I’ll let you in on a dirty little secret that I’ve kept quiet for years: I’m not all that big on The Outer Worlds. Despite the fact that Obsidian’s Fallout-esque sci-fi RPG was a critical darling in 2019, I struggled to get into a groove with it despite liking so many of its individual parts. The social satire was there, and I loved the companions, but so much of its gameplay left me feeling cold. Maybe it was just the bland combat that put me off, or that the movement felt stiff, but I never saw it through to the end and figured I’d likely skip its eventual sequel.
Now after actually playing a slice of The Outer Worlds 2 following last week’s Xbox Games Showcase, I’m singing a very different tune. Obsidian has seemingly been listening in on my internal monologue, because the major problems I had first game have seemingly been addressed here. The demo I played teased a huge leap forward for an RPG with great bones, reinventing the basic feel while still delivering what Obsidian does best.
Two paths
My demo threw me into a mission a good way through the base game. My objective was simple: steal a weapon that can manipulate rifts from a heavily guarded area. Obsidian set me up with three different save files, all starting at the same point but with three very different stat builds. I could either load in as a combat, speech, or stealth-focused character. With only 40 minutes or so to play, I decided to see if I could squeeze two runs into one session. I decided to start with the combat build and go in guns blazing to see if my main complaints from the first game had been addressed.
After a failed attempt to sneak through the building, I looked to the arsenal of weapons equipped on my character. Within seconds of pulling the trigger on a machine gun, I could instantly tell that Obsidian had totally revamped its entire approach to combat. Guns have significantly more weight and power now, and each feels entirely different from one another. Shooting feels more inspired by the Halo school of thought this time, with unmistakable guns that you can identify by feel.
Some of those guns are delightfully over the top, too. In my combat save file, I had access to some sort of goop gun that would soak enemies in a weakening gunk. My second playthrough would give me access to a totally different set of weapons, including an elemental shotgun that packed a tremendous punch. Some of those specialized weapons take me back to Avowed, another Obsidian RPG that excels at giving players tools with satisfying perks. The new weapons combine with tools like throwable grenades and decoys to create much deeper action. A guns blazing character build is way more viable as a result. I got the rift gun and extracted with it in nearly 15 minutes, making mincemeat out of an entire complex full of guards.
Just in that first attempt, I notice that The Outer Worlds 2 feels much less stiff than its predecessor all around. It’s not just the more distinct guns, but even just the basic movement. My character feels much more agile, as they are able to slide, double jump, and parkour around the building with ease. That change creates a lot of flexibility for those who want to play the sequel more like an action game and less like an RPG.
I wanted to test just how far that spectrum goes, so I loaded up the speech build for my second attempt. Rather than sneaking through guarded rooms right away, I peeled off into a space I hadn’t explored the first time. There, I found a researcher who I deceived into thinking I was some kind of employee performing a security test on her. After gaining her trust, she tells me both where to find the rift gun and also a keycard. In return for the information, she asks me to help her clear her name, as she’s been blamed for a lab accident that wasn’t her fault. I agree and sneak my way back towards the room with the rift modifier. Using it on rifts opens up some new paths that I can platform up, and that will open up new places to explore in the world outside the facility, according to Obsidian.
With my prize in hand, I continue to take things slow. I explore some rooms I’d passed by before, sneaking into vents and eventually finding the keycard. True to my word, I get back to the researcher using a path I had completely missed the first time. She takes me into a side room and asks me to use the tool on a rift, revealing a sort of hologram of the accident she was accused of causing. I go into detective mode, looking for clues that can clear her name. It’s like I’m playing a completely different mission from my first attempt. It’s twice as long and shows me that there’s way more to the mission space than I initially thought. And I still didn’t see it all either. As I’m exploring, I discover some jammed doors that I would have been able to pry open with the right stats. I get the sense that there are even more ways to get through it all, almost making me feel like I’m in an immersive sim.
That’s only the tiniest slice of what The Outer Worlds 2 offers. I didn’t step foot outside, barely met my new robotic companions, and didn’t get to build my own character out. The long-term character building is what really entices me. After the demo, developers from Obsidian told me about the sequel’s reactive new perk system that bends around a player’s habits. For instance, they explained that a player who habitually reloads their gun before its clip is empty may give their character an Overprepared trait. That will give players a larger magazine on all weapons but will also curse them with a debuff anytime they empty their clip. Companions will be similarly reactive to player habits, as Obsidian says that making decisions that a character disagrees with may cause them to leave the party.
All of this has my ears perked. The first game always felt too machine-like to me. I could see all of the video game nuts and bolts holding it together which created too many mechanical limitations. The world feels wide open this time, ready for me to guide the simulation rather than follow its rigid path. All of that has me eager to start from scratch and see exactly how The Outer Worlds 2 will flex to fit my choices. Whether I fancy myself a gunslinger or a smooth talker, I reckon I’ll get what I want from the series this time around.
The Outer Worlds 2 launches on October 29 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
