Outpost is a free science-fiction adventure game with a retro style. In it, you play a crew member aboard a space station infested with alien creatures. Awakening during the crisis, you must explore the station, gather equipment, and battle enemies to help your crewmates and save the day.

Outpost is clearly influenced by a generation of classic adventure games, especially games for the Commodore 64. This free single-person game obviously lacks the depth and polish of a game like Space Quest. However, like other indie adventures, such as Featherweight, it's both short and easy to get started playing.

The future the way it used to be

Outpost features very simple controls. You can move, select an item, and use that item. When you come close to a door, locker, or other feature, you can press the up key to interact with it. Much of the time, you'll be using the gun, found early in the game, to defend yourself against monsters as you explore.

Outpost's graphics and sound are simple, but that's part of the game's retro charm. It evokes an earlier generation of computer gaming, where simple mechanics and graphics were standards. It can be tricky sometimes, especially when you need to switch quickly between items. Learning where you are among all the bland corridors and identical doors can also be a challenge.

A nostalgic tribute to classic games

Outpost is a reminder that a game doesn't have to be complex to be fun. That said, it's also not a game that holds the interest for long, nor is it intended to be. It's simple and has few surprises, either in its plot or its visuals. Still, for fans of adventure games, this retro experiment is worth checking out.