Lovingly crafted RPG with a humorous bite
THE Outer Worlds scratches an itch that you may never have known was there. From the developer that has created sequels to two heavyweight franchises in BioWare’s Knights of the Old Republic and Bethesda’s Fallout 3, The Outer Worlds is a lovingly crafted space-themed RPG that incorporates many flavours of the two aforementioned games, while also feeling distinct and valuable in its own way.
Of the two games mentioned as inspiration, the latter definitely provides the lion’s share of notes. The Outer Worlds does feel somewhat like a ‘what could have been’ for the currently stagnating Fallout series.
Nevertheless, that didn’t happen and here we are with The Outer Worlds, and what a game it is. The Outer Worlds tells its story through only the theatrical and bizzare, the stage being a solar system-wide colony ruled by corporate feudalism, peppered with dark humour and garnished with a healthy dollop of political satire.
While The Outer Worlds’ quests are devoid of many of the big moments that defined Fallout 3 and later games in the series, the game is small enough that it never really seemed to matter. The smaller scale of The Outer Worlds means that information and intrigue is more tightly condensed within the world, and while exploration then takes somewhat of a backseat, this actually addresses one of the main issues people have with the expansive open worlds of Bethesda’s massive RPG series.
Not every feature is an ape of BioWare or Bethesda. Obsidian has included many of their own clever tricks and features, like the way its skill and perks systems incorporate your companions into your character build by sharing stats. For example, should you wish to focus on levelling just your gunplay, then Max can boost your hacking.
Combat wise, the game feels like a breath of fresh air after the lumbering clunkiness of later Fallout games – the Outer Worlds feels rapt and sharp by comparison. Finally, your in-game ship, the Unreliable, serves as something of a hub world, very similar to the Normandy in Mass Effect. While there isn’t a lot to do there, it is a good place to catch up with your Companions and just generally helps to impart a feeling of ‘belonging’ to the game world. The Outer Worlds is a very welcome addition to Obsidian’s repertoire of titles and will definitely impress anyone who has a soft spot for space-themed RPG’s with a humorous bite.