Square Enix and People Can Fly recently held a lengthy preview event for their upcoming shooter RPG Outriders. They gave us a first look at three of their four character classes, each of which felt incredibly powerful and distinct. If you want to read some impressions about the Pyromancer or the Trickster, see our other posts. However, if you're interested in intimidating, close-range power of the Devastator, you're in the right place.

Of the three classes, the Devastator feels the most like your traditional tank. Each class has its own healing ability, negating the need for a healer class. The Devastator's heal kicks in when you kill someone from close-range. Fortunately, her skill set means that's where you're going to live during a battle.

Her first ability is "Earthquake",  a wave of energy that shoots out in front of her. You see the earth opens up in front you, destroying everything in your path. It's not as flashy as the Trickster's first skill, but it certainly fits the character's playstyle. Her second skill, "Golem", shields you from damage for a short time. Again, it doesn't have the pizzaz of some of the other classes' abilities, but it's a welcome addition to the Devastator's kit.

The last ability we saw at the demo is "Gravity Jump." This is the crown jewel of the Devastator's early kit. You fly up away from the battlefield, giving yourself a full view of the action. Then, you select an enemy to fly toward and pulverize into the ground. The area around said enemy blows up as well, damaging anyone with the impact zone. This skill is what gives the Devastator her name. It is, by far the most visually-stunning and game-altering ability I played within the demo and I can't wait to see what else is lurking in that skill tree.

I tend to gravitate to classes that let you get right into the thick of things. If there's a class that I would pick to play just based on the description from the playstyles, it would be the Devastator. My first hour or so with the character had me questioning that decision; however, once I unlocked everything changed. Being able to have that impact on combat with the click of a button was my favorite part of the demo. The first time I saw it in action, I was cackling with child-like glee. It's such a destructive display of power that's it hard to imagine another ability topping it. That said, my early time with the game has me confident that People Can Fly will somehow find a way to deliver just that.

Outriders is coming to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X this winter. If you want to get some impressions about the other two classes, check out our articles about the Pyromancer and the Trickster. For general impressions of Outriders, give this a look.