Mouse and keyboard is not a great way to play a flight sim of any kind. The number-one option would be a HOTAS (a hands on throttle and stick). The number-two option would be a gamepad with a couple analog sticks. But Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is here to prove that at least a developer can get around a 360-degree spherical environment with WASD controls. I'm still not into it, but hey, play how you want to play.
Gameplay controls aside, Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is one of the best-looking spaceship sims I've ever seen. It's a little bit Wing Commander, a little bit Mystery Science Theater 3000. The pilot throwing up middle fingers? Well, that animation looks a little bit gangly and awkward, but it's still in keeping with the don't-care Rebel Galaxy attitude.
The guns sound like you're shooting off strands of chain link. The explosions are big and oily looking. There are several radio stations to choose from, but this video hangs out on "The Grinder," which is some anthemic-sounding motorcycle rock n' roll. Just right for the boot-knife biker mentality you'll be rolling with. Don't miss the split-second repair screen at the very end after seven good long minutes of combat this video goes through. Doesn't even take long enough for the pilot to sip from her styrofoam cup of coffee before she's up n' at 'em again.
Here was a three-hour Twitch stream with one of the devs, in case you want to see a whole lot more of what you just saw. No doubt, even without a solid release date yet, this game made my Five Most Anticipated Games of 2019 list that I posted six months ago. Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is still 100 percent on that list.
It'd be nice if the Epic Games Store got a wishlist button. Otherwise, I'll have to, like, bookmark the page or something, since that store's landing page pretty much rearranges itself every single day. With the calendar flipping to July 1 this morning, that means the game has officially missed its "early 2019" target it set for itself in August of last year. But at least this gameplay slice looks near flawless, as far as I can tell. But let's all just give Double Damage Games the time it needs to make it good.
