The Outbound Ghost is a narrative role-play about a ghost on a quest to solve the cause of their own death, and help other ghosts come to terms with their own post-mortal existence. It's inspired by Paper Mario but has gameplay twists similar to Undertale, such as doing minigames during dialogue for specific responses. This combines to create a unique blend of genres with deep thematic and philosophical musings.

You wake up on the outskirts of Outbound, a town in purgatory where unfulfilled ghosts go, instead of ascending to the afterlife. With no memory of your past, you piece together the events that lead up to your death, while helping other ghosts come to terms with their losses and regrets. Your plight is exacerbated by a murder that implicates you as the prime suspect. Uncover your past, meet the residents and piece together the mystery.

Play involved running and jumping over chasms, dodging obstacles and evading enemies. Battle encounters are more unusual as you literally dodge characters' words and defences, in a minigame where you avoid lasers and obstacles as they come towards you, to win them over. Like Undertale and Rainbow Billy, it's a twist that not only adds interest but relational weight to the game.

You engage in conversations not only to comfort and get to know the other ghosts, but also to learn about new clues that can help you solve the mystery. Alongside this, there are lots of puzzles to complete, be it to pick a lock or to uncover a new clue, that broaden the scope of the play.

The unique blend of gameplay mechanics and striking visual style, paired with a deep and sincere story about mental health, grief and regret differentiate it from the many other games in the genre, and can act as a good starting point for the topics raised.