Outcast Tales, a tactical RPG about a badly matched wasteland crew, is out on Steam for free with no DLC planned

Hardlane Studio's Outcast Tales left its demo behind on 26 October as a full release on Windows and Linux. It costs nothing, and the team says there will be no DLC or supporter packs.

AI-drafted from 3 sources. This story was written with AI from the outside reporting listed under Sources, and checked by automated tools before it went up. The originals have the full detail.

Outcast Tales, a tactical RPG from Hardlane Studio, came out of its demo phase on 26 October with a full release on Steam. It is published by Inner Pocket, runs on Windows and Linux, and costs nothing. Not free to play with a shop bolted on: just free.

The team spelled that out in its launch post. "We still believe the world has room for a creative work that anyone can download, play, and enjoy. That's why there won't be any DLC or supporter packs. In our opinion, the best way to help a free game doesn't involve a wallet." What it asks for instead is an honest Steam review, a word to friends, and help translating the game, which currently ships in English and Russian.

Class plus personality

You pick three characters from a roster of wasteland wanderers and give each one a personality as well as a class. The store page's example is a Preacher Mercenary next to an Antihero Mercenary: same class, very different behaviour. Personality also shapes how events play out between fights. A Pacifist might talk the crew out of trouble, an Egghead might set traps, and a Daredevil will probably just start shooting. Battles against robots, mutants and desert raiders are turn-based, and some abilities only work well in combination with others.

The crew's relationships change as a run goes on. Characters can grow close, fall in love, or come to loathe each other depending on what you choose, so a run can end as a story about friendship or about three strangers who cannot stand one another.

What the full release adds

According to the launch post, the full game has 15 endings, 13 more than the demo had, and some of them lead to extra bosses. The developers say the personalities you pick count towards unlocking some endings, not just the choices you make in events. There is also a new recruit, the Alchemist, whose mixtures drain life in a way armour cannot block, while his stimulants toughen up allies.

Anyone who played the demo keeps their progress: saves and unlocks carry over to the release version automatically. There is also Twitch integration, which lets a streamer's chat vote on event decisions, the next destination and ability upgrades.

GamingOnLinux notes that the Linux build is native.

Sources

• Build up a party of complete idiots in Outcast Tales, out now and it's free (GamingOnLinux)
• Outcast Tales on Steam (Steam)
• The Full Release of Outcast Tales Is Here (Steam)

Image: Hardlane Studio / Inner Pocket