Outriders, People Can Fly's co-op third-person shooter RPG, is now available for PC, Stadia, and major consoles. It's the latest release in a trend of co-op shooter RPGs with in-depth progression systems, but also substantial stories with beginnings and endings. This makes games like Outriders appealing over free-to-play/games-as-a-service titles. Capitalizing on that edge, publisher Square Enix has now released a launch trailer for Outriders exploring the game's setting and story.
The Outriders launch trailer starts revealing story beats straight away. In the first seconds of the cinematic trailer, a blast of energy is shown shooting through the player avatar. It's notable that the avatar is running from something while chained like a prisoner. Instead of dying, however, the player appears to absorb the energy. All this while an almost apocalyptic red storm carries on around the player. This is the planet Enoch. The storm is the Anomaly. And this is how Outriders begins.
From there, the trailer shares glimpses at all manner of what players can expect on the planet Enoch. Death, monsters, and a lasting battle to survive, among other things. There are also hints at some of the secrets to be discovered on Enoch, including ancient ruins and perhaps more. After all, humanity has always been its greatest enemy. It's only natural that colonists from Earth would end up fighting over what's at hand amid a great conflict.
There's something to be said about the themes revealed in Outriders' launch trailer, too. Colonists are escaping Earth due to humanity having ruined the planet with climate disasters, only to arrive in the throes of violence and ready to destroy anything that stands as a threat. How the game deals with those themes, while also allowing the player to be a superpowered badass, is one of the most interesting aspects of the experience pre-launch.
Outriders is already available, so those intrigued by the game's launch trailer can pick it up and play right now. Alternatively, for those who aren't persuaded but want to see more, there's a free-to-play demo that's still available to try.
Otherwise, for those who think the game might be worth trying out but not for full price, Outriders is already confirmed and available on Xbox Game Pass. Subscribers who have either an Xbox One or an Xbox Series X/S can download the game for no additional cost. Unfortunately, Outriders is not offered on Xbox Game Pass for PC for the time being.
Outriders is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
