The Outbound Ghostis a new indie RPG that tries to pay homage to thePaper Marioseries. The visuals should be a clear indication of this as all characters are 2D on a 3D plain of existence. They look more like stickers than cutout pieces of paper though, giving it just a tad more original flavor.
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The battles inThe Outbound Ghostareturn-based like classic RPGsbut there is a twist. Players have to input active commands to stop a sliding scale on an exact point to maximize damage. The game is both simple and complex, so beginners may benefit from some easy-to-understand tips.
1Play Around With The Assist Options
The Outbound Ghosthas four difficulty levels which is not astandard in RPGsbut they are always appreciated. That’s not the good part though, as this game also features several assist options to make it as easy or as hard as players want. Players can mess around with how much experience is gained, how much damage they do, and how much damage they receive.
All three of these features operate on a sliding scale from 0-500%. For starters, players should try the three settings at the normal level of 100% and adjust accordingly from there. The only settings that can’t be changed once started are some specialties like Figment progression. As the game warns, players shouldn’t add any of these specialties to the mix on their first playthrough.
2Fight Every Enemy
As old-school as this game is trying to be, as anhomage to the 90s, there are some forward-thinking mechanics. For example, monsters run around and battles are not randomized. There are ways to sneak past enemies via bushes, but this is not recommended.
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If an enemy appears on screen, players should fight it. The number of opportunities for combat is limited in the early hours as respawning doesn’t come into play. To level up for the tougher bosses, players must fight everything they come across. If players do fall behind though, there are ways to meet the challenge of a boss thanks to those aforementioned assist features.
3Bravely Using Aether
Every character has a set amount of AP, or Aether Points, that they can be banked up. These characters, called Figments, act for the hero Mystic sort of like Pokemon. The starting Figment, Regret, can bank up two AP. They have a skill called Up which will defend that character for that turn as well as save AP.
So, in the next round, Regret can act twice because they now have two AP to use. This system is similar to the one in theBravely Defaultseries, which is good to see reused in this little indie RPG. Not every character can go to two AP while other characters can go beyond it. There is a lot of variety and this is an important system to get the hang of for bosses.
4Forging Aspects
Each Figment can equip a set amount of Aspects which are the equipment ofThe Outbound Ghost. Every accessory can boost a certain thing for a character such as health or even grant abilities like recovering HP and SP after every turn, which is called Reconstruction 1. Some Aspects have a give-and-take approach where one could grant higher health at the cost of lowering attack power. Players can find equipment in chests or get them from enemies after fighting ina turn-based battle.
The best way to gain them is through crafting at camp though. New recipes can be unlocked as the game progresses, usually offering players two branching paths. Players shouldn’t panic in these situations, but instead, check out each recipe book and see what can be gained and go with that gut instinct. There is no wrong decision as many recipe opportunities will pop up.
5Explore Thoroughly
The Outbound Ghostbegins fairly quicklyfor an RPGafter a brief intro. The world is gated in some respect with gates being locked. After about an hour, the world starts to open up more with opportunities to explore and side quests. In each area, players should be sure to explore thoroughly as items can often be hidden in the most unlikely of places.
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It can also be easy to get stuck in the game. When in doubt, it’s a good idea to go through bushes as they usually hide paths. It’s also not a bad idea to take notes if players come across a path that cannot be crossed yet due to a strange symbol on the ground or a locked gate. Taking notes is a good reminder for players to return to places at a later point once they get the necessary tools for progressing. Keeping track of everything without notes can be tricky otherwise which is video games 101.
6Save As Often As Possible
One of the downsides to the more open aspect ofThe Outbound Ghostis the save points. Players cannot save wherever they wish, which is unfortunate for several reasons. The biggest issue is that save points are few and far between meaning that players have to go through long hauls before they can end their session.
This is not uncommon for older RPGs, but it’s not great to see in amodern indie RPGeven if it is trying to be an homage to the classics. The best piece of advice is to save as often as possible and to even backtrack to old save points after areas are cleared. One never knows when the next camp will come up naturally.
The Outbound Ghostwas released on June 25, 2025, and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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