The Outbound Ghost

Much like a shimmering ghost seen for just a fleeting moment, The Outbound Ghost flirts with taking the corporeal form of a great Paper Mario-style game but it never fully materialises. The heart is definitely there, with some great music and environments to go along with adorable little ghost characters, but a shallow battle system, a meandering narrative, and fuzzy presentation left us wanting in just about every ghostly regard.

The Outbound Ghost is a bland and confusing game that is as boring as it is pretty.

Both a game and a developer to keep an eye on, but maybe wait for a deep sale or substantial updates before you buy The Outbound Ghost.

The Outbound Ghost has the right ingredients for a delightfully wholesome RPG on Switch, but it’s not quite at its prime on this platform. In its current state, it’s certainly playable, but performance issues, blurry text and irritating loading screens between battles make it tough to recommend here. Patches look to be on the horizon, so this may be one to keep on the wishlist for later. If you have access to other platforms, you may also want to consider those options. Looking past the issues, I felt something warm and moving playing this game. It’s probably a feeling that won’t click with all gamers. As I played and talked to the NPCs dealing with their difficult emotions and just trying to make sense of their lives. I felt a lot of empathy, reflecting on some of my life experiences. If you like your RPG cute and casual or want something wholesome to enjoy on the sofa or maybe with a youngling, then I still recommend this ghostly adventure. Just maybe not right now.

I’m honestly torn over a lot about this game, even past the developer/publisher conflict. Despite all the game’s shortcomings, I quickly became obsessed with finding out why I’m a ghost and helping out my new ghost friends… but playing wasn’t always the easiest. The loading times alone are simply not worth putting up with, and I’d stop playing for a bit out of frustration. So I’d say The Outbound Ghost is worth playing because the story is actually quite good (and the graphics are charming when they’re not blurry), but maybe not until the developer can deliver the improved version that he’s promising.

The Outbound Ghost feels like a mixed bag; it doesn't know whether or not it wants to be charming or have a darker storyline. It fails at both.

I wanted to like The Outbound Ghost, I really did. There’s clearly a ton of love behind its development, especially in the art and sound departments. Unfortunately, its story is completely underdeveloped and ends without much of it being resolved or explained. The combat is fun at first, and encourages creative combinations of Figments and their Aspects, but it does start to feel repetitive after a while.

The Outbound Ghost is a great turn-based RPG with fun characters and a heartfelt story. The unique game mechanics make the battles challenging and enjoyable as you progress through the story.

The Outbound Ghost is a well-crafted project with a competent execution from a small dev team. The sceneries have a lot of repeated elements and exploration is oftentimes monotonous, but combat is a highlight due to the variety of Figments and it's fun to devise various strategies based on its elements. The story develops in an interesting way and helps keep the player engaged. It isn't an impressive game but it's worth giving it a try.

The Outbound Ghost is the best Paper Mario styled game I’ve played in many years. It easily offers a dozen hours of gameplay, and that’s just if you play the main story. For those that like to wander, there’s plenty of hidden secrets to unearth, as well as randomizer effects to mix up your experience. While the game wasn’t as tight or well organized as I would have liked, it’s still a solid turn-based RPG that fans should enjoy.