Last Updated on May 25, 2026 @ 17:01:24 PM.
Over the past few days, I have had the opportunity to play through the closed beta of the upcoming game Outward 2 as I tried out its many hyper-realistic features while exploring its vast open world in an attempt to see all that was available to me during my time with it.
Unfortunately, with the game being so vast and difficult in terms of combat, I wasn’t able to explore the game in its entirety, but I was able to explore a fair few locations throughout the game, meet various characters, try out the plethora of weapons and magic, and so much more, which I will talk about in this hands-on preview.
The World of Outward 2 is Vast, With Many Secrets, Enemies, and Locations to Find
When it comes to the world of Outward 2, it would be an understatement to say that it is as large as it is beautiful, with numerous biomes for the player to explore, each with their own unique styles in terms of buildings, trees, ruins, camps, and so much more.
However, what makes the biomes interesting is that they each have their own unique sets of life that can be found within them that make them a joy to explore for the player; whether you explore these locations naturally or end up dying from the grueling combat and waking up somewhere unknown, it’s always interesting to see where you will end up and what is waiting for you there.
What makes this world even more interesting is that the developers have created the game so that the player has to find their own way around this world without the use of a HUD or guiding markers, even hiding a direction marker from the compass, only guiding the player to their backpacks when dropped.
This was a great idea employed by the developers, as it encouraged the player to listen to the dialogue that was being spoken for hints and information that would help guide them to their objective. To add to the detail, even the game’s map doesn’t show markers for quests or even the player, causing the player to have to locate where they are manually through landmarks to then discover the direction they want to go in before exploring around the world.
In terms of exploration, this is a fantastic idea for a game, as it encourages the player to explore the game world so much more than they would if they were guided around to the point that I found myself exploring each house within the first city you wake up in, while then searching everywhere out in the wilds to see what was waiting for me to find.
The best part for me for Outward 2 was in regards to its overall looks and feels in its game world, as even though I was running on relatively low graphics, the game world was beautiful to see with so many uniquely colored trees, beautiful lakes, and just so much generally beautiful scenery to take in.
The Combat is Hyper-Realistic, That Teaches You Losing is Okay And Expected
Now this is coming from a big Soulsborne player who loves tough combat that punishes the player for mistakes and helps them learn, but even for me, the combat in Outward 2 is something to be feared, as it takes a lot of skill and practice to learn its intricate ways and bend them to your will.
Whether it be using a simple melee weapon to hack, slash, and dodge your enemies, using a gun to take them out at a far range; or messing with the various spells that are lurking within, there are plenty of ways to take on the enemies of Outward 2, but none of them are simple to grasp, and this is by design.
Although a lot of the combat is quite familiar for most gamers with the ability to dodge, parry, block, and so many more familiar features, the way these gameplay mechanics work is quite complicated and takes a lot of practice to master. Even after spending quite a few hours in the game, I still found myself dying more often than not as new enemies and weapons entered the fray that would knock me sideways.
However, as I have said before, this is by design within Outward 2, as death isn’t actually death within the game, but instead the player is sent into a “knocked out” state, as it were, with a randomly generated circumstance coming to your rescue to pull you away from the fight, but potentially with negative side effects.
For example, one of the ways the player could find themselves waking up is by being saved by a passerby who takes care of you, brings them back to health, and even leaves a potion for them to help them in your adventures; however, this is likely the best-case scenario, as there are also negative effects too, like being robbed and having your bones broken, your bag ransacked, or even being left with insects hiding within your body.
These “knocked out” states are something that is quite interesting within Outward 2, as yes, it makes it canonical that you aren’t actually dead and being revived somehow but are simply just knocked out and suffering a potential consequence, but they are also a fun and unique way to allow the player to move to new lands throughout the map with the aid of NPCs dragging you away from combat.
As a special addition as well, a big part of Outward 2‘s combat is how realistic it is as well, with gameplay mechanics like dropping your bag meaning you can dodge roll easier; you have to carry bandages in your pockets rather than your bag to use them in a fight; using spells isn’t a simple click of a button, but they actually need charging using rune circles and then casting them all using their own specific components that you can run out of.
All of these mechanics are just part of what makes Outward 2‘s combat so intriguing to play around with, as even veteran gamers will find this combat a fresh challenge that tasks them with finding new ways around problems while also seeing what devastating damage they can do once they master their skills.
The Story of Outward 2 is Entertaining Thus Far, With More to be Discovered
As always, when it comes to talking about stories within video games, we will not provide any spoilers regarding the game, but we will talk about what role the story plays within Outward 2, as well as the way the world reacts to said story.
In terms of how the story is played out throughout Outward 2, it takes a rather back seat to everything else within the game, as it doesn’t take precedence over the side content and exploration that the player is able to take part in.
This means that most players will often leave the story behind and opt for focusing more on the side content and exploration within their time in Outward 2, as finding the quests and following their generic path is a challenge in itself, let alone keeping up the pace of the story without getting sidetracked.
However, when it comes to the impact the game’s story has, it is quite interesting, as when you explore the game world and progress through these quests, you learn more about the game world and your own character’s background, especially early on.
The biggest part of what makes Outward 2‘s story interesting is that the game’s story is uniquely created towards what the player designs their character to be within their character creator, with the game expanding and changing depending on the decisions that you make throughout your playthrough.
Because of this, there is no one way to play Outward 2, as each decision will alter how your character is perceived by the world and how they interact with each decision and the consequences of such; however, there are a few situations that are common throughout each character, such as being saved by a character in the intro and being asked to complete quests for them and so on.
An additional note is that currently Outward 2 does not have voices regarding the conversations within the game; however, the developers have mentioned during a Q&A session that they are looking towards completely voicing every line within the game to ensure that players have an immersive experience rather than leaving them blank.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out our article talking about the online expo ENDIX, or check out our review of Pragmata.
Liam is a Senior Editor, Writer, and Critic for Thumb Wars and has been working with the team since day one. Liam is a big fan of all things gaming, as you will catch him playing all of the new releases from every genre you can imagine. Whether you find Liam gaming just for fun or spending his free time streaming, you will always find a smile on his face when it comes to all things gaming.
