Outriders - What We Know So Far

E3 2019 had some seriously exciting announcements, not the least of which was Outriders, the new project from Warsaw-based studio People Can Fly. Set to be published by Square Enix for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC, this bleak, bullet-ridden adventure on an alien planet is gearing up for you (and maybe a friend or two) to take on the unknown. 

Prospective players have described the title as the lovechild of Dead Space and Destiny. From the release date and trailer to classes and gameplay, here's what you need to know about Outriders.

Initially, the release date for Outriders was listed at September 2020. Now, that estimate has been pushed to Holiday 2020, which typically translates to sometime in December. This is just in time for the release of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. You'll find both console logos displayed on the official Outriders page on Square Enix's website, alongside logos for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Steam. It looks like Outriders will be both a multi-platform and multi-generational title.

Square Enix has released several intense Outriders trailers filled with explosions and screaming. While the E3 reveal trailer offered a taste of what to expect, later gameplay trailers elaborated on the new, alien world you're about to enter. The official gameplay trailer tells the story of a dying earth (shocker) and the search for a new planet for humanity to call home. That planet was Enoch, which has in turn given the outriders strange new powers to defend themselves against the local wildlife.

Similar to Destiny, there will be distinct classes with corresponding powers in Outriders. There are four classes to choose from, though Square Enix has only revealed three so far: Devastator, Pyromancer, and Trickster. Each comes with unique abilities that will help your chosen outrider deal with the unforgiving denizens of the planet Enoch.

Devastators are tanks that focus on soaking damage, healing, and battlefield control. Powers like Earthquake and Gravity Jump knock back enemies if quarters get too close. Pyromancers are, unsurprisingly, all about fire. Providing area-of-effect damage with Ash Blasts and Heatwaves, this class is all about ranged offense. Finally, the Trickster class is just that: tricky. They can bend time to their will with abilities like Temporal Slice and Slow Trap. Tricksters deal serious damage, and are best for players with an aptitude for agility.

Developer People Can Fly cut its teeth on games like Gears of War and Bulletstorm, titles that will give you a hefty hint as to what the Outriders gameplay is like. This looter-shooter is pretty intense, with excellent gunplay mechanics. "The mobility felt phenomenal, the skills felt phenomenal, and the gunplay felt really really really good," said IGN's James Duggan during a gameplay preview. He favored the Trickster class, slowing down enemies and blasting them away in slow motion sprays of blood. 

While the classes are obviously core to the way you play the game, your dialogue choices are not. Outriders is largely linear, and your decisions won't do much to sway the direction you and your friends are headed. Outriders can be played entirely single-player, but supports drop-in-drop-out co-op if you want to get your buddies in on the high octane action.