Outbuddies DX undoubtedly devotes itself to replicating what made Metroid so beloved. As the work of a sole developer, it's hard not to look past a number of gripes and see a well-crafted game that has a lot of heart.
After spending decades enamored with Super Metroid, it’s constantly puzzling that Nintendo continues to shun one of its staple franchises.
The countless times I’ve read the term “Metroidvania” over the past few years in the indie game scene make me wonder why Nintendo hasn’t in some way attempted to rattle the corpse of 2D Metroid games for obvious profit. Holding the FPS-based Metroid Prime saga close to the chest is one thing. But is there really nothing that can be done with the handful of Samus adventures that helped birth a genre?
Then again, I haven’t owned a Nintendo console in ages so why am I complaining?
Still, the work done in the indie scene to craft games with sprawling maps that require new items to traverse is admirable. Axiom Verge, Ori and the Blind Forest, Shadow Complex, and Hollow Knight are just a few of the more prominent titles that come to mind. Most of these games retain the DNA made initially most famous by Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, paying homage but also becoming entities unto themselves.
Perhaps what attracted me most to Outbuddies DX when it came across my inbox was how closely it resembled Super Metroid. The dark, moody visuals reminded me of Samus’ journey through Zebes and how revolutionary it felt on the SNES. Better yet, it was made by one guy who obviously was putting in the work that Nintendo refused to do.
Outbuddies DX is a singular, focused vision. It sets out to make a game where players explore a sprawling map that requires new items to traverse. There’s hostile aliens to combat with and a nebulous story that provides ample opportunity for inventive creature design. It may not be the freshest, most polished take we’ve had on the genre but it is sure to scratch a definite itch.
As maritime archaeologist Nikolay Bernstein, players will find themselves awaken 36,000 feet under the South Atlantic Ocean in Bahlam, a lost city that once housed the Old Gods. Among the ruins of Bahlam, Bernstein encounters a friendly tribe of creatures named the Wozan who offer aid if you seek out their lost brethren. Upon awakening, players are attached to a supernatural Buddy unit that has powers of its own. The deeper into Bahlam, the more players begin to realize that all is not right as the caverns are littered with deadly creatures.
Perhaps the most unique element of Outbuddies DX is the Buddy unit itself. The floating Buddy acts as a kind of secondary character controlled by the player or by a local cop-op partner. Initially, Buddy can fly around the screen and pass through objects, able to scan the environment to see nearby enemies or potential secrets that are hidden by destructible terrain. Able to pick up certain objects and eventually do things like hack enemies, Buddy becomes a strange tool that opens up Outbuddies DX in a way that is entirely unexpected.
At first it was quite weird being able to control Buddy with a simple flick and have him zoom around the map. I was quite obsessed with summoning the helper as soon as I entered a room and scanning everything I could. I know how these games work and their tendency to tuck secrets away. But this obsession turned into a time waster most often. Yes, you can literally scan anything and everything in a room but it doesn’t always mean that you should. Because the game offers players bare bones hints and directions, I wasn’t entirely sure what Buddy and Nikolay were capable of at first. Yet once I started trying to play Outbuddies DX with a bit more urgency, I opened up the world and its mechanics more, enabling me to obtain a better sense of what I needed to use and when.
Combat is fairly simple at the onset but introduces some nice action moves to ensure not all enemies are slow moving targets. There’s a dodge roll and a crouch button that gives players the chance to sneak or hide from enemies. Eventually new weapons and missiles are opened up along with additional moves that are meant to make traversal easier while expanding its possibilities.
Like any other Metroidvania game, complaints can be had that the growing utility belt of items collected over time are in reality just cleverly designed keys meant to open up previously locked or inaccessible doors. That’s going to be true for Outbuddies DX just like it is when encountering a green door that has to be forced open with a super missile rather than five normal missiles. When the developer masks this obvious trope in inventive ways, it makes the genre feel all that more fresh. Outbuddies DX is more prone to throwing in trickier or lengthier platforming sections rather than enemies or rooms that test your set of skills.
Perhaps this issue is exacerbated by the game’s clunky navigation and at times muddy visuals. Outbuddies DX is, through and through, devoted to maintaining that 8-bit visual style with a few flairs that could place it in the 16-bit category. Some truly incredible and ferocious bosses highlight how sole developer Julian Laufer grew up with these games and this aesthetic in his soul. But I could go back to Metroid on the NES and just feel lost without a map and how similar everything can feel after a time. Much of Outbuddies DX is dark, which makes sense considering the game is set in an ancient city thousands of miles under the sea. But often these dark colors blend together, making animations of enemies and Nikolay pop out a lot less.
Despite having a map covered with hidden bits, getting around in Outbuddies DX can be cumbersome. The map doesn’t always convey where players are going and what they have accomplished too well. I found myself a bit confused by what it was trying to tell me, along with some pretty basic menus. And while these may not be key in making the experience enjoyable, they go a long way in making the player feel more comfortable with traversal. One thing I hate in these types of games is not always knowing where to go next and instead walking long distances in hopes of finding a corridor or crevice that I missed that might just contain a needed item.
Completionists are going to have a hell of a time in Outbuddies DX as they may feel compelled to scour the map by foot and with Buddy in hopes of not missing a single thing. And the game can be kind of hard. My first boss encounter–or at least what I felt was a boss encounter–kept tearing me to pieces. I felt under-leveled and ill-equipped but thought I had been fairly thorough in my initial jaunt through Bahlam’s opening areas. Maybe I missed a lot of optional doors or other places to explore? Again, it’s hard to tell.
Outbuddies DX is a definite labor of love. It’s a Metroidvania expressing a love for the genre and a devotion to Metroid‘s original vision. Players who adore these games will find Outbuddies DX to be a familiar experience, equipped with its own ideas and style. But it can also feel a bit flawed and a bit busy in what it tries to accomplish. I think a brighter splash of color and a bit more navigational polish would have made it more digestible for a wider audience who already have a wealth of Metroidvanias to play. After all, even in the depths of the ocean, it’s a crowded world out there.
