Outland set for late April/early May

Outland is nearly online. In a post on the PlayStation Blog today, a Sony representative updated the release window of the Housemarque-developed game, saying it's now set to debut on the PlayStation Network in late April or early May. A Ubisoft representative confirmed for GameSpot that the same release window will apply to the Xbox 360 edition of the game.

Ubisoft has previously said the game is inspired by "epic adventures such as the Prince of Persia series" and name-checked Treasure's vertically scrolling arcade shooter Ikaruga as an influence on Outland's core gameplay. In Ikaruga, players could swap the color of their ship between black and white at will; each color could absorb bullets of the same shade, allowing skilled players to weave their way through otherwise impenetrable barrages of enemy fire. Outland brings the same mechanic to a side-scrolling action game, with blue and red enemies representing the forces of light and dark.

The game's soundtrack will be composed by Ari Pulkkinen. While Pulkkinen has previously teamed with Housemarque on Super Stardust HD, he is perhaps better known for his work on the cooperative action adventure Trine and the breakout iPhone hit Angry Birds.

For more on Outland, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.