Outcast: A New Beginning is technically a sequel to the 1999 game Outcast, but you don't need to know that game to hop in. You take control of the absurdly named Cutter Slade, a space marine who awakens on the alien planet of Adelpha. It's a utopian land filled with fantastical animals and simple natives, but humans have invaded Adelpha and are attempting to strip-mine its precious rare resources. Cutter throws in on the side of the natives, seemingly chosen by their Yods (sic) to save the people of the land.

Outcast's plot feels like something from a long-ago era, and not particularly in a great way. The protagonist is a walking bundle of cliches exploring what basically feels like a knock-off version of Pandora from Avatar. The villains are immensely predictable, the side characters feel generic, and I was bored by the world. It isn't helped by the fact that the game uses a number of fictional made-up words in a distracting way. There's the potential for an interesting world, but it's not well told, and Cutter is the worst possible way to experience it. He's too smug and self-satisfied (especially early on), and he shows up the planet natives at every opportunity, so I kind of hated the guy, but he does improve with time.

At its heart, Outcast is a standard open-world game. Once you get past the early tutorial areas, you can explore the bulk of Adelpha. From here, it's pretty formulaic. You can find various collectibles, do side-quests or main quests, find hidden trinkets to improve health and stats, and generally explore. The basic game design doesn't break the mold in any noteworthy fashion, but it feels well executed.

Mobility is easily the best part of the game. Early on, Cutter gets a jetpack that allows him to double-jump, and as the game progresses, he gets more upgrades. He can glide along the ground to move at super speed, hover in the air, and dodge. He spends a lot of time in the air, even before you get the chance to ride animals. It makes moving around Adelpha a lot of fun, and you very rarely feel constrained. Occasionally, a white fog forces you to stay on certain paths, but other than that, you're free to roam.

The shining point of the game is how easy it is to move around. It takes almost no time to unlock your basic jetpack skills, and you feel closer to a superhero than a mercenary. The game includes a lot of options to get yourself into the air more quickly, including mushrooms that launch you to perfect gliding height and "recharge" zones that let you replenish jetpack energy without landing.

On the other hand, combat is basic. There's a standard lineup of modern action game abilities, including dodges, parries, blocks and melee attacks. If you've played any action game, you know the basic deal. Thankfully, mobility is a strength, so it's fun to zoom around the battlefield peppering enemies with bullets while taking advantage of boost mushrooms and environmental advantages to rain death on enemies.

You have two guns, a gun and a rifle. The generic-sounding names disguise the fact that you basically customize the weapons from scratch by finding special modules that change how they play. For example, you can stick a shotgun barrel on the gun to turn it into a shotgun. You can then toss on a charged shot, which lets you turn it into a shotgun that you can charge to do more damage. A smart bullet add-on means that shots home in on the target. You can create a sniper rifle with a scope, headshot booster and stabilizer. You can go crazy and make a gun that applies mines and shoots electric orbs.

The gun is weaker but faster than the rifle, but the exact stats of each weapon change depending on the modules. Depending on the specific module, the weapons may drain more ammo, overheat faster, do more or less damage, and so on. Ammunition is limited for both, with guns using a green helidum and rifles using a red helidum. Both are plentiful enough, but green tends to be more common, so the gun is a better choice for high-cost weapons.

In theory, I really like experimenting with the module system, but in practice, a lot of the modules feel too gimmicky, and enemies rarely demand much besides a fast-firing weapon and a hard-hitting weapon. While it was fun to poke around with some of the more distinct gimmicks once I found something that worked for me, I tended to stick with it even when finding new gear, especially since it's relatively costly to upgrade modules.

As you complete quests, you unlock additional options such as summoning animals to fight alongside you or the ability to do an enemy-stunning burst of energy. These options keep things fresh, but ultimately, it felt like making a good gun was the best option for any situation. Still, I applaud the game for trying to provide a lot of distinct rewards for completing quests and encouraging players to try new things.

I had trouble getting too invested in combat because there wasn't a lot to it. Most of the enemies are forgettable, largely indistinguishable robots or easily dispatched beasts. It never feels particularly bad, but most fights feel bland. The module system helps slightly but not much.

Outcast's biggest problem is that it feels dated. Everything about it, from the design to the story and the characters, feels like something that came out a decade ago. It doesn't do anything particularly poorly, but it doesn't excel at anything, either. If you're in the mood for an open-world game with good mobility, then it scratches the itch, but beyond that, it doesn't stand out. It's especially a bit unfair to compare it to something like Ubisoft's recent Avatar game, which seems to fill the exact same mold.

Even in terms of presentation, Outcast feels good but not great. The character models and environments look nice, and the art design does a lot of heavy lifting, but it never really excels in any one area. Likewise, the voice acting is firmly OK. Cutter is fine, and some of the side characters do well, but a lot seem stuck in either under- or overacting. Sometimes this works, especially with the comedic moments, but some of the serious attempts fall flat.

Outcast: A New Beginning is the epitome of a "perfectly fine" game. It plays well, runs well, looks fine, and is a decent experience that never manages to go beyond that. The mobility options make it a delight to explore the open world, but it lacks the punch needed to keep the momentum going. If you're looking for a solid and by-the-book, open-world game, Outcast does everything it needs to — nothing more, nothing less.

Score: 7.5/10