There aren’t a lot of games that I’d primarily describe as “lush”, but Outrider Mako is one of them. At PAX West 2024, I had the chance to play the game, thanks to publisher PLAYISM, and the entire time I did, my mouth was agape. Outrider Mako is rich, textured, and ornate, in all the best ways. I adore it.
But, let’s back up a bit. Because, despite having been in development for 4 years, I had never heard of Outrider Mako before PLAYISM reached out to me before PAX West, and I suspect that is true for a lot of you. And that’s a damn shame because one look at Outrider Mako can immediately tell you exactly what there is to like about the game: it’s absolutely beautiful. There is a lot going for Outrider Mako, but before I tell you about the rest of it, I really have to tell you about how it looks and feels.
Now, listen, I’m a gaming journalist. It’s practically my job to obsess over video game vistas, well-polished animations, and high-quality sprites. But, even among all the gorgeous, stunning games I’ve seen, Outrider Mako might just take the cake. And it all comes down to art direction, atmosphere, and attention to detail.
I’ll make this brief, but every aesthetic sensibility that the developers Asamado Games have is perfectly on point. Outrider Mako is able to deliver a feeling that I can only really describe as “Ghibli-esque,” in all the best ways, while still marrying together that artstyle with the game’s own unique ludic flair and a deep reverence for parts of Shintoist Japanese folklore that I’m dying to see more of. In just the opening few minutes that I played, the sense of ennui, the close attention to the tiniest environmental details, and the fluid movement all came together in a feast for the eyes. I know I’m fixating on this, but… I mean, look at it.
But Outrider Mako isn’t just spectacular because of its visual flair or its adoration of Japanese mythology (a native mythology for the Japanese developers). It also plays great, making use of unorthodox and creative mechanics to bounce on the head of enemies, cover them with slime, and deliver packages to the ethereal denizens of the spiritual plane that Mako finds herself in.
The gameplay, at least what I experienced of it, isn’t complicated or dense, but it is also not so at ease that I’d call it cozy (even if the aesthetic might be). Rather, there is just a kind of tranquility and childlike energy permeating everything in Outrider Mako, from the bouncy movement, to the gooey combat.
It’s a joy to play, almost as much as it is a joy to witness. Doubly so because of the immediately intriguing “girl in a strange place” narrative that immediately sets Mako up as competent and likeable, and immediately gives her a clear, important goal that I can already imagine progressing in all sorts of inventive, emotionally-powerful ways.
It’s just all so inviting and alluring, made all the more inviting by the incredible spectacle that I just can’t stop talking about. Committing even further to the Ghibli comparisons, I’d equate the feel of Outrider Mako to a mix of Spirited Away’s world and tone, and Kiki’s Delivery Service’s protagonist and energy.
I mean, that should be about all of the convincing you need to wishlist Outrider Mako on Steam, right? After all, anyone who grew up with Ghibli, like I did, should be falling over themselves at the chance to play a lost girl in the spirit realm delivering packages so that she can find her way back home. I wish I didn’t have to wait until 2025 to see Mako in action some more, but I’m glad you’ll be waiting with me. That feels in the spirit of things.
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Graves
Graves is an avid writer, web designer, and gamer, with more ideas than he could hope to achieve in a lifetime. But, armed with a mug of coffee and an overactive imagination, he'll try. When he isn't working on a creative project, he is painting miniatures, reading cheesy sci-fi novels, or making music.
