Out There: Ω The Alliance Review

Have you ever wondered what might exist in distant galaxies and solar systems? Whether there might be an adventure waiting for you beyond the stars? Out There: Ω The Alliance is borne of this curiosity, offering an addictive gameplay loop that will have you saying “just one more run”.

Waking from cryogenic sleep at the edge of a procedurally-generated universe, you must rely on whatever innate resourcefulness you possess in order to survive. The game has a heavy focus on resource management, but also incorporates elements of strategy and adventure – somewhat unsurprising, given its premise.

Although a tutorial is available, it leaves much about the game’s mechanics unexplained, so you’re likely to die a few times before working out how to procure the essentials. Once you pass that roadblock, however, the rest is fairly straightforward. You fall into a simple rhythm, mining and sending out probes for resources. Just pray that the RNG gods smile down upon you, as a single bad turn can lead to an untimely death.

The game is about more than just survival, however. Out There offers a series of objectives to complete, determining which of the different endings you will get. There is no way to confirm which narrative arc each of these endings corresponds to if you have forgotten them, though, which feels like an oversight in this otherwise-satisfying experience.

The narrative of Out There: Ω The Alliance is unhurried, gradually being constructed from the log entries you make over the course of your journey. You’ll encounter everything from aliens to asteroids, and depending on your decisions and luck, these random encounters may leave you with a dented hull, replenished stores, or even new knowledge. While such events can occasionally feel unfair, you can make ships from failed runs discoverable in subsequent runs to make gameplay less daunting, if you wish.

Throughout the game, you are treated to a series of gorgeous visuals. The animation sequences and font are evocative of graphic novels, while the backgrounds are highly detailed and generally quite stunning. The audio is similarly atmospheric, helping to create an immersive experience. Unfortunately, however, these assets get recycled quite heavily, so the environments can feel repetitive after a couple of hours.

It’s unsurprising that the game has well-integrated touchscreen controls, as it was originally a mobile game. What is surprising, however, is that the tutorial almost completely glosses over the existence of button inputs, and appears to have seen no optimisation or change for the Switch edition. Frustratingly, the game stops responding to said button inputs if you backtrack, so watch out if you’re not a fan of touchscreen-only play.

Overall, Out There is fun to explore, and once you get into the swing of it, the gameplay is quite satisfying. Offering a meaningful challenge despite the mechanical simplicity, the game will keep you coming back for more.