layers that fade into a bright background color provide great contrast to the colorful energy beams, bullets and enemies. The result not only looks really stunning, but - more importantly from a game flow point of view - makes it easy to see where you're supposed to go and which alignment you should take. I was never lost in the huge levels, as little sparkles strategically placed at crossroads lead the way. Of course, if you stray from it, you'll find little goodies and upgrades. The sound ranges somewhere between atmospheric and dramatic - depending on the scene - and definitely completes the experience.
Apart from the single player story mode, Outland features an online 2P co-op mode and several 2P challenges. There's also the so-called arcade mode which is basically a time challenge while you rack up score. It's a fun addition if you want to pop in the game sometimes and don't feel like playing through the whole story again. I wish this game would've had an offline co-op though, because it's one of the few games on the 360 my boyfriend took some interest in playing as well. However, watching him play led to an interesting observation: in about two hours he went from not being able to pass the second jump in the game to beating a quite tricky boss, which in my opinion does speak for great game design and a good learning curve, even if like him you're not used to playing platformers.
If there is one thing I could criticize about this game - and honestly, I had to look hard for it - is that sometimes, when the screen was flooded with energy and a lot of silhouettes, I lost track of my character and his current alignment. Since it's a fast-paced game, this moment lasted but a few seconds, but that can be enough to lose some health if you're in a dangerous spot.
Achievements! Where? Where? - Oh yeah, don't worry, you'll get them all, unless you give up on this game quickly because it's not made for you. I'm close to completing the game and those were a pleasant 200G except for the little grinding sequence you'll have to go through to earn the money required for one achievement. I wouldn't say those are casual and easy 200G since you do need either some solid platforming skills or patience and practice to be able to beat the game, but there's nothing unreasonably hard about the achievements. Expect to invest around 12-15 hours into the game if you're aiming solely for completion.
If you want to be mean, you could say Outland took and combined a lot of well-known game mechanics and wrapped an artsy ribbon around them. Or you could embrace one of this year's arcade games that makes for a really beautiful, perfectly designed and satisfying gaming experience. As with Outland's story, it's up to you.
