Obsidian Entertainment is known for making great, character-filled RPGs. With one success already this year in the form of Avowed, the storied developer is going back to space with a sequel to its icon game, The Outer Worlds. But rather than retread familiar ground in the Halcyeon System, the developer is striking out in a new direction for The Outer Worlds 2. Taking the role of an Earth Directorate agent, players must face the challenges of corrupt corporations and tyrannical governments.
From the game’s opening moments onward, Obsidian wastes no opportunity leaning into what was The Outer Worlds‘ most memorable trait: its personality. Kicking the game off with a slick cinematic that presents an inspiring, camp-filled introduction to the Earth Directorate, we see that all the tongue-in-cheek charm of the previous entry is alive and well.
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While the game nominally tasks the player to take the role of an agent of law enforcement, it’s quickly shown that it’s up to you to decide how closely to adhere to the law. During character creation, backgrounds are selectable from several options. A couple of these make it clear that you are with the outfit either against your will or simply because all other choices were worse. This sets up players to once more take on the universe as they see fit.
The Outer Worlds 2 brings back all the combat, social, tech, and stealth skills that make the original great.
Beyond selecting backgrounds that inform play style and open up, or potentially close, narrative elements, there is a plethora of customization options to explore to make your agent your own. From perks and quirks to skills and a solid visual customization suite, there is a strong selection of choices to make when deciding what your character will be.
The Outer Worlds 2 brings back all the combat, social, tech, and stealth skills one would expect. These give players a strong base to start molding their playstyle. Further augmenting these core elements is a huge list of perks that flesh out exactly where a character’s strengths lie.
This early preview didn’t run long enough for me to try any perks out, but judging from the list’s length and the descriptions of just some of the perks I looked at, players will have plenty to plan out for a unique game experience.
Once the character is set, players receive their first mission from headquarters. You must take your current team, rendezvous with an agent, and help them liberate some important tech from one of those corrupt corporations. The initial planning meeting is excellently paced. It lets the player get to know their subordinates, as well as begin laying the groundwork for who they want their character to be, without getting bogged down by unnecessary moments geared solely for that purpose. It weaves the character building into the core of the meeting, making it seamless.
The Outer Worlds 2 has highly dynamic, unpredictable dialogue.
The great pacing doesn’t stop once the opening mission begins, either. Obsidian lays out an excellently crafted mission that balances talking, exploration, and combat in equal portions. Mixing the elements in a way that keeps every moment fresh, the game does a great job of naturally drawing in the major mechanics of the game experience.
Even in this relatively short opening, player choice is shown off. Numerous points in the narrative present different options depending on traits taken during character creation or dialogue choices. If these options can continue throughout the game and grow in importance as the game’s narrative plays out, there is a high probability of extensive player agency in The Outer Worlds 2.
A particularly noteworthy source of this narrative flexibility is how dialogue options play out. There is a great element of unpredictability in responses that bring surprises, albeit reasonable ones. As an example, I was asked by a subordinate what his focus should be as an Earth Directorate agent. I told him to put safety first. People’s humanity, and his own, were to be most important. Later on, faced with a dire situation, I instructed him to save himself. He rejected this due to my earlier advice.
This momentarily frustrated me, as I hadn’t intended him to develop a hero complex and endanger himself. After all, I told him to respect other people and himself. But he clearly only heard the former. While this wasn’t the outcome I intended, upon reflection, it made sense. The game established how the crewmate felt about me, and preaching heroic actions would be likely to drive the character further than I intended.
This level of narrative nuance has me excited for what may be in store for The Outer Worlds 2. If the game can continue implementing an element of unintended consequences, while still keeping them sensible with their outcomes, I can see myself weighing every option extremely carefully, with even more casual conversations feeling weighty.
The Outer Worlds 2 is full of rewarding experiences as you explore its world.
No matter how much you invest in your personality, sometimes you must get violent. While the options are limited in the first few encounters, gameplay felt good. By default, there is an aim assist turned on that helps smooth out the gunplay.
It does a good job of giving you little nudges, while not making you question how you hit an enemy. As someone who’s never been great at clicking heads in shooters, this option felt well-implemented. Letting me enjoy the danger of my normal difficulty, without stressing too much over my lackluster hand/eye coordination.
Even with this option, situations could still get out of control. After inadvertently tripping an alarm that summoned not just guards, but drones and a mech, I learned that I couldn’t just barrel my way through everything. Although, the game did show some forgiveness for hard situations, allowing me to save myself from one losing battle via a quick cutscene trigger.
Despite the relatively small scale of the opening area, exploration still felt good. Lots of items were around, rewarding a thorough approach. Everything from ammo and raw materials to lore-filled logs could be found, promising a world brimming with things to discover.
The Outer Worlds 2 makes a tremendous first impression. From the fun personality the franchise is known for to a great sense of balance between its various elements, it’s clear that Obsidian Entertainment is looking to raise the bar for their trademark franchise.
If it can keep the high quality and perfect blending of elements seen here consistent throughout the final product, we could have another Game of the Year contender coming from this well-respected development studio.
The Outer Worlds 2 is available October 29th on Xbox X|S, Xbox Game Pass (console and PC), Xbox Cloud Gaming, Steam, PlayStation 5, and Battle.net.
