During my first ten hours in Outward, I was mauled by wolves three different times, kidnapped by bandits twice, and left shanghaied on a magic-infused mountain by a mysterious stranger. I fought subterranean monsters and laid tripwire traps in a desperate ploy to take on foes much stronger than me. At one point, I found a new backpack—one that I could attach a lantern to—and felt a genuine twinge of emotion. On my way back to town, a giant bird pecked me to death. It was a rough start, but nothing in Outward ever comes easily.
Outward isn’t an inviting game, nor is it a particularly fun game in that breezy way that so many open-world RPGs often are. Outward feels like a game ripped from another era, bringing both old-school design sensibilities and rough edges with it.
Source: Destructoid Review: Outward