Outlanders Review

Welcome to my review of Outlanders on PC. The game is developed and self-published by Pomelo Games. This game was originally released on iOS – Apple Arcade in September 2019 and eventually ported to the PC which was released in March 2023.

Survive the harsh Outlands

Keep reading to find out why I scored the game as high as I did. You can also check out our previous reviews.

The Game

The premise of Outlanders is simple really. Start your colony, build, survive, and thrive. Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that, kind of. I found the number of buildings you can build rather limited but this could just be me as I am used to playing other colony/city-building games where you have an absolute ton of different structures to build.

The game certainly has an element of charm to it though. The graphics are adorable and the soundtrack is very relaxing. That’s where the nice comments stop though because this game does not hold your hand, at all. I prefer that with games like this though, it helps you learn better in my opinion.

There are a number of distinct levels that you will be challenged to in the campaign. Each has its own flavour and set of challenges to beat so be prepared to change up your strategy for each level. There are twenty-nine “classic” levels and a number of levels in the “chronicles” section which you unlock when you have completed the first six classic levels. The campaign also has some light storytelling that follows the tales of different town leaders. All of them are in search of a hassle-free natural lifestyle.

That’s a lot of levels

Of course, there is also a sandbox mode. Which city builder isn’t complete without one? Sandbox modes are what make these games your own as you can change up the options and make them completely yours. The game also has a “decree” system which lets you make tough decisions such as allowing you to have your workers work faster, but in turn, they are a bit more unhappy.

Outlanders does have a number of buildings, but as aforementioned there could be more. You can build different types of homes for your followers, there are also quite a few different production buildings such as a quarry, lumberjack hut, sawmill, and more. You can also build food production buildings such as a fishing hut, a farm, a windmill, and more.

Look & Sound

I really like the design of the game. The graphics style chosen is a polygonal look with some basic texture and lighting. However, it works.

The audio of the game is somewhat limited. There isn’t too much in the sound department, but the music is rather chilled out so makes up for that.

Length & Replayability

Because this is a city builder, it can last as long as you want it to. However, HowLongToBeat says it should take around 40 hours for the iOS version.

The game also has 83 Steam achievements for you to unlock.