Outrage

Outrage is a 2D turn-based cyberpunk RPG developed in RPG Maker, where players lead a team of vigilantes in a futuristic city. The game features non-linear missions, reputation mechanics that affect police interactions, customizable equipment, and multiple difficulty levels and endings.

Outrage: Review

Introduction

In the saturated landscape of indie role-playing games, few titles manage to carve out a distinct niche through both thematic ambition and mechanical restraint. Outrage (2016), a cyberpunk RPG crafted by Astronomic Games and published by New Reality Games, is one such anomaly. Built within the constraints of RPG Maker VX Ace, it delivers a compact yet morally complex vigilante fantasy where every choice echoes through its dystopian metropolis. Despite its humble origins and mixed reception, Outrage endures as a fascinating case study in emergent storytelling and systemic design—a diamond in the rough of the 2016 indie boom. This review dissects its legacy, examining how its blend of turn-based tactics, reputation mechanics, and ethical dilemmas transcends its technical limitations to offer a uniquely potent experience that resonates with the timeless tensions of justice and corruption.

Development History & Context

Astronomic Games, led by developer Matthew Ashworth (Matseb2611), emerged as a niche studio in the mid-2010s indie scene, specializing in narrative-driven RPGs built atop RPG Maker VX Ace—a tool synonymous with accessibility but often plagued by visual and mechanical homogenization. Outrage was conceived as a deliberate departure from the studio’s earlier works like City of Chains and Atonement, aiming for a leaner, more focused experience. The 2016 gaming landscape was dominated by AAA blockbusters and sprawling open-world epics, yet indie developers were increasingly exploring procedural generation and systemic storytelling. Ashworth’s vision was to distill cyberpunk’s core themes—corporate greed, vigilantism, and moral ambiguity—into a tightly structured framework where player agency would dictate the narrative’s trajectory.

Technologically, RPG Maker VX Ace imposed significant limitations: tile-based environments, sprite-based character models, and reliance on plugins for complex mechanics. Ashworth compensated by leveraging a collaborative ecosystem; notable contributors included Yanfly (combat scripting), Galv (visual effects), and Scythuz (music), whose work transformed the engine’s constraints into stylistic strengths. The game’s release on Steam on April 6, 2016, capitalized on the burgeoning cyberpunk revival post-Cyberpunk 2077’s announcement, positioning Outrage as an accessible entry point for genre enthusiasts. Its price point ($3.99) and emphasis on replayability—three endings and semi-random loot—aligned with the era’s trend of value-driven indie titles.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Outrage’s narrative unfolds in the rain-slicked, neon-drenched corpse of a unnamed cyberpunk city, where a team of six vigilantes—each with unique backstories and skills—operates beyond the law to dismantle a corporate conspiracy. The plot is intentionally sparse, favoring atmospheric vignettes over exposition. Players begin by selecting two initial characters from the roster (e.g., the jaded hacker “Zero” or the battle-scarred enforcer “Brick”), with the remaining four recruitable through optional missions. This modular structure allows for organic character bonding; recruiting the tech-savvy “Nova” early might unlock hacking missions, while partnering with the explosives expert “Fang” could open destructive paths.

The core tension revolves around the team’s reputation—a quantifiable metric tracked through missions. High reputation earns police tolerance but attracts underworld scorn, while low reputation invites crackdowns but deepens alliances with criminal syndicates. This binary system drives the narrative’s thematic depth: Outrage interrogates the ethics of vigilante justice. A mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist might raise reputation with authorities but anger a powerful crime lord, forcing players to weigh collateral damage against ideological purity. The dialogue, sparse but purposeful, leans into cyberpunk tropes—noir-ish monologues, corporate jargon, and moral ambiguity—with characters questioning whether “justice” justifies extrajudicial violence. The three endings—Redemption (saintly vigilante), Corruption (tyrant), and Obscurity (disbanded)—serve as stark reflections of player choices, cementing the narrative as a parable about power’s seductive pull.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Outrage’s turn-based combat emphasizes tactical precision over flashy spectacle. Battles occur in enclosed spaces (dungeons, corporate strongholds), with teams of up to four characters facing off against foes like corporate security drones or augmented street gangs. Each character has unique abilities—Zero’s “Data Drain” disables enemy tech, while Brick’s “Ground Slam” stuns groups—but true strategy lies in environmental exploitation: using cover to mitigate damage, luring enemies into hazards, or coordinating combos. The difficulty tiers (Casual, Normal, Tough) scale enemy aggression and resource scarcity, with “Tough” mode punishing resource mismanagement harshly.

The mission system is the game’s crown jewel. Between main story beats, players have limited “days” to select optional missions, creating a resource-race against time. Missions fall into three archetypes:
– Gear/Recruitment: Scavenging for cybernetic upgrades or recruiting allies.
– Intel: Obtaining clues that weaken main-story bosses.
– Reputation: Actions that shift the city’s perception of the team.

This semi-procedural design ensures no two playthroughs are identical; a missed mission to steal corporate data might preclude a stealthy boss takedown later. The UI, while functional, suffers from RPG Maker’s clunky menu navigation—inventory management feels sluggish, and the turn-order indicators are minimalist. Yet these flaws are mitigated by the loot system’s semi-randomness: supply crates and mission rewards vary per playthrough, encouraging experimentation with loadouts (e.g., prioritizing EMP grenades against robotic foes).

World-Building, Art & Sound

Astronomic Games masterfully leverages RPG Maker’s limitations to craft a cohesive cyberpunk aesthetic. The city’s visual design—rendered in a muted palette of grays and electric blues—is punctuated by neon signs and holographic billboards, evoking the genre’s signature melancholy. Environments like the “Slums” or “Corporate Plaza” are rich in detail: flickering streetlights, graffiti-covered walls, and decaying infrastructure reinforce the world’s inequality. Character sprites, though simplistic, are expressive—Zero’s hoodie and Brick’s scarred face communicate personality without exposition.

The sound design elevates the atmosphere. Scythuz’s synth-driven soundtrack oscillates between melancholic piano tracks and pulsating electronica, adapting dynamically to mission contexts (e.g., tense strings during heists). Joel Steudler’s sound effects—from the hum of cybernetic limbs to the crackle of gunfire—ground combat in visceral reality. Yet the audio isn’t without flaws; some tracks loop abruptly, and enemy sound cues can be drowned out by overlapping effects. Still, the art and sound synergy creates a palpable sense of urban decay, where every alleyway feels alive with danger and opportunity.

Reception & Legacy

At launch, Outrage received lukewarm critical and player reception. Metacritic and OpenCritic aggregated scores in the 20–40% range, with critics like Twinfinite dismissing it as “unpolished” and “underwhelming” despite its low price point. Steam user reviews were mixed (59% positive), with praise for its narrative cohesion and critique of its technical roughness. Yet over time, its reputation has soured; it now languishes in obscurity, overshadowed by more ambitious cyberpunk RPGs like Shadowrun: Dragonfall.

However, Outrage’s legacy lies in its influence on systemic RPG design. Its reputation-based narrative branching and time-limited mission system presaged mechanics in titles like Disco Elysium (2019), where player choices radically alter story outcomes. It also demonstrated RPG Maker’s untapped potential for complex narratives, inspiring indie developers to experiment beyond genre conventions. While it never achieved cult status, its synthesis of moral ambiguity and tactical depth ensures a footnote in cyberpunk gaming history—a flawed but forward-thinking artifact of the indie renaissance.

Conclusion

Outrage is a testament to the adage that ambition outweighs execution. As a cyberpunk RPG, it delivers a morally corrosive vision of vigilantism and systemic corruption, elevated by a reputation system that makes every choice feel consequential. Its turn-based combat and mission structure offer tactical depth, while the art and sound design conjure a compelling dystopian world. Yet technical constraints and UI bloat prevent it from reaching its full potential, leaving it as a curio rather than a classic.

Ultimately, Outrage earns its place in video game history not as a masterpiece, but as a noble experiment—a warning and a blueprint. It reminds us that even in the most constrained engines, powerful stories can emerge. For players seeking a cyberpunk RPG where the line between hero and villain blurs with every mission, Outrage remains a flawed yet unforgettable journey into the heart of digital darkness. Verdict: A Cult Classic in the Making.