Not all games demo well. In the case of large, reactive RPGs like The Outer Worlds 2, developers don’t have a lot of great options. They can let players try out the opening segment to avoid overwhelming them with systems and avoid story spoilers, but at the risk of the gameplay feeling basic and not properly showcasing how deep the RPG systems go.
Another route would be to drop players into a quest hours into the game, but this comes with its own set of problems. Our first preview took the latter approach, which was enough to convince my colleague to change his opinion about the game. Meanwhile, my recent demo took the former approach and let me experience the opening hour or so of the game.
I’m sad to say this demo had the opposite effect and wasn’t able to raise my opinion on a game that Xbox had previously toyed with charging $80 for. It isn’t that it was bad, but rather that it couldn’t show me the qualities I come to this genre for.
All set up, no payoff
I won’t spoil any of the story beats in The Outer Worlds 2. The only context I will say is that my first mission was an infiltration mission with a squad for the Earth Directorate. But before any of that, I was able to go through the new character creator.
If you played Avowed from earlier this year, you have a good idea of what options you have in designing your character. There are no crazy Godlike features to pick, but I had plenty of face, hair, piercing, tattoo, and other cosmetic options. I will note that there’s almost nothing in the way of body customization and no voice options. It isn’t news that The Outer Worlds 2 will not feature a voiced protagonist, but it is worth highlighting for the freedom it allows in role playing.
After creating a rough facsimile of myself, I then moved on to the more interesting aspect of deciding my background and starting skills. The backgrounds feel like the most important choice in the long term here. I was able to pick from things like being a former criminal, scientist, renegade, and more that would open up different dialogue options.
Traits help steer what type of gameplay experience I want, but also show up in skill checks occasionally. I can pick one with no penalty, or take two if I’m willing to take a negative trait. Unless I pick a specific Trait, I also get to choose two Skills to specialize in. It’s all very streamlined and approachable since there are no trees or numbers to deal with before getting control of my character.
With my character sorted, I have a little time to explore my ship before starting the opening mission and talk to some of my crew. Again, fans of Avowed will feel right at home with the number of options here in how you are able to present yourself. I can be zealously loyal to the Earth Directorate, a cold and stern commander, inspirational, or a sarcastic jerk. It’s nothing new for Obsidian games in terms of general personality types, but it stands out because of how few other games offer even that amount of choice. Plus, the satirical corporate dystopian lens of The Outer Worlds 2 is always fun to engage with.
Dialogue choices still result in the promise that characters will remember and be influenced by what I say to them, which is an RPG trope I feel we’re ready to grow out of. It reeks of telling rather than showing. Still, the game makes sure to give me unique options based on my background and traits almost immediately.
When I finally get on the ground for the mission itself, I’m instantly impressed with how much better The Outer Worlds 2 feels to play than its predecessor, or even Avowed. Moving, sprinting, sliding, and jumping feel like a proper shooter, not an RPG that just so happens to have guns. And that applies to the actual shooting itself, too. Shots have weight and impact behind them, and the limited arsenal I had access to felt unique from gun to gun. An issue I had with the first game was that, aside from rate of fire and damage numbers, guns didn’t have much tactile personality. I never gravitated toward one or another type because they all just sort of blended together. From what I’ve seen so far, The Outer Worlds 2‘s weapons will be another way for the player to express their character.
Stealth was encouraged, but not required. For my initial run, I attempted to stay undetected for as long as I could. At my basic level at least, stealth is servicable. I don’t know for sure what future upgrades or equipment might improve the system, but here it is a basic sight and sound detection system with a stealth attack option when I get close enough to an enemy’s back. I also got access to a distraction tool I could toss to draw enemy attention in a certain direction, but that was never necessary in this small slice. I was always able to crouch and stalk an enemy as they predictably patrolled an area.
Assuming there would be more depth in the system later on, that would be fine enough. The only true issue is that I couldn’t pick up or move bodies after killing them, and other enemies would notice and be alerted if they spotted them. Again, I don’t want to overreact if that’s an ability I could get later, but that feels like an oversight that makes stealth less appealing.
There was one branching moment in the first level, but in this instance, it was just a minor fork in the road that all led back to the same place a few rooms later. The most interesting part, though, was the various ways I could interact with an NPC to get across a bridge. Because I took a speech perk, I was able to talk them into letting me across in exchange for altering their files with the Protectorate — wiping their slate clean and saving them from a very harsh punishment. Had I picked other perks or even gone down different dialogue paths, I could have accomplished this goal in multiple ways. Or, I could even have solved it without their help.
And that is the heart of what The Outer Worlds 2 is that this demo fails to properly convey in such a small slice. I get only vague promises that my decisions will have long-term payoffs or consequences, or that picking different skills will allow for vastly different ways to solve quests. It does a fantastic job of reestablishing the depressingly relatable future where corporations rule like governments, and I can’t wait to see what new ways those themes are explored through the lens of 2025 compared to 2019. Gunplay also speaks for itself, but it is the RPG aspects that this demo couldn’t demonstrate.
I’m still excited for The Outer Worlds 2. This demo proved there will be a ton of dominoes set up, but asks me to trust that they will fall in a satisfying way. In the end, I wish I had waited to see the full picture.
