Outridersis very much a game about leaving Earth behind, as the titular characters and more travel across the galaxy to their supposedly peaceful new home. Earth is being left behind as it practically falls apart, with infighting, war, and more seemingly taking over the planet. Unfortunately for the players, they don’t really escape it onOutriders’Enoch.
That doesn’t stop the players from trying, though, often remembering Earth in a not-so-great light. While there’s a lot of references to catastrophes back on Earth, many have believed that one line inOutridersis in reference to the U.S. Capitol Riots that took place on January 6. Square Enix and People Can Fly, however, confirm that this is “purely coincidental.”
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Early on in the game, so early in fact that the line can be heard in theOutridersdemo, Jakub and the player will be reminiscing about their days on Earth. This includes references to a mission in Damascus, a machete-wielding mob, and a “redneck mob storming D.C.” Although such a phrase may bring to mind the Capitol Riots right away, it was not intentional. TheOutridersdemo released on February 25, meaning the time between the Riots and the game itself was not substantial enough for this to be intentional.
Game development in any form is not simple, whether this be the years a game spends behind the scenes, the recording of lines, or the balancing of various mechanics and systems. A good comparison is how someRed Dead Redemptionactorsweren’t aware of what game they were even working on, so thinking that such a quick turnaround time for a line to be injected is plausible makes sense at first but doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. In fact, Kotaku reached out to PCF and Square Enix regarding this line. This is the company’s official statement: “We wrote and recorded the script for Outriders a couple of years ago and all aspects of it are entirely fictional and related to the backstory of the game. Any similarities to real-world events are purely coincidental.”
Timing being what it may, there’s no intentional reference to the event in the game. Regardless, now that the full game is out, there’s more to enjoy inOutridersthan just the first few hours. Boasting a campaign with considerable length, a solid number of side quests, and an extensive endgame,Outridershas all the makings of a strong looter shooter. With a launch trumpingMarvel’s Avengersin size, it does seem to be hitting a higher level of popularity than some may have predicted.
For those debating whether or not to hop in,Outridershas been compared to everything fromDestinytoMass Effect, with a lot of this holding some water. Fans of either game may be able to find something in it they like, from the powerful story to the frenetic combat.
Outridersis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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