The Outer Worlds 2 Review - A Galaxy of Choice
So we have finally made it. It started early this year, with an exciting fantasy adventure, which was then followed by a well-loved miniature survival experience, and now we have the grand space opera. Well, space opera isn’t quite accurate. Grand space satire would be more precise. I am, of course, talking about the Year of Obsidian, which is now winding down with the release of perhaps their most anticipated title, The Outer Worlds 2. Say what you will about a company that is mad enough to release three games in a year, but one thing is for sure: they are finishing the year off with a bang.
The Outer Worlds 2 is, of course, the sequel to the well-liked original title from a few years ago. I say well-liked because it wasn’t anything more than that. The first game felt like a modern version of a classic Xbox 360/PS3 era RPG, the type of which Obsidian had always made. It felt restrained and made with a small budget, which resulted in a game that was enjoyed by many but promptly forgotten. Now, under the Xbox banner, Obsidian are hitting us with a sequel, which looks to take the idea of the original game and improve it in just about every way. The pre-release marketing has all cheekily poked fun at the idea of bigger and better sequels, but that is exactly what Obsidian have achieved here.
Things start out strongly, but at the same time, in a comfortable and safe way. It is clear in the early hours that this is an improved game, but one that is very much of the same mould. A great tutorial (which I have written about previously) demonstrates that this is a game about choice and consequence. Still, after completing that section and landing on the first planet, that focus isn’t immediately apparent. Instead, for the first 5 or so hours, I was left with the feeling that this was just more of The Outer Worlds. A more polished, prettier version, but still, more of the same. That would have been totally ok, I mean, I liked the first game, and a refined version of that would have been a solid win. Instead, something began to unravel before my eyes, something that wasn’t immediately apparent but became blatantly so as the game progressed. That is, everything matters. From the seemingly innocent conversation you had with a guard to the death of a pretty nasty criminal, every choice, decision, and action has a consequence, and that is what makes The Outer Worlds 2 so special.
What makes it even more exciting is that no matter what you do, who you kill or how many people you insult, the game adapts and adjusts. It will let you finish it regardless of what happens. Choice is permanent here; there is no opportunity to go back and fix something, no ability to respec your player build. Short of save scumming (which totally defeats the purpose of the experience this game offers), once a choice is made, it is made, and you have to live with it. Normally, in a game of this scope, this would lead to some problematic situations where players have painted themselves into a corner, but not so here. On more than one occasion, I found myself thinking I should have done something differently or built my character another way, but after a little thinking, exploration or a combination of the two, I realised there was no situation I couldn’t get myself out of. It boggles my mind as to how much planning went into the game to make sure this was the case, and it is the absolutely crowning achievement for the team making the game.
If choice and consequence are the main meal, then the writing is the ever-so-tasty, if slightly spicy, dessert. Obsidian has always been known as a studio that values humour, especially of the satirical and dark kind, and The Outer Worlds 2 is perhaps the best example of that in their catalogue. From the four main factions, through to the main story and the characters themselves, the writing brings this deep, disturbing universe to light in a way that only Obsidian could. It takes swings at religion, late-stage capitalism, communism and everything in between, all with a sly smile and a tongue-in-cheek. All of the main crew are wild caricatures of people we all know from movies, TV or even our own lives. There is a wonderful play on the stereotypes that allows players to fall in love with each of them, even if they don’t agree with their guiding principles. It is very rare in an RPG that I want to play with all of the companion characters, usually I pick my favourites and run with that team for the whole game, but here I wanted all of them to join me and picking who would be with me on my final mission was truly a tough task.
Continuing the theme of choice and consequence, one of the most interesting aspects of the game is the perks and flaws system. These choices, like all others, are permanent, so deciding which ones to choose is important. Perks are a more traditional stat boost, the likes you have seen in other Obsidian titles, or games of a similar ilk. They offer stat boosts, key traits and other modifiers that can affect gameplay and dialogue options as the game progresses. The flaws system is something else entirely. The game recognises how you are playing and will present you with an associated flaw that you can choose to accept or ignore. Each flaw has a negative and a positive, and each one I came across was mighty tempting for different reasons. For example, because I was buying a lot of ammo from vending machines, the game offered me a flaw that meant my companion robot would take 70% of my earned currency and place it into a high-interest savings account that would double my money, but I could only access it after my character hit level 30. Another saw me given the chance to earn extra skill points each level, but I could never specialise in one area, forcing me to spread those skill points across the board. Each flaw changed things dramatically, and each fit perfectly within the world.
The structure of the game is very much in line with the first game. Split over multiple worlds, each map presents a chance to further the story, pick up side quests, hunt for some new weapons or just stick your nose into every nook and cranny that presents itself. The maps themselves feel bigger and more alive than the previous game, but at the same time, there is something that feels a little basic, a little simple about all of them. It would be very easy to cruise through the game with minimal exploration because of the way these maps are designed, and that would be a shame because some of the biggest surprises are to be found off the beaten path. I feel there is a lack of nudging from the design, the subtle hints that encourage players to see what’s on the other side of the hill, and that is to the game’s detriment.
On the tech side of things, it is a little bit of a mixed bag, too. On my main gaming rig (5080, i7), when connected to my TV, the game worked and looked wonderful. There were no frame rate issues or any noticeable pop-in. However, when I connected that same PC to my ultra-wide monitor, the same couldn’t be said. I had noticeable pop-in and some obvious stuttering. There is something about the way the game handles the ultra-wide resolution that causes some issues. I suspect that is the sort of thing that will get sorted out within the first patch or two. I also played it on my ROG Ally X, and while it worked, it was in a compromised format. I would think it would struggle on the lower spec SteamDeck or standard ROG Ally.
The other slight issue I have with the game is one I have with just about every RPG of this nature, and that is the combat. The gunplay and melee systems work, and they are in no way broken, but they just feel, well, fine. There is nothing super exciting about the combat, nothing that has me itching to flex my trigger finger. This is a game that encourages people to look for options outside of combat, but sometimes it is unavoidable, so it is a little disappointing that it isn’t more satisfying. My dream of a grand RPG with Doom-like gunplay is still just that, I’m afraid. Traversal, on the other hand, is quite enjoyable and once I gained the ability to double jump, getting around and exploring became a good bit of fun. There are even some quite competant jumping puzzles thrown in for good measure, something I really didn’t expect from a game like this.
The Outer Worlds 2, much like its characters, isn’t perfect. The world design is a little plain, there are a couple of tech issues, and the combat is simply competent. However, the writing, fresh RPG mechanics and absolute dedication to the idea of choice and consequence set it apart from just about every other game out there. Because of its flaws, I can’t see this being a game of the year contender, but at the same time, I feel like it is going to be a title I will remember for years to come. I am itching to dive back in, make new decisions, and find new paths to victory. This game, more than just about any other I have played, does away with the notion of a “perfect” run and simply wants players to succeed in their own way, on their own path. That is what truly excites me about The Outer Worlds 2 and why I can’t recommend it enough.
The Outer Worlds 2 was reviewed on PC with code kindly supplied by Xbox Australia.
