Hands-off impressions: Outbound is building up to be the next successful cosy sim

With every single developer showcase nowadays - no matter the host - packed with new cosy games, as they became extremely popular during the pandemic, it's great to see how some titles transcend the more relaxed premise to, alternatively, offer up something meatier for those looking for a deeper or longer gameplay experience.

Outbound is one of those games. From the outside it looks like another cosy camping game, but during the Xbox Developer Session EMEA I got to find out how it will be much more than meets the eye.

Because yes, you can select your vehicle from at least three vans available at first then give it a colour and a license plate, you can drive around vibrant natural environments, and you can customise your interiors for the most fashionable, social-media-shareable results. We've seen similar concepts that can become wildly successful, such as the also upcoming and more story-driven Camper Van: Make it Home, as one of the inevitable comparisons that came to my mind. But what if I told you that there are actually much more comprehensive building, resource-managing, and even survival elements to it?

"I drove until the grey of the city faded from my mirrors"

Same as with Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault, and sadly too, these are hands-off impressions, meaning I didn't get to play the game myself, but instead watch co-founders Marc Volger and Tobias Schnackenberg from Square Glade play the demo and talk further details. Honestly, I'd like to see how the relatively stiff-looking FPS movement feels on both mouse & keyboard but mostly on a controller, as some times the pointing and clicking seemed too clearly designed for just PC/Xbox and mouse (or perhaps Switch 2's Mouse Mode, who knows).

Complexity and precision in a cosy game? That's what I meant. Outbound presents players with fully-fledged construction tools. I'd say the system's interface looks similar to Fortnite without the hectic pace, or even The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, as you place different 3D objects based on a semi-transparent preview. It looks satisfying to use, and the genius surreal touch of it in my opinion is that you can actually build several floors on top of your van, with a handy Set/Unset Camp command ready whenever you want to fold or unfold the whole exaggerated thing in a brilliant effect.

But in order to build, you need both tools and resources, and here is where the management side of the game kicks in as soon as you've parked your van in the camp and opened its side door. For instance, you collect lumber for fires, or add things to your to-do list, such as a wrench to remove a barrier, or a building hammer. From there, you have to collect blueprints you can download from terminals scattered around the park to your own work bench, where you'll craft more objects.

Further down the line you will be using a recycler to produce even higher material output from your litter input, and once you've built a solid foundation on top of your van, you can go crazy by adding more wooden floors to it.

The game doesn't seem heavy on survival, with a lot of hand-guiding and points of interest helping you out, but that doesn't mean you won't have to keep an eye on the many different shrinking resources and changing weather conditions. For example, wind-powered generators won't function every day, same as solar-powered panels that will switch off at night or if it's cloudy.

Outbound wants to "make every day unique and challenging for players", according to the devs, with the different interconnected systems, again, despite the cosy premise. It also seems to convey an environmentally-careful message, judging by the context shown so far and the sustainable energies of which you can make use.

Once you're done for the day you can go to sleep, but if you're otherwise done with the place, you Unset your camp and go drive elsewhere, emphasising the nomadic nature of the game.

Even if I'm not much into cosy games nor simulators, Outbound caught my attention during the Xbox Developer Session EMEA. It looked relaxing yet challenging with that Firewatch tone to it and the whole resource loop. When it releases next year you will be able to share your experience with three friends, but all in the same van to keep the camping spirit alive.