Outpost Delta

So this game, the more I think about, it feels like a cross between Metroid and the classic DOOM games. So. MANY. KEYCARDS! Outpost Delta is a metroidvania. Alright, well, my work here is done. Ok, ok, it’s a metroidvania that messes with floating and anti-gravity stuff, movement feels fast when you master jumping, and a little companion AI guides you to help thwart aliens. Man those alien warmongering overlords are just the worst, amirite fellows? [EDITOR’S NOTE: Wow… fellows? Are you from like the 1920s?] Ok, so there’s really not too much to bring up here. The game feels like a streamlined version of like… Metroid Fusion? I don’t know why that one in particular comes to mind but just the art style and narrative structure just screams it to me. I enjoyed it, although I think some things could be smoothed out, and expanded map features would probably be for the best.

I’ll keep these short: your standard ‘unlock a couple weapon types’ for puzzle solving and combat? Check. Player abilities that create new platforming challenges in revisited areas? Check. More keycards and corresponding colored doors than you can ever dream? It feels like overkill but check, check, check. Whenever you enter a door into a new facility or reach a checkpoint, you get to save. Enemies aren’t too varied, at least starting off, but they do their job. It’s hard to gauge when an enemy is going to attack so you get used to weaving in and out to line up your own shots. I really enjoy the amount of forward momentum you can build. The AI can be a bit exploitable by standing on JUST the corner of a container to snipe enemies at the max possible range of your weapons with impunity. After the tutorial objectives become a bit more nuanced as you power on different sections of the map to unlock the whole thing. I like the way the game throws little wrenches into your progression and really makes it feel like the enemies are responding to your actions. Boss fights are pretty fun and make good use of platforming, dodging, and attacking. Navigating areas can get a bit annoying since the minimap purposely has zero field of view so you’re really only able to see a couple rooms around you at a time. Level structures tend to look homogenized, so I can see people getting lost regularly until they find their bearings. There are a few moments I soft-locked myself by removing power from an area, but I never found a way to lock myself out completely or force a save that would ruin my save file.

Outpost Delta for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Game Details

All in all, there’s a lot to like, but small annoyances that might add up if you’re coming from the super tight design of Metroid titles or even something like Hollow Knight. I enjoy some of the screen flipping aerial movement that the game enables later on and I liked how quickly paced most encounters are. The game is relatively short, but pretty jam packed for what it is. I think with some quality of life changes and possible UI improvements, like speeding up the door animations because MY LORD, the game could really sing. I had a good time even though I got really, really stuck trying to figure out where to go next numerous times. Pricing might be a tad high for what’s available though.