Outcast: Second Contact has a debut trailer

Outcast is an action-adventure game from 1999 that is very special in many ways. Its original developers are back together under a new name and, after a failed Kickstarter in 2014, seem to be ready to push the remake out, judging by the trailer.

The story of the original Outcast starts with something called the “voxel engine”. The game, however, was not a true forerunner of this technology, but used it more as a workaround. The game engine did not rely on hardware acceleration via GPUs which were just coming into their own at the time. This means that it was entirely software-based and required a very powerful CPU to run properly. This did not stop the game from getting awarded the “Adventure Game of the Year” by GameSpot. It was, for its time, revolutionary in that it allowed you to explore an open 3D world two years before GTA III, for example. Unfortunately, the combination of requiring a very powerful (and expensive) CPU and unsatisfying sales caused the publisher to cancel the development of the sequel.

The team got back together in 2014, when they reacquired the rights to Outcast. The Kickstarter had a lofty goal of $600,000, which might have been a little too much to ask for. Still, Fresh3D, as they are now known, kept at it, releasing an updated version of the original game, able to run on modern computers. They seem to have been hard at work since then, as can be seen from the trailer. The gameplay seen in the trailer is very much similar to the original, with updated visuals. The soft “voxel” idea is still prevalent, and the main character is still every bit the tongue-in-cheek tough guy he always was.

Outcast: Second Contact was supposed to launch this March, however, this has been moved to the fall of 2017, when it should come out on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.