Spaceships are usually cool. They’re sleek, fast, and equipped with lasers that make a satisfying "pew" sound. But if you’ve spent any time playing Out There, you know that space is actually a terrifying, silent vacuum that just wants to see you suffocate. Then there's the ship that everyone loves to hate: the Hunchback. Honestly, Out There: The Hunchback is less of a ship and more of a psychological test designed by Mi-Clos Studio to see exactly how much stress a human being can take before they throw their phone across the room.
It’s clunky. It’s ugly. It has a cargo hold that feels like a cruel joke. Yet, for players who actually want to beat the game’s harder paths, the Hunchback is often the weird, reliable tractor that gets the job done.
Why the Hunchback is the Weirdest Ship in Out There
If you're new to the game, the Hunchback is one of those mid-tier ships you encounter when you're desperate. You’re floating in a dead system, your oxygen is at 5%, and your hull is held together by hope and a bit of duct tape. Suddenly, you scan a derelict. It’s the Hunchback. Your first instinct is probably to keep looking. Don't.
Most players gravitate toward the sleek Scouts or the massive Terran ships. The Hunchback sits in this awkward middle ground. It has decent fuel capacity but lacks the modular flexibility of higher-end vessels. It looks like a lopsided brick. But here’s the thing: in the brutal RNG (random number generation) world of Out There: Ω Edition, the Hunchback actually offers a specific survival profile that mimics the "slow and steady" approach. You aren't winning any beauty contests. You are, however, surviving a solar flare that would have melted a lighter ship.
The game is fundamentally about resource management—Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Iron. The Hunchback handles the basics well enough to keep you alive, but it forces you to be a minimalist. You can’t hoard everything. You have to choose between a Shield Generator and an extra stack of Cobalt. It’s a painful choice. Every time.
Surviving the Void: How to Actually Use This Ship
Let's talk strategy. You've found Out There: The Hunchback and decided to swap your starting ship for it. Now what?
First, stop trying to build every technology you find. The Hunchback has a limited number of slots. If you try to install the Gravitational Well and the Death Ray at the same time, you’ll have about three slots left for fuel. That’s a death sentence. You need to prioritize the Wormhole Generator. Why? Because the Hunchback is slow. You need to skip systems whenever possible to save on your precious isotopes.
- Focus on the Core Three: Oxygen, Fuel, and Hull.
- Ignore the "Shiny" Tech: If it doesn't help you move or breathe, it’s a luxury you can’t afford right now.
- The Iron Rule: Keep at least one stack of Iron at all times. The Hunchback’s hull is sturdy, but once it starts to crack, it goes fast.
I remember one run where I was piloting a Hunchback through a series of blue stars. Blue stars are great for fuel but terrible for your hull. I was greedy. I stayed too long. By the time I jumped to a yellow sun to find a garden planet, my hull was at 12%. Because the Hunchback has a decent landing profile, I didn't explode on entry. A lighter ship would have turned into a fireball. That’s the Hunchback experience: it’s the beat-up 1998 Toyota Camry of the galaxy. It’s not fast, but it refuses to die.
👉 See also: Lake Kingdom Super Mario Odyssey: Why Lake Lamode is the Game's Most Underappreciated Level
The Omega Edition Changes Everything
When Out There transitioned to the Omega Edition, the mechanics around ship encounters shifted. The Hunchback became even more relevant because the alien encounters became more complex. You aren't just managing resources; you're managing relationships with weird crystalline entities and gas-based lifeforms.
The Hunchback’s moderate stats mean you aren't overpowered in any one area. This actually forces you to engage with the game’s diplomacy and language-learning systems. You can’t just "brute force" your way through a sector. You have to talk. You have to trade. You have to learn the word for "Hydrogen" in four different alien dialects just to get home.
It’s frustrating.
It’s also why the game is a masterpiece of the roguelike genre. Michael Peiffert, the lead designer, famously wanted a game where the player felt small. Not a hero. Just a guy trying not to die in the dark. The Hunchback is the physical embodiment of that philosophy. It feels small and vulnerable because it is.
Debunking the "Bad Ship" Myth
A lot of people on Reddit and Steam forums will tell you to skip the Hunchback. They’ll say it’s a "trap ship."
They are wrong.
The Hunchback is only a trap if you play it like a fighter. It’s a freighter. Treat it like a freighter. Load up on the essentials and move in straight lines. If you try to explore every single planet in a system with this thing, you will run out of gas. It’s that simple. The Hunchback is for the player who has a map and a plan.
Also, can we talk about the sound design? When you’re in a Hunchback, the ambient creaks and groans of the ship feel heavier. Maybe it’s just psychological, but there’s a sense of weight to it. It’s cozy in a claustrophobic, "I might run out of air in twenty minutes" kind of way.
Technical Stats and What They Mean for You
Let's get into the weeds. Most ships in Out There follow a specific balance of slots.
The Hunchback usually clocks in with around 12 to 14 slots. For context, the starting ship has 10. That extra 2-4 slots sounds like a lot, but it disappears instantly once you realize the ship has no built-in advanced tech. You have to build it all from scratch.
If you find a Hunchback with a pre-installed Tau Drive, you’ve hit the jackpot. That’s the dream scenario. Usually, you find them stripped bare.
Here is how you should prioritize your layout in Out There: The Hunchback:
- Dismantle anything you don't recognize immediately. If you don't know what a "Sub-Space Sensor" does, you don't need it yet. Get the raw materials instead.
- Stack your Fuel. Use the 20-unit stacks of Hydrogen efficiently. Don't waste a slot on a stack of 3. Use it or lose it.
- The Life Support Trick: Keep your Oxygen tanks near your Life Support module. It doesn't actually change the stats, but it makes the UI easier to manage during a panic attack.
The Artistic Vision of Out There
We have to mention FibreTigre, the writer behind the game. The narrative of Out There is bleak. It’s inspired by 70s sci-fi—think Solaris or 2001: A Space Odyssey. It isn't Star Wars. There are no epic space battles.
The Hunchback fits this aesthetic perfectly. It’s a utilitarian machine. It looks like something NASA would have built if they had a budget of fifty dollars and a pile of scrap metal. This adds to the immersion. When you finally reach one of the endings—whether it’s the "Green" ending or something more sinister—and you do it in a Hunchback, it feels like a real achievement. You didn't win because you had the best ship. You won because you were the best pilot. Or the luckiest.
Usually the luckiest.
Comparison: Hunchback vs. The Scout
If you find a Scout ship next to a Hunchback, which do you pick?
The Scout is fast. It uses less fuel to move between planets. But its hull is made of paper. One bad landing and you're looking at a "Game Over" screen. The Hunchback is the opposite. It’s a tank. It’s the choice for players who are tired of losing their entire run because they hit a stray asteroid.
I’ll take the Hunchback every time if I’m in a sector with high volcanic activity. The peace of mind is worth the extra fuel cost.
Honestly, the "best" ship is a myth anyway. The best ship is the one that has fuel in it when you’re at zero. But if we're being objective, the Hunchback is the most underrated vessel in the game’s roster. It’s a bridge. It gets you from the struggling early game to the powerful late game. It’s the "mid-game" hero.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Run
If you’re staring at a derelict Hunchback right now, here is what you need to do:
- Check the Fuel: If it’s empty and your current ship is full, stay put. Don't let the extra slots tempt you into a death trap.
- Assess Your Tech: Can you move your Shield Generator? If you can’t craft a new one immediately, the Hunchback’s extra hull won’t save you from the radiation of a Red Giant.
- Inventory Audit: Look at your minerals. Do you have Gold or Platinum? These are useless for the Hunchback’s immediate survival. Dump them for more Iron. You need the Iron to keep that bulky hull repaired.
- Plan Your Jump: Before you swap, look at the star map. Are you near a Gas Giant? The Hunchback needs a lot of Hydrogen. If there’s no fuel source nearby, don't make the switch.
- Focus on the Seed: Remember that every run is based on a seed. If you found the Hunchback in a specific spot, it will always be there for that seed. Use that knowledge to experiment.
Space is cold. It’s empty. It doesn't care about your feelings. But inside a Hunchback, with a few stacks of Cobalt and a working Life Support system, it feels just a little bit smaller. And that's all you can really ask for.
Stop looking for the perfect ship. It doesn't exist. Instead, learn to love the quirks of the Hunchback. It might just be the ship that finally gets you to the end of the galaxy. Just remember to pack extra Oxygen. You’re going to need it.