Greetings, misfits.
Your survival in the Wasteland depends on braving the elements, scavenging for resources, and outchatting your adversaries - But even with all this riveting dialogue, your sword (metaphorical, use guns instead) will sometimes be mightier than the pen (also metaphorical, most characters can’t even read, let alone write). Here are some things to keep in mind as you’re playing with sand in the Wasteland:
The battle system
Outcast Tales is a turn-based game. You rearrange your enemies’ faces during your turn, and they respond in kind. You can choose the order your party members attack in, allowing for deeper strategic maneuvers. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Well, here is a little “western” twist:
Your mightiest weapon. No oversized swords required.
Those icons correspond to the upcoming moves of your opponents. The enemy order, the approximate damage you’re going to receive, and even the attack type. You won’t survive in the Wasteland for long if you can’t use this knowledge to your advantage.
You are far from being a clairvoyant, however. Take a gander:
Stand back, I'm good at dice.
As you can see, a lot of the stats and outcomes are not predefined. Even if the initial fate of your party is somewhat out of your control, your final destiny isn’t. Will you take your chances and attack? Will you debuff the enemy before they show their hand? Will any of this matter, if you're but a tumbleweed, rolling through the sands of life?
Life in the Wasteland is like a game of chess, but your opponent is a donkey who can simply flip the table. (Just like in real life!) But seeing the enemy’s hand lets you flip the table back while it’s in the air…(Okay, maybe not exactly like real life)…
This is the sort of mindset you must adapt if you wish to live another day.
Punching bags
Here are some threats you may come across as you and your crew make your way into parts unknown.
Screechers
You might want to squish this repulsive bug, but beware of its hellish shrieks as you do. Becoming deaf will rob your party of its Ability Points for a while - which is kind of important. How will you plan ahead? Do you concentrate your fire on the sucker or buff yourself in preparation?
Insectoids
Call pest control; we've got a situation here... If you get sprayed by its pheromones, you become the primary target for the enemy team. But they ain’t looking for hugs: the pheromones’ effects make you extra brittle and damageable, making for a nice slushy to digest later. Sounds rough, but perhaps a more callous tactician can take advantage of this knowledge…
Worms
No, these guys don't wield bazookas. They might look scary but are actually very shy: they will immediately burrow underground till the end of the turn after they receive damage. But this ain’t the end of the story, as they will come back in style… Maybe you should wait and save them for dinner?
Scavenger bots
This universe didn't have an Azimov, so many robots are inherently hostile. These little guys are dropped by Scavenger Technicians and act as an extra defense barrier. However, they take a while to activate, which is something you can track and account for. *Beep*repared!
This ends our little debrief for now, but these basic tips can only get you so far and the war is only beginning. But don’t fret: there are plenty more battle tips and tricks waiting for you in our next devlog.
In the meantime check the Outcast Tales demo and try stomping some worms yourself! Who knows what secrets you might learn?
See you soon! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter for gameplay teasers, and feel free to drop in and say hi to us on our official Discord!
