In a very saturated genre, a refreshing contender in underwater platformer Outbuddies is looking to make a splash (pun intended). Along with one-man developer Julian Laufer, publisher Headup Games has announced that the Metroidvania will be coming soon to PC and consoles.
The platformer has been in development for a while, beginning with a quite successful Kickstarter campaign in 2017. While metroidvanias have been all the rage lately, what does Outbuddies have that will make it stand out from the competition?
Outbuddies is a platformer with a focus on exploration and puts importance on co-op elements, should you choose to play it that way. The adventure game is based on a world that revolves around the Old Gods, strange creatures and the remnants of a lost world (strong Atlantis vibes here). You play as an underwater Indiana Jones-type named Nikolay Bernstein. Waking up from a shipwreck, you discover that you are connected to a supernatural Buddy-unit 36,000 feet under the sea. As you search for answers, you discover the lost Undercity which is infested with an ominous presence. Using your Buddy-unit, you will be able to navigate your way through the underwater world’s caverns and it will also provide you with additional abilities such as hacking, scanning and telekinesis. Through your journey, you will also encounter a friendly tribe of mining creatures called the Wozans that will help you uncover the mystery behind the sunken ruins.
Just like genre superstar Hollow Knight, Outbuddies will provide players a non-linear path to their goal, giving you the freedom to explore every nook and cranny of the deep, dark ocean. There are five distinct areas you can play in, all containing remarkable puzzles, environmental hazards and epic boss encounters. The co-op element comes in as the second player will be able to take control of the invincible buddy-unit. This could make for some very interesting speed-run attempts once purists have mastered the basics.
Describing your own game as very skill and mechanics intensive puts very high expectations on it. If a game truly takes skill to beat, then all other aspects that may affect a player’s gameplay must be polished, such as its aesthetics, sound effects and the eradication of bugs come launch date. For an indie title developed by a one-man team, Outbuddies is definitely punching above its weight class if its aiming to be in the same sentence as Hollow Knight or Dead Cells. No release date has been confirmed yet besides a Q3 2019 window, but as of now, we can’t help but root for the underdog.
