Outward

I'm only 20 hours in and I keep dying every 10 minutes (I'm playing co-op with my 11 year old son, he keeps getting into troubles, dies, I try to save him and die miserably as well). But even after only 20 hours (of deaths), I can say that this is a good game, a really good one. It's strange to find a refreshing take on RPGs from a game that looks so old school (in terms of user interface, quest system, dialogues etc.) But this game is very different from your typical western RPG. The major difference is that there is no XP or level progression in the game, your character gets "stronger" because you, the player, become better at playing the game while improving your equipment, abilities, magic etc. That alone is a huge paradigm shift from your standard RPG where grinding is, more or less, the solution to every problem. This game requires a strategic and resource management approach instead. Much more Souls-like than any other RPG I have played recently. The co-op feature, that also supports split screen, is amazing and this is one of the few cooperative games where playing with someone else really enhances the experience, in a positive way (it's not just added firepower, it allows different strategic and combat approaches). The game is so unforgiving that playing with someone else really feels like living an epic experience. That being said, the game isn't perfect at all. Sound and music are forgettable, the combat system is no more than decent, the user experience is poor and sometimes needlessly complex, it's made with Unity and while it's incredibly good looking for a Unity game...it's still a Unity game, the character creation is the worst I have ever seen in any game, basically you are forced to create only ugly and deformed old men, etc. etc. But even so, it's a must play for any RPG lovers that want to try something that, from a gameplay perspective, doesn't follow the usual tropes of the genre.
Update after 60 hours: I don't know exactly why, but this review is getting a lot of approval so here's a little update. Basically, I confirm everything I've said after 20 hours and there's more! As another reviewer said, this game really feels like a pen and paper RPG, where you can craft your own adventure. The main story is very light but there are a lot of dungeons and side quests that you decide to explore because you just want to do it, not because the game is guiding you towards them (quite the opposite). So you find a hidden place, it seems dangerous, you talk with your 11 year old Wizard son and decide that there could be a lot of treasures hidden in that place. You check your inventory for potions, fire stones, the conditions of your equipment, food, water etc. Ok, we are good to go, ready to conquer the dungeon, let's show them what we are made of! Oh no, its full of monsters but no panic! I'll keep them busy wihile you cast your fireballs, mini-Wizard! Invoke the circle of fire! We'll burn them alive! 10 seconds later we are both dead. It's amazing!
Jokes aside, as I've said in the initial review, the game is really well made and balanced and the proof is that after 60 hours (and remember that you character doesn't level up, so he/she is exactly the same character with which you start the game) we die a lot less and certainly not as fast as when we started. This is because we learned different strategic approaches, we know our enemies, we know our equipment etc. It's really a great game for hardcore RPG fans, looking forward to buying the DLCs.

For years I assumed, because of the mixed reviews, that this game was a clunky, unfinished, frustrating mess that only people who still play old-school EverQuest would enjoy. I'm now thirty hours in and I'm having an identity crisis because this might be my favorite video game of all time.
I normally put a lot of faith in Steam's review system, and it seems like it does a surprisingly good job of catering niche games to their respective niches. Factorio, Mount & Blade, Kenshi, all have Overwhelmingly Positive reviews in spite of--or probably, more accurately, because of --their quirky, off-beat, and not-for-everyone designs. Dark Souls, a game Outward is often compared to, is probably the quintessential not-for-everyone game--a game so good at being not-for-everyone that it spawned its own genre! There are countless games for whom their taglines also functions as warning labels, and whose Steam Reviews reflect a shared understanding of being "'Overwhelmingly Positive' (...if you're into that sort of thing)". With all that in mind, Outward's "Mostly Positive" status is completely baffling to me.
It's not that I'm surprised that there are people who don't like it, just as I'm not surprised that there are people who don't like any of the games previously mentioned. Outward is an uncompromising, punishing, difficult-to-learn, kick-your-teeth-for-the-first-five-hours kind of game... also like the games previously mentioned. But, once again like Dark Souls et. al., I believe that Outward is brilliant in its implementation and execution of its systems, mechanics, and most importantly, its mood.
Outward is like if Dark Souls and Kenshi had a baby. You're plopped into the game's world with little armor and even less context, with your choice of fishing spear, pitchfork, or mining pick as your starting "weapon," and you're sent into a world of roving bandits and rabid Chocobos. I think part of what people find off-putting about the game is that it forces the player to re-examine so many RPG mechanics that are taken for granted. We're used to being able to single-handedly wipe out a bandit camp from day one, to get stronger by grinding enemies, and to be able to heal back to full health with a couple potions. So when Outward shows up and says, "Every fight is going to be a battle for life and death, killing monsters doesn't make your character stronger, and in fact because you spent so much health/stamina on this fight, your max health/stamina is reduced until you can find a place to sleep," it's... jarring. But once I got over the vertigo of having nearly every RPG trope I'd come to expect tossed out the window, I began to see the deep intention behind the game's bucking of these mechanics.
Outward is a game that forces you to play by its rules. In this day and age, the overwhelming sentiment with video game seems to be to let the player play however they want. "If I want to fast travel," the argument goes, "I should be able to. If you don't want to, just don't use it." Have you ever tried playing Skyrim without fast travel? It's terrible. Outward, being designed around its limitations, utilizes them as tools to uncompromisingly convey the feeling of being alone, far from home, in a dangerous world.
Compare Outward to Breath of the Wild. Both games involve exploring a vast, beautiful, desolate landscape. The hot/cold mechanic is present in both games as well, adding a sense of immersion and danger to the exploration. I remember playing BotW and climbing to the top of a frozen mountaintop, gazing over the landscape and thinking, "Mr Frodo... This is the farthest away from home...I've ever been." Then having that bubble of wonder and danger popped by the realization that I could fast-travel to wherever I wanted at the push of a start-menu. In Outward, you have to find your way back down that mountain. You have to find your way back home once your last torch runs out and you start to get cold. Distance is truly distant . Danger is truly dangerous . The game isn't trying to be inconvenient, it simply refuses to sacrifice immersion for convenience's sake. That said, the game's never felt overly punishing, either. I've never come close to dying due to hunger, thirst, heat or cold. You can outrun most enemies, and being killed usually means being whisked away to safety with all your gear right next to you.
Outward is a game dripping with intention. There are so many mechanics in this game that I've never seen before, that illustrate such imaginative concepts. I think the burnt health/stamina mechanic is genius in how effectively it answers the narrative dissonance of most RPGs allowing you to endlessly bandage yourself to full health. The survival mechanics strike the perfect balance of positive/negative reinforcement, punishing the player for not preparing for an expedition, but rewarding the player with significant buffs for being well-fed and well-rested, while simultaneously striking yet another perfect balance of being significant enough to matter yet not so important that you're spending all your time eating/drinking. And I haven't even started talking about what I consider to be this game's most brilliantly designed feature: its skill system.
For years, RPGs have had an identity crisis when it comes to skill systems, and online forums often break down into honor duels whenever someone mentions the words: "respec potion." On one side of the debate, there are games like Diablo 2, Path of Exile, and Dark Souls. These games are like, "Big boys enjoy choosing skills that are bad, looking up builds online, and starting their characters over and over!" In the other camp we have games like Dark Souls 2/3 and The Witcher 3, whose skill systems are nearly identical, but with a tacked-on item that lets you reset all your levels/skills/talents. Personally, I think both systems are bad. On the one hand, looking up viable builds on a wiki undermines any sense of experimentation and discovery. On the other hand, respec potions undermine any sense of character-building and immersion.
Outward solves this problem in a way that is so brilliant, it boggles my mind, allowing the player the best of both worlds: the freedom to experiment with weapons, skills, and builds, while also giving the player a sense of character identity in eventually forcing you to choose your own unique skill path that fits your play style once you've had time (as in dozens of hours) to feel everything out.
This game is not without its flaws, and there are a few things I would consider indisputably bad about it: the music, while beautiful, becomes repetitive. The voice acting is rough (though easily fixed by turning voices off). The lack of recipe list outside the crafting menu is tedious, and the lack of inventory organization doesn't help. And while I understand that the devs want to force the player to make tough calls in only giving you eight quick slots for both skills and items, this ultimately just leads to lots of menu-opening. Some enemies have frame-perfect reactions to your attacks, which feels cheap.
Beyond these admitted faults, I can absolutely see why Outward isn't for everyone. Well-established RPG mechanics such as XP, fast-travel, and healing potions are well-established for good reason, after all. It isn't merely Outward's bucking of these trends that makes the game stellar, but rather its unwavering commitment to its vision where its brilliance shines. Many games come close to the feeling of playing Outward, but nearly all of them gladly sacrifice their mechanics for the sake of ease and convenience. Respec potions, fast-travel, quest markers... all implemented so you never feel too lost, too in-over-your-head, too frustrated. Outward sacrifices all in favor of exploration, discovery, immersion, and adventure.
It's the farthest away from home I've ever felt.

Outward is a mix of survival game and open-world action RPG. I have over 200 hours of playtime for this game and I had a lot of fun with it, so you'd think a recommendation goes without saying. But it's not that simple. Outward is a genuine mix of two genres, meaning the game no longer fits either of them but it's the first game in a brand new genre.
Story
A story isn't what you'll be playing Outward for. The narrative is extremely basic. You start the game with a family debt to resolve. You're told there are three factions in the world that can help you deal with your problem. So, off you go…
How the main quest plays out depends on which of the three factions you join and some choices you make during the game. But don't expect much storytelling from the main questline. Each of the faction's questline consists of just four quests that require only a few actions but require a LOT of running back and forth between locations in the four large zones of the game.
The side quests are laughable. They're scarce and almost all of them are repeatable Fed-Ex quests. There are only a few actual sidequests and I found their narrative and their rewards unsatisfying.
Gameplay
As for the 'survival' side of Outward, you'll have the following elements to take into account:
- weather: you need clothing, spells, food or potions to keep you warm or cold depending on the surroundings.
- hunger: you need to eat and you need to eat wisely because e.g. eating raw meat may cause disease, whereas eating cooked meat doesn't carry that risk. You can combine ingredients to create dishes that restore more health over time and may even add buffs to your character. All food rots over time.
- thirst: you need to hydrate. Water is abundant in most zones but only clean water is safe to drink. Sea water needs to be boiled over a campfire to extract the salt. The first time I drank river water, which sounded safe enough, I got an indigestion which needs to be cured by drinking a tea you can brew or buy from a merchant.
- sleep: you need to sleep regularly. When sleeping out in the wild, you have a chance to get ambushed while sleeping.
- no manually saving the game!
Running around while hungry, thirsty or sleepy will put a penalty on your stats. Running around while cold or hot will make you sick. Eventually, you'll die from these conditions if you don't treat them.
As for the 'open-world action RPG' side of Outward, you have quests, factions, choices that influence how the game plays out, merchants, skill trainers, dungeons (often with a boss monster), armor and weapons with stats, elemental damage and resistances, etc. The game is truly open world, meaning you'll encounter easy and hard monsters wherever you go, so you have to know when to fight and when to run, or which buffs may help you win the fight.
You have to decide which character build you want. There are 8 classes (+2 with the DLC). You can learn the first-tier skills of all the classes but you can learn second-tier and third-tier skills of only three classes. Also, there's a special skill for each weapon type. The problem with all this is that you only have 8 quickslots so you need to choose wisely which active skills you want access to during combat.
Outward offers the three basic types of combat: melee (one-handed, two-handed or one-handed with shield), ranged (bows and pistols) and magic (fire, ice, electric). You can specialize in one of these or create a hybrid build. Some weapon types seem to be much stronger than others but in the end everything goes. It all depends on your personal preferences: the character build you're going for and the weapon types that best fit your playstyle.
Outward has no XP or level up system. Silver, the game's currency, acts as your XP since it limits which skills you can 'buy' (learn) and what gear you can afford (buy or craft).
An essential aspect of Outward is crafting. You can craft weapons, armor, food and potions. There are tons of craftable items that offer great stats or buffs but the problem is your backpack has a limit to how much weight it can carry. So you need to choose wisely what to carry with you, taking into account what region of the game world you're going to. During your adventures, you'll find backpacks that can carry more weight but you'll always have to be picky about what to lug around.
There's no fast travel in Outward so preparing for the circumstances you may encounter in the area you're going to is key to your survival. Of course, you'll find resources while adventuring but not everything is always readily available and if you want to be able to prepare food or potions on the fly you'll need to carry a cooking pot and an alchemy set with you, both of which are heavy items.
Just as the survival aspect of the game isn't as fleshed out as full-fledged survival games, neither is the RPG aspect. Personally, I think Outward lacks quests. There are a couple of dozens of dungeons in the game, but if you just follow the quests, you'll only visit a few of them. Sidequests could be an incentive to actually explore a dungeon that is now left unexplored because the reward of tackling a frustratingly difficult dungeon doesn't outweigh the time nor the consumables it would take you to complete it.
Because of this, Outward is a game where you need to make your own adventures. If you're not into exploration of a game world when nothing or nobody requires you to explore most of that world, you'll finish the game in a couple of dozens of hours and you will only have seen maybe 20% of Outward. I'm hoping for a second installment of this game but I urge the developers to add more quests, inviting the player to explore more of the world they created simply by encouraging and rewarding the player for doing so.
Another thing I'd like to see in Outward 2 is XP rewards and a level system for our character. Mind you, to keep the game truly open world the level system wouldn't need to be elaborate or have a major impact. But it would encourage people to play longer and, once again, it would encourage players to explore more of the world. As it is now, I found myself having all the gear I wanted for my character build and having plenty of the very best consumables when I had barely explored half of the game world.
Graphics and sound
The graphics and animations are extremely serviceable for an indie game. I couldn't even believe this game was made with Unity. If Unity ever wants to run an ad showing people the limits of what their engine can do, Outward is definitely the game to show. It really looks like a game between AA and AAA, something I thought impossible to achieve using Unity after having played dozens of Unity-made games.
Outward's music is nice and atmospheric. The only minor downside would be that there are only 4 large zones (5 with the DLC) so the music can get repetitive but I never found it annoying.
Sound effects are top-notch for a Unity-based indie game, although there were some actions that produce no sound at all, which is probably due to time restraints or forgetfulness.
On Steam's extra features
Outward has 6 Steam Trading Cards. You'll get 3 while running the game.
The 60 Steam Achievements are hard to 100%. First of all, a relatively large number of them (16) can only be unlocked if you own the DLC. Next, a decent number of them (16 again) require you to play through the game having joined each of the three factions, so it will require you three playthroughs to unlock all of them.
The remaining half of the achievements can be unlocked by just playing the game and performing some (optional) actions, except for a couple of challenging achievements that either require you to complete the game without dying once (near impossible) or force you to play co-op so as to heal a companion.

For anyone who thinks that they would like this game, but are discouraged by the mixed reviews: just give it a chance. It took me a while to try it, but now it's one of the first games in years I've put this many hours into.
I can understand some of the mixed reviews: combat is clunky, occasionally you just get rng'ed, etc....
But the large majority honestly just don't seem to have put any effort into learning the game. If you are truly dying nonstop, you're doing something wrong.
The entire game is about being weak and having to plan and scheme and trick your way through. If you're just running head first into mobs... of course you're dying. You're playing it wrong.
Only take fights you know you can win, run past unnecessary damage, lure enemies away for a 1v1, get enemies to fight each other, etc.
The entire point is that you're supposed to be a regular person, not a hero who can just dive into a 1v5 and dominate.
Additionally... there seem to be a lot of people with unreasonable expectations here. This game is exactly what it says it is. Not Skyrim, not Dark Souls, etc. Stop holding it to a standard you made up in your head. It's like walking into a pizza place and getting mad they don't serve sushi.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Review for Outward.
What is it.
Outwards is an unforgiving and at times unfair RPG that tries to put you into the life of a relatable and more down to earth hero. It borrows inspiriation from games such as Darksouls with its stamina based dodge and roll combat and from stories such as the King Killer Chronicles with its approach to your characters life without ever fully living up to the high standards of its heroes, none the less there is a good game in here if you work hard enough to find it.
The Good
Outward challenges you, in every step with every decision it constantly seeks to affirm the point that while you are the hero of your story, you are not the chosen one, you are not a savior and you do not have some supernatural right to victory, In doing so it creates an investment into your character in a way that few other games have tried, by making you actually feel happy for them and what they achieve.
Outward is a joy to explore, while the graphics are not the most gorgeous I have seen the world is bright and varied enough and full of secrets that exploration is always on your mind, there is great risk with pushing beyond the area you are comfortable with in this world, but there is great reward.
The Co-op system is wonderful and really this is where the game shines, as a shared adventure against the world, of course one person is the main character and one is the sidekick, but if you can handle that, it is a fantastic adventure for a couple or two friends to follow together.
Customisation in Outward is wide and varied but also, like everything else in this game, a challenge and a balancing act, being good in one aspect invariably leaves you weak in another, and proper planning and thought is more useful than any amount of twitch reflexes, this is in many ways a thinking mans action RPG. You will be rewarded for laying ambushes, preparing your self ahead of time for battle and taking advantage of all your characters skills, timing and patience are key for fights and careful management of your stamina is vital, if you go in button mashing you will find your self very quickly eating dirt.
Speaking of eating Dirt, the death system in outward is an interesting one, instead of reloading, you are given a context fitting outcome, maybe you are lucky and a passing ranger takes you back to town, maybe a bandit finds you and drags you back to its camp, or perhaps a beast thinking you an easy snack pulls you into its lair. What ever happens on defeat you will get to deal with the consequences and then continue your adventure.
The world is both your friend and enemy, adventuring out into the world is the main crux of the game and its biggest danger, the world does not look after you, however to help you, you have your backpack, this is where you will keep your camp materials supplies and anything else you need or find. In combat however the backpack will weight you down, often you will find your self tossing it on the floor to fight... hopefully you can find it again afterwards, hopefully you dont get defeated and end up losing it forever... But if you do, while this is a massive set back it is also an opportunity to build up again, Outward is a journey not a destination, and if you approach it as such, you will find a it will hook you into its world for hours at a time.
The Map, the ingame map really does a fantastic job of making you notice the world, devoid of any icons for you or your quest objectives you will rely on landmarks and and sign posts for getting around and try and match these with your map, it really does pull you into the world and make you take notice of it.
The Bad
The Voice acting, it is rare that the voice acting in a game is actually a "Bad" Thing... it can often be as eloquent critics would say "Meh" but rarely does the voice acting detract from the experience or the adventure in quite the way it does in outward. Voice lines when present often seem completely mismatched from both the message and the tone of the text dialogue, leading to a jarring break in immersion as what you thought was a supportive response turns your character into a savage who kicks puppies and steals the Quavers from a baby. Honestly, after about 3 hours I just turned the voice acting off and found my self much more interested in the characters I met.
Character art, There is no getting away from it, your character will be an ugly bumpkin, and that is your best case scenario, thankfully you will spend most of your time focused on the world around you but still... the character art style is well lets just say they would be described by their friends as having "nice eyes" or "A wonderful personality". I play an ugly guy in real life, I am not sure I want to do it in my fake life too.
The Ugly
As always this is the "Could be better but not bad section"
Sound effects, the sound effects in this game range from passable to pointless while not the worst, some weapon swings sound like a twig being flicked and rather than adding weight to actions often detract from it.
Sign posting, the game does a passable job of signposting where you should go, but really could do with just a little bit more navigational assistance, the amount of times you are having to systematically comb an area because the quest instructions map and signposts conspired to leave you with only half a clue is mostly just the right side of challenging, but occasionally it devolves into something akin to an old school "Pixel hunt" with the mouse, these few moments really detract from the style of game outward is trying to be.
Overall
Outward shoots for a very specific goal, to bring back the sense of adventure and danger to RPGs and for the most part it hits close to the mark, it holds its self back from greatness with a few rough edges but with support on going and an expansion announced and a clear vision from the developers it is well worth playing and supporting. At 40 Euros the price is a little bit steep except for fans of this style of game, at 30 I would say this game is perfectly priced and if you are at all on the fence I highly recommend grabbing it if you see it on sale, anything 20 or below and it is a risk free adventure.
The game will not hold your hand, it expects you to fail and it has a steep and some times unfair learning curve, but get past that and there is a genuine sense of adventure that few games can capture these days, I highly recommend it if you have the patience for that kind of game, or you want a different challenge to your usual fare.
TLDR
A slow burning challenging ARPG that will force you to pay attention to it if you want to progress, equal parts a delight and an infuriation.
Rating
I rate outward as a Hot Whiskey, it can be both sickly and breathtaking but there are some cold winter nights where you will really appreciate it, and other times where you will find the sharp taste and cloves a bit too much for you taste buds.

I avoided Outward based on most of the negative reviews regarding mechanics and melee combat. Given that my ankle is currently broken and I've been losing my mind, I decided to take the plunge anyway to purchase the game. At worst, I figured, I'd refund it within 2 hours if things really were as bad as people said they were. I mean hell, the game looks gorgeous (and it is).
They were wrong.
I see/feel nothing wrong with melee combat. It's all about timing, and I have yet to die to any enemy thus far. I've even already managed to completely wipe 2 dungeons, wait for them to respawn, then clear them again. Archery takes some time to get used to, but it's definitely passable. I don't know about magic usage since I don't tend to play mage-type characters. Either way, with limited passive/active skills, melee combat is nowhere near as bad as people are making it out to be. Blocking works perfectly fine, it plays like a slower version of Dark Souls, which really is the best comparison that can be made here. Sure, enemies can chain together moves a lot quicker than you can, but time them out. People who I see criticizing this are no doubt trying to rush the combat along and paying the price for their impatience. You must be patient with the combat in this game.
The survival mechanics are pretty much able to be ignored for the most part. You rarely get thirsty or hungry unless sleeping for hours on end; being hot, cold, or wet is only a worry if you have to sleep outside; stamina is a bit of a concern if you're always sprinting everywhere (your max stamina goes down semi-noticeably) and it's depletion rate is otherwise determined by your armor. Eating gives buffs, drinking gives buffs (even stam regen!), and sleeping gives buffs.
As far as people calling it a walking simulator, they obviously aren't going very far or they're avoiding encounters. Anytime I go out, I fight roughly 8-14 bandits or monsters, even toppling a few bandit lieutenants or heavily armored bandits. Going from place-to-place is never a bore, albeit perhaps tedious once you fight enough. Oh, and dungeons are pretty dope too.
Either way, I've managed to rake up 6k silver within hours just by grinding 2 dungeons and fighting enemies outside of town. I have yet to even take any of the two sides for the main quest in the starting town. So.. yeah. People are over-exaggerating their grievances with the game. Nothing anyone has said negatively about the game is actually THAT bad. At this point, the only thing I would change is how easy it is to grind for silver, and maybe at a keyboard binding for actual walking. Oh, and for this kind of game, I would more than appreciate a first-person view camera. For what this game is and offers, I consider it an oversight for the lack of that specific featurette.
Anyway, I recommend the game. I would still get it on sale if you can, but if you're on the fence and determined to buy it one way or the other, take the plunge. You'll get more of a feel for the game before your two hour refund window is up.

I think I have enough game time to finally review this game.
Good:
- The maps are absolutely fantastic! It eases the pain of running long distances without anything resembling fast travel, when you can just enjoy the eye candy of the landscapes as you travel.
- I think the game's combat and exploration is perfectly fair. You get beaten to a bloody pulp if you don't focus and prepare properly.
- Death is a possibility. You never now where you'll end up when you pass out. Though imo it needs more variety after you've played for some time.
- After you're familiar with the skills in game, making a full build that suits your current play style is extremely satisfying.
- Crafting is simple enough and after you learn how the logic of the recipes work, it's actually pretty easy to find correct combinations on your own, without having to buy the recipes.
- The way the quests work. The game let's you fail your quests/quest steps, and some quests have nearly the same outcome no matter what happens, but some quests you can REALLY FAIL, and it has serious consequences that leave you amazed to what the heck just happened.
Bad and OK
- If you ask me the character textures are horrible... You make a character that you think looks OK, but it's still worse than destroying your character's look in Elder Scrolls Oblivion.
- Back to combat: The combat is kind of stiff and clunky. It's an ok combat system, but I bet it could be much more fluid. This "bad" thing is ok, because even if it's not entirely satisfactory, I still feel it fits considering the feeling of the game.
- Breakthrough skills are way too expensive for the first character. It'd be nice if, say the first breakthrough skills would be discounted for a character or something.
- Story: Not necessarily bad, but there other indie games out there that have waaay better stories to tell. But in the good section I mentioned how the quests work, and that makes up some of the lacking story.
Overall:
When I first saw this games trailer, I bought it the next day without hesitation. Never regretted a single moment in the game. It get's tedious and boring at some point, but if you just push through the boredom, you'll notice that you sort of can't play anything else at the moment.
I'm not sure if I'd pay the full 39,99€ at this point (most likely would), and I'm yet to judge if the DLC was worth the 20€.
But still after the 130hrs I have played, I can easily say that it's among the best games I've ever played. This is mainly because of the time we live in and the current game industry, when games constantly disappoint you with some crap.
Outward hasn't disappointed me a single time during my gameplay, and what I find it lacking is because I've played it for so long that I'd like to see some spicing up here and there.
This game could use some more details in a few places. For example if the clothes and armor would get their own physics, I would play a new quest line just to watch clothes trailing after you when you run around. Some armors seem a bit dumb (looking at my crimson armor) because they have longish coats on them, but they are glued to the armor, when they definitely should be "floating" behind you as you run.