The Outcast Lovers Review
The Outcast Lovers review, by yours truly, now that I have moderate use of my hands and a working copy of the game.
Considering my interest in the first in The Sacrifices Series, The Night Fisherman, I was aiming to play the next instalment on the day of release, but you know how life bowls one at you.
On the tail end of carpal tunnel syndrome, to expedite any feelings of discomfort, I’ve been hammering out articles (not just on this site) this past week in a manner that is less productive than usual, but enough to make me wince as I jot down my thoughts on The Outcast Lovers.
As with the last entry into the series, The Outcast Lovers puts you in a tough position
If you haven’t already experienced the first game, I encourage you to try it out. Of course, if you need a little encouragement, you could always read The Night Fisherman review.
Moving forward, this second part is a continuation from the first story but is a standalone in itself. A young boy is washed up on the shore and a couple, Ola and Mary, inadvertently run him down in their car. Returning him to the safety of their home, the couple start a dialogue on immigration and discuss the possible options for the boy’s fate.
With the English Protection Group acting like a beagle in a sausage factory, they have their eye on the prize, and it’s only a matter of moments before they’re at your door asking questions on whether the pair have seen a boy in the area.
As with the last entry into the series, The Outcast Lovers puts you in a tough position. Well, perhaps it isn’t difficult for you depending on your stance. Still, while I have never been in a situation as compromising as this, I have an affiliation with what it is like to be living in a foreign land, and being an immigrant in the UK.
If you haven’t already experienced the first game, I encourage you to try it out
Fortunately, my experience was an enjoyable one, but for others within my circle and those that have passed (as in ‘not in contact’, they aren’t dead, Wednesday Addams), attitudes towards foreigners is a very mixed bag, all over the world.
Every weekend I end up with an insight into my neighbourhood’s attitudes to race, gender and social status. From a family that had a gathering in the garden discussing that’s it’s ok to use the ‘N word’ if it ends in ‘A’, or an acquaintance dropping a casual slur on the local takeaway owner being implicated with the beginnings of COVID-19, there’s so much progress to be made.
I do sometimes think I’m a Disney princess as utterly naive to the hostility around me and not just from Twitter feeds or mainstream media.
This little rant might be a functional filler for the review as these topics are ever crucial in modern society. It’s also a curveball not to talk too much else about the story in the game, as you really must see it for yourself.
Once again, The Outcast Lovers is a free-to-play title, and I reviewed this via Itch.io as it’s so much more convenient in playing a title on the Mac than my PC.
The game isn’t resource-intensive, but despite that, the visuals once again are striking and the soundtrack pumping out a ‘mood on tape’. Why I refer to tape in this day and age, I don’t know.
You’re free to watch the numerous videos on YouTube with everyone else’s reactions and high calibre voice work, but I’d recommend playing it for yourself first. Take in the mood, feel the tension and ask your questions.
Though this game is a snippet of a story, it’s an important one that is life-changing for all the characters. It will have also taken Far Few Giants some time to make, so don’t be tempted to speed run through – that’s not the nature of the title. In my opinion. You can think what you like, and that’s why you have a choice!
There’s no review score as don’t feel it’s appropriate (and honestly, I don’t like giving scores) but I will comment about a bug that was present on release.
Ignoring my earlier wrist dilemma, I attempted to play the game as soon as it was available, but after a title screen, everything went black, and I had no way to play it. In hindsight, I didn’t know it was a technical issue and just assumed it was my Mac being a diva, but can verify the game plays fine.
If you’ve already downloaded but weren’t able to play it, put down that absynthe and play The Outcast Lovers until the next in the series is revealed.
