The first Outward carved out a cult following by leaning hard into the idea that you’re not a chosen hero, just a regular person trying to survive in a dangerous world. Its design philosophy was all about commitment and consequence: no fast travel, no quest markers, no power curves that let you steamroll everything. Instead, it asked players to prepare properly, accept failure as part of the journey, and find satisfaction in small victories earned through planning rather than raw stats. That mix of survival mechanics, deliberate combat, and a world that didn’t bend to your whims gave Outward a distinct identity.
Nine Dots is continuing this in Outward 2 where once again the player is not some “chosen one” power fantasy; just an ordinary person trying to survive – and making design decisions that reinforce that tone throughout the game.
As part of the New Game+ Showcase today, the devs gave an interview talking about the sequel’s immersion-first philosophy. “You’re just a dude,” Guillaume Boucher-Vidal (CEO of Nine Dots) says, explaining that the team wants players to feel vulnerable enough to take the world seriously rather than dominate it. In practice, that means danger is meant to bite back when you get careless: “It’s when you are aloof… that’s when life just bounce back at you… It should be like that in the design as well.”
Bigger role?play hooks from the very start
A major focus is expanded character creation. The studio points to Outward 1’s limited options and says Outward 2 pushes harder into traditional RPG identity building – backgrounds, traits, and more granular customisation so players can better “throw” themselves into the role.
That role?play foundation also affects the opening structure: players will choose from three starting locations, each with a different premise for why a normal person would risk becoming an adventurer. One example is bluntly survival-driven: “If you are in Simeon’s Bastion, you are a homeless person. You’re desperate.” Another leans on social mobility, and a third starts from mundane stability “just a clerk who just bought a house” before things inevitably go wrong.
Seasons, systems, and a more flexible fight kit
Nine Dots also highlights more systemic world simulation, including a dynamic weather system and a year?long calendar with seasons. Those shifts aren’t just cosmetic: seasons affect what you can find and what gear you’ll need to endure the environment.
Combat and buildcrafting are also expanding. Dual wielding is described as a headline feature; players can mix and match anything in either hand, even if some combinations are more novelty than optimal. “You can have two shields if you want,” the dev jokes, adding: “It sucks. I don’t recommend.”
Progression, meanwhile, is being shaped around commitment and lived experience. The sequel features eight skill trees, but with exclusivity choices and a cap on how many can be fully mastered. New core attributes (including strength, agility, constitution, willpower, and intelligence) underpin the system, and the game will track player behaviour; such as successfully dodging attacks to unlock small passive traits over time. Crucially, the team says players won’t be able to brute-force power early with cash alone: you’ll need experience before accessing deeper layers of the skill trees.
You can watch the full interview here
Outward 2 is available to wishlist on Steam here and is set to release in Q3 2026.
Did you play the first Outward? And are you excited for the new features coming to the sequel? Let us know in the comments below or join the friendly and active Gamer Social Club Discord to chat about all your favourite games.
