Currently, there's not much known about People Can Fly and Square Enix's upcoming cross-gen title, Outriders. Game previews of it, however, certainly leave an impression. Game Rant describes it as a Mad Max meets Mass Effect-style RPG shooter, and it'll launch with four unique classes: the Trickster, the Devastator, the Pryomancer, and one that has yet to be revealed. The very premise of the game is failed colonization efforts on an alien planet, where "The Anomaly," a huge energy storm, disrupts this journey. There is a mysterious signal that is the hope for humanity's future, in an otherwise hostile location where the aforementioned storm provides players, others, and hostiles with super powers.
Although it is not a live service title, Outriders has drawn comparisons to Destiny and The Division, but interestingly enough, it is more of a story-based game. Lead writer Joshua Rubin has cited Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness as narrative influences and comparisons, but there is one more that's clear by the name of the very planet: Enoch. For those aware, Enoch is an important figure in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, and as such, it's worth wondering how his name ties into this all.
Old and New Testament: Enoch's Important as a Prophet
As a quick history lesson, the Old and New Testaments are rich for cultural and literary analysis, perhaps none so richer than the character Enoch. The character is first mentioned in Genesis, where it describes that Enoch was, one day, essentially "not." In other words, Enoch was taken by God and never truly experienced death; the only other character in the Old Testament to do so was Elijah. Now, while this may like something unconnected to Outriders, it's a small chance that this name was chosen without reason, and that reason could relate to two other influences of Enoch.
Namely, during the events of Revelation, two prophets return to the earth to prophesy but are eventually killed. Several names and identities as to WHO these prophets are is often debated, but the most commonly tossed around names include Moses, Elijah, and Enoch. As such, it seems that Enoch plays a role as "Humanity's Last Hope" here. On the other hand, the influence of Enoch was not limited to this text. Literary evidence suggests the the apocrypha text, the Book of Enoch, had some influence on the culture of the time. Not only does the Book of Jude cite this work directly but the terminology found in Revelation also seems, at times, derived from this work.
Now, for clarity, this work was in no way written by Enoch but instead exists as a piece of pseudepigrapha, or a work post-attributed to an author. Using his name, though, clearly had some profound influence on the time, meaning it'll likely have some influence on Outriders gameplay or story as well.
Outriders: Enoch's Importance as a Planet
Returning to the literary influences and premise of Outriders, it's not hard to draw some connections. This mysterious signal associated with humanity's future in the game is the agenda to all biblical work, the hope for the future and life after death. Enoch details this to an extreme degree, and this signal and the planet could be more connected than currently though. It would be even more obvious if there some unique application to life and death in Outriders, although this is mere speculation at this time.
Interestingly enough, and this one may be the furthest stretch of the theorist' cap, but Elijah is associated with Fire in the Old Testament. There is a pyromancer class (alongside the Trickster and others) in Outriders, similar working themes, and an otherwise dark tone (truth be told, not unlike Enoch itself). The fourth unrevealed class could be something more connected to the planet Enoch or its theme, and it would be interesting if the class were like a Cleric, Prophet, or so on.
Again, the name Enoch is not one simply tossed around in most circles, and while there are harmless references of it worldwide, there's a good chance that isn't the case here. This planet, Enoch, may serve as more than just a narrative catalyst, but even still, if that's all it is, it's one powerful narrative catalyst. It'll be interesting to see how this planet, this signal, and all of its infleunces operate in full when Outriders launches for next-gen and current gen consoles.
Outriders releases Q4 2020 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.