Crank the volume, chamber another round, and burn like hell...
Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is an action space-exploration game that was released on PC (via the Epic Games Store) in 2019, with a Steam, GOG.com, and console release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch following in September 2020
Taking place 34 years before the original Rebel Galaxy, Outlaw places players in the role of Juno Markev, a former outlaw and smuggler trying to go straight when she is pulled back into the criminal element following her husband's murder. As she starts hunting for the killer, she finds herself in debt and forced to use a ramshackle space vessel after her ship is totaled. Now, Juno must do whatever it takes to avenge her husband and get back onto the straight and narrow.
Tropes
- 2-D Space: Averted. In comparison to the original game, Outlaw allows the player to fly freely in every direction.
- Actionized Prequel: The original Rebel Galaxy didn't lack for action, but Outlaw places a greater emphasis on dogfights.
- Adventure Guild: There are two guilds players can join which provide lucrative and specialized missions: the Merchants' Guild, which offers missions revolved around commerce and transporting goods; and the Mercenaries' Guild, which offers missions revolved around combat and bounty hunting.
- Anti-Frustration Features: The "Autopursuit" function makes dogfights less frustrating by adjusting your ship's throttle and orientation so that your target remains in view.
- Auto Pilot makes navigating out of asteroid fields and around planets as simple as a single held button prompt. Instead of a tedious task of trying to engage warp engines, only to get stopped by a nearby piece of rock, or have to make several short jumps around a planet, once you are clear enough of obstacles and hazards, you can activate auto pilto and instantly arrive at your destination (apart from other interruptions on the way, of course)
- Assist Character: "Buddies" are recruitable characters whom you can call in to act as wingmen.
- Crusading Widow: Juno's husband was murdered. Now, she's looking to do some killing of her own.
- Escort Mission: Some ships may need an escort. Thankfully, you can fast-travel while escorting to speed the mission up, although you can be pulled out of fast-travel by pirates or interdiction forces.
- Fake Radio Show Album: There are seven subspace radio stations catering to a variety of musical tastes, from hard rock to country, Latin music to electronica, with a total of over twenty hours of music. There's even commercials.
- Flipping the Bird: Juno will flip off other pilots when threatening or taunting them.
- The Fundamentalist: The Inviolates faction believe the jump gates are ripping the universe apart (which they kinda are) and that any who use them need to die.
- Game Within a Game: There are a variety of minigames to play when at port, including billiards, dice poker, slot machines, and "Star-Venger" (an Ersatz version of Asteroids).
- Gang Up on the Human: 90% of the time you'll be treated like the galaxy's most wanted bounty, even if there are plenty of other NPC ships in the area.
- Hyperspace Is a Scary Place: Jump gates connect the solar systems of the Dodge Sector together, but have an unfortunate habit of collapsing after extended use and causing all sorts of nasty anomalies. You can safely (but not comfortably) travel through most jump gates, but attempting to travel through unstable jump gates can cause your ship to be damaged or thrown to another system altogether.
- Lady Swears-a-Lot: Juno tends to utter "Shit" a lot.
- Karma Meter: Juno has a gauge that runs from "Pirate" to "Lawful" which dictates her reputation, which changes based on Juno's actions and affects her interactions with pirates and law enforcement.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: There is one solar system that can only be reached via an unstable jump gate, called "Discouragement".
- Retired Badass: Juno was a badass smuggler before trying to retire and go straight. It didn't take.
- Shout-Out: You can buy a photo to put on your dashboard depicting a man known colloquially as "The Bandit".
- You can buy dolls for Juno's dashboard that depict characters from other recent indie games, such as the main character of Astroneer or Littleneck from Amid Evil.
- Sink the Lifeboats: Pilots who have ejected from their wrecked ships can get killed by weapons fire. You can shoot them yourself, if you so choose.
- Space Police: There is law enforcement in the Dodge Sector that can be a major pain if you play as a pirate, or a big help if you fight pirates.
- Space Station: There are several space stations that can be visited throughout the game, ranging from small interstellar gas stations to larger-scale stations with amenities like mission boards, bars, and shops.
- Space "X": The Dodge Sector can be aptly described as "America IN SPACE", with many systems named after States, in addition to planets and space ports named after American cities (the Austin Station and Planet Lubbock in the Texas System, for example).
- Starter Equipment: Juno has to start practically from scratch in the beginning of the game, with only a lousy garbage scow and some cheap, crappy weapons.
- Talking Your Way Out: You can attempt to get ships attacking you to leave you alone by asking (or threatening) them over comms. In a pinch, you also have the option to dump your cargo, letting your enemies take your goods in exchange for sparing you.
- Variable Mix: When the subspace radio is off, the music that plays in the background will change depending on whether Juno is in combat.
- Wanted Meter: If you are seen committing crimes or acts of piracy, the police will go after you with increasing lethality as your wanted level goes up. Being wanted by police also precludes you from docking in some stations.
- Warp Whistle: Fast-travel comes in two varieties: Autopilot, which instantly takes the player to their destination; and Sublight, which sends the ship hurtling at high speeds to a way point. In both cases, you can be stopped midway to your destination by other ships in the path.
- Wide-Open Sandbox: With 39 different solar systems to explore, the Dodge sector is a fairly sizeable sandbox with planets to explore and missions to undertake.
- Zerg Rush: Enemies love to fight like this, particularly pirates. Even if they're in the middle of bullying some poor transport hauler, most if not all of them will break off and focus on you the moment you enter the area.
