Outland
Back when I first started gaming the large majority of the titles I enjoyed were side-scrolling platformers. Of course, developers were more limited in what they could produce back then so top-down and side-scrolling games were of the vast majority. When the 32-bit systems showed up and the capability to produce fully 3D games arrived though, it seemed as if that's all developers cared to produce. Every once in a while you'd see a great 3D rendered side-scroller like Iron Man and X/O Manowar for the PS1 or Mischief Makers for the N64, but they were few and far between.
After a bit of a hiatus which included an entire generation of consoles, we started to see a comeback of the side-scroller. As digital distribution exploded with the arrival of the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Arcade and Steam alongside the standard ability to connect to the internet via console, lower budget titles that took advantage of older play styles started to show up. I was super excited, I loved side-scrollers growing up and as consoles got more powerful all I ever wanted was to see just how amazing a job they could do now with all that processing power.
Thankfully, this vision wasn't only shared by indie developers who had little choice but to create something so simple. Publishers like Ubisoft also jumped into the ring with games like Outland for the PS4 and Xbox 360. Outland is one of those incredible examples of how beautiful a game can be made from a genre that once dominated the market decades ago. Of course, Outland isn't simply outstanding visually, but also a all-around solid title. A mix of both the Metroid-vania playstyle and the Ikaruga polarity system, it offers unique puzzles that send you exploring as you unlock access to a growing map full of traps and giant bosses. Your player switches between light and dark energies which you switch on the fly to pass through weapons unscathed or navigate alternating platforms.
Outland is an inexpensive and gorgeous platformer that I highly recommend if you want to try something that is fresh and unique among the droves of shooters that saturate the current market. It's certainly not simple, I've yet to beat it, but it's worth whatever time you can invest in it, if only for the outstanding visuals.
After a bit of a hiatus which included an entire generation of consoles, we started to see a comeback of the side-scroller. As digital distribution exploded with the arrival of the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Arcade and Steam alongside the standard ability to connect to the internet via console, lower budget titles that took advantage of older play styles started to show up. I was super excited, I loved side-scrollers growing up and as consoles got more powerful all I ever wanted was to see just how amazing a job they could do now with all that processing power.
Thankfully, this vision wasn't only shared by indie developers who had little choice but to create something so simple. Publishers like Ubisoft also jumped into the ring with games like Outland for the PS4 and Xbox 360. Outland is one of those incredible examples of how beautiful a game can be made from a genre that once dominated the market decades ago. Of course, Outland isn't simply outstanding visually, but also a all-around solid title. A mix of both the Metroid-vania playstyle and the Ikaruga polarity system, it offers unique puzzles that send you exploring as you unlock access to a growing map full of traps and giant bosses. Your player switches between light and dark energies which you switch on the fly to pass through weapons unscathed or navigate alternating platforms.
Outland is an inexpensive and gorgeous platformer that I highly recommend if you want to try something that is fresh and unique among the droves of shooters that saturate the current market. It's certainly not simple, I've yet to beat it, but it's worth whatever time you can invest in it, if only for the outstanding visuals.
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