Driving means different things to different people. For some, it’s the thrill of speed, the sensation of adrenaline pumping through their veins as the world becomes a blur. For others, it’s the feeling of power, and being in control of a roaring engine. Or it can be about the artistry – impeccable craftsmanship from the perfectly balanced and tuned motor to the hand-stitched leather seats.
In Outbound, the upcoming open-world cozy crafting adventure from Square Glade Games, it’s about freedom. The ability to be untethered from society, free to go where you want, and just be. After five hours behind the wheel experiencing that freedom for myself, I think I might just be one of those people.
Call of the Wild
“I drove until the gray of the city faded from my mirrors. Now, the open road and this camper van are all I call home.”
These simple thoughts are all that greet me as I wind my rustic, microbus-like vehicle through the wooded roads. Flanked on each side by walls of rock, I find a viewpoint after one final bend, and step out to survey the scenic valley stretching ahead. With blue skies overhead, and chirps of birds filling the air, I take in the forests stretching all around. A small number of structures dot the landscape, with a ranger station nearby, a raised drawbridge further ahead, and the silhouette of a windmill adorning a far off hillside.
The goal of Outbound, as best I can tell, is just to live. I don’t mean that in a “things are trying to harm you” way. Rather, you are here to build a life in nature, and within your trusty camper van. There are objectives; my first few are to visit a nearby Fire Lookout and craft some essential tools, but those seem to be more about encouraging exploration and teaching me how to survive rather than missions focused on advancing a predefined narrative. I’m here to see the sights, see to the needs of my character and my van, and wake up each morning ready to find my own adventure in this survival sim high in coziness and low in life-threatening stakes.
The road is blocked by a broken barrier arm, so I decided to explore a bit more. A small signal tower made of truss nearby draws my attention. As I arrive at the base of the tower, I find a computer terminal that allows me to log in and trade in a ticket in my back pocket for the blueprints to craft a hammer and wrench. As I return to the van, I notice a supply crate filled with wood, a campfire to light with it, and some metal scraps strewn about the ground. I take those bits of metal to the workbench built into the rear compartment of my van, craft a wrench to repair the barrier, and resume my journey through the tight switchbacks into the valley, toward the Fire Lookout.
While there are roads to follow, plenty of forks, side paths, and hiking trails make it clear there isn’t a predefined track to dictate where you go. Obstructions like that barrier, broken bridges, and unpowered vehicle elevators cut off access in some directions, but additional signal towers and points of interest, like that Fire Lookout, offer new blueprints that expand the number of crafting options. Finding blueprints, lighting campfires, and exploring the points of interest form the core exploration loop, though there are additional secrets to find, like Cairns to stack or scatter, or even hidden gnomes with funny names like Ratpak, Gnomey McGnomeface, and Gary.
Cleaning up campsites lets me gather up materials to recycle, exchanging litter for the tickets to buy blueprints. Soon, I find a signal tower that lets me trade one in for the plans for a countertop saw millI I can build inside of my van. While I don’t necessarily recommend exposed spinning sawblades behind the seat of a moving vehicle, it did let me turn the basic Everwood logs into planks – just the things I needed to repair a nearby collapsed bridge. After some gathering and milling, I do just that, and advance towards the heart of the region.
Drive to Survive
I’m 10 days into my journey now, and I’ve reached the base of the hill under that windmill I saw earlier. My drive up the path is thwarted, though, as my little electric motor lacks the horsepower to overcome the steep incline (which, to be fair, is in keeping with the little flat four engines of the old 60’s and 70’s microbuses.) Fortunately, I’d just picked up a Vehicle Research Station blueprint, and with the twist of a wrench (and some well-spent scraps and bolts), I upgrade my power train, and start the climb.
Maintaining the van is an essential component of your life out here off the grid. This little camper is all-electric, and burns through juice pretty quickly. There are multiple tiers of upgrades that can improve engine power and battery capacity, but that energy will start to run out. Fortunately, there are plenty of options, like the occasional recharging station at the side of the road. In most cases, the most immediate option is the Power Unit attached next to the engine. Pop open the engine cover on the rear of the van, and you’ll see a little canister attached to the motor which you can feed wood and fiber into to generate power, like your own personal Mr. Fusion. Keep the Power Unit fed, top off your tire pressure, and this little baby will take great care of you.
The drive up is slow, but under clear blue skies, with blue, yellow, and red flowers bending to the breeze, I really can’t complain. The windmill is easily the largest structure I’ve visited so far, and features a well-stocked supply crate filled with flowers, fiber, and carrots, while another little gnome (this one is Indiana Gnomes), hides around the corner. Those carrots are especially important, because like the van, your character needs to be fed. Berries and fruits are plentiful enough alongside the road that starvation doesn’t seem like an imminent threat, though they don’t fill you up much. Learning to craft planters or cooking surfaces prove a more efficient way to keep the stomach rumbles at bay.
There’s a surprising amount going on at this windmill. The big blades on the front of the building aren’t turning, and fixing that is a structure spanning puzzle involving spinning floors, lining up ladders, and climbing bookshelves to find hidden buttons. As I reach the top and spend my remaining scrap metal on repairs, the blades begin to turn (opening a door blocking a blueprint to download). Everything is going smoothly until I take one wrong step next to an opening in the floor and drop to the story below with a painful grunt. Ouch. I lose a good-sized chunk off my health bar for the first time.
While there aren’t any hazards specifically out to cause you harm, that doesn’t mean you are invincible. Overly ambitious jumps and falls like the one I took at the mills can chip away at your health, and if you don’t keep up on your hunger, starvation will start sapping your life away too. You won’t necessarily die, but if your health bar runs out you will faint, and lose a day while you recuperate, starting again with a quarter of your health restored. Fortunately, you can find ginseng in many supply crates, which heals you, and a good night’s rest can work wonders. I park my van at a recharge station at the base of the hill, and do just that.
Vancraft
I’ve been exploring for just over two weeks now, and I’ve accumulated quite a few blueprints. Most of my tools are upgraded, and I’ve visited all the nearby landmarks. With a cargo hold brimming with crafting materials, I decide it’s time to put them all together, and really trick out my van.
Your camper van is more than just a means of transportation with a bed in the back – it’s your fully customizable home away from home. The rack on the roof is nothing short of a miracle, allowing you to build out, up, and all around, then folding it all up neatly when it’s time to hit the road again. The biggest limitation is weight capacity, though like the engine itself, that can be upgraded over time.
I start to lay out some basic wood flooring in a rectangle that extends beyond my van in each direction. I’ve built plenty of houses in other survival games, so even my shoddy first attempt comes together well enough as I build up walls, tack on a roof, and close off the ends. It’s not very fancy or creative, but it’s home.
It’s also very supply intensive, and I find myself out of logs fast. While I am in a forest, Outbound is no tree-puncher, and additional lumber needs to be found on downed logs rather than harvested from the healthy trees around. I appreciate the lack of clearcutting, as it’s very inline with the overall one-with-nature conservationist slant, but it does mean that supplies aren’t as plentiful as you’d find in a typical Minecraft server or grove in Once Human, and I find myself scouring the countryside for every usable bit of wood. I’m lucky no one else is around, if they saw the way I slam on my brakes and run out into a thunderstorm to excitedly grab a single log, they’d probably have me committed, but such is the life of a craftsman.
As I finish the structure, it’s time to start putting the space to work. I drop a trio of solar panels on a platform above the cab, allowing the van to slowly charge while it is parked and fully deployed. Inside, I set up counters for all the various machines I have the blueprints for, allowing me to sew, stamp out bolts, and smelt ore into metal sheets. Add a chair, a tasteful end table and some candles, and this space is looking cozier already. Admittedly it’s pretty rustic, the whole thing looks like it’s made of recycled pallets, but I’m happy with it for a first draft, though in my head I’m already drawing up plans for when I unlock fancier construction options, like glass windows and metal siding. I think a balcony covered in planters growing crops would look sharp above the passenger seat.
But that’s a project for another day. For now, I pack up, slide into the driver’s seat, and hit the open road. My batteries are full, and I’ve got a whole day of adventuring ahead of me. You won’t need to wait much longer to take the wheel yourself, as Outbound pulls up to PlayStation 5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Steam on April 23.
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