Review: ‘The Outer Worlds 2’ is a fun but flawed space odyssey

Microsoft developer Obsidian Entertainment has had quite a year. In February, the studio launched Declaredits fantasy RPG, followed by the cooperative sequel Grounded 2 enter early access in July. Now the year ends with The Outer Worlds 2a sequel to his highly acclaimed 2019 sci-fi RPG.

Obsidian’s games are known for their in-depth writing and world-building, with an emphasis on player choice. In Declared And The outer worldsPlayers are encouraged to choose their own path when it comes to tackling story missions, solving side quests, and conducting conversations. While The Outer Worlds 2 doesn’t do anything radically different from its predecessor, it sticks to what worked the first time and does it again. On the other hand, it has the same faults, namely its heavy writing.

The Outer Worlds 2 takes place in a new setting: a space colony called Arcadia. Here, the player works as an agent of the Earth Directorate, whose job is to maintain the relationship between Earth and its other colonies. Rifts in space-time have begun to appear and the player is sent to investigate. After that, an astronomically destructive incident forces you to float in space for the next decade before finally being awakened. It’s a real interesting introduction to a first mission.

Credit: George Yang / Mashable

Since then, Arcadia has been caught between two powerful entities: the Protectorate and Auntie’s Choice. The former has a monopoly on space travel technology, while the latter is a megacorporation made up of two companies, the pharmaceutical company Auntie Cleo and the manufacturer Spacer’s Choice.

Throughout the game, these two forces constantly clash over how to use technology to control the Rifts and use them for their own purposes. It’s a tantalizing setup, but sometimes weighed down by the writing.

Place it on a thick layer

Critics of capitalism are also there The Outer Worlds 2. While the writing and dialogue choices are varied and entertaining, they often lack subtlety. During a sidequest, Annie’s Choice tasked me with breaking a strike, and its vice president was disgusted that the workers had demands. My dialogue choices included sarcastic comments about collective bargaining and workers’ rights. Although these themes can be explored well, as in games like Bioshockthe holier-than-thou tone in The Outer Worlds 2 can seem off-putting in many cases.

Credit: George Yang / Mashable

It’s also not lost on me how deeply ironic this tone is, given that the game is published by Microsoft and Xbox Studios, which has continually been dismissal of workers and simultaneously trying to rely on AI. After Nintendo listed Mario Kart World at $80, instead of the video game industry’s standard price of $60 or $70, Microsoft seemed to follow the trend and raised the price of Mario Kart World. The Outer Worlds 2 at 80$ before reversing the decision due to fan backlash. So the repetitive anti-capitalist jokes in the game tend to lose their impact.

What really helps counteract and balance this tone are the game’s friendly companions. There are six of them you can recruit from anywhere, and they come with dynamic personalities. My favorites were Valérie and Aza. Valerie is a support drone specializing in healing and damage reduction, and her personality is that of a typical dry robot who takes what everyone says too literally. During one interaction, I asked Valerie how much she weighed to see if she could carry heavy items, but she took it as me trying to ride her like a transport vehicle. This is a different type of sarcastic quip that’s actually a welcome change of pace in the tone of the game.

I asked Valerie how much she weighed to see if she could carry heavy items, but she took it as me trying to ride her like a transport vehicle.
Credit: George Yang / Mashable

Aza is different from the other companions because she is not affiliated with the Earth Directory, Auntie’s Choice, or the Protectorate. Instead, she is part of Glorious Dawn, a cult that worships flaws. She’s also wonderfully violent and bloodthirsty, which adds a really nasty edge that reminds me of the aggressive humor found in Borderlands games.

You can also embark on companion quests, which allow for deeper character development than you would usually do by simply sticking to story missions. It’s always worth it, as you’ll not only learn to appreciate companions more, but you’ll also gain experience to level up and become stronger, and earn other valuable rewards.

The Goodness of Role Play

The Outer Worlds 2‘s other strong point is its robust role-playing elements. The character creator has many cosmetic options, including changing your hairstyle, adjusting the shape of your head, and much more. It’s easy to waste time trying to create your ideal character. But what sets it apart more than other games is its trait and skill system.

You can choose up to two positive traits, such as Brawny, which gives you the ability to use brute force to open faulty doors, and Lucky, which can sometimes allow you to easily resolve tricky situations. For example, Lucky came in handy when I had to solve a math equation, and my character managed to get “lucky” and solve it on the first try.

Depending on your character traits, certain obstacles in the game may become easier or more difficult to overcome. This simple choice made at the beginning can radically change the trajectory of your game, making each one different and increasing the replayability of the game. You will also have to choose. If you decide to go for two positive traits instead of just one, you also have to embrace a negative trait, like being constantly sick or stupid. The first decreases your maximum HP, while the second permanently locks the number of skills you can learn. It’s an excellent compromise that requires adaptation.

The skills screen in Outer Worlds 2.
Credit: George Yang / Mashable

You can also choose two skills to specialize in, which will help tailor your character to your specific playstyle. I like to avoid conflict and talk my way out of situations, so I chose speaking as one of my favorite skills. This allows me to influence others in conversations and potentially convince them to give me in-store discounts. I can even skip boss fights completely by persuading them to stand down if my speech skills are high enough and I’ve collected specific information about the environment. Luckily, you’re not limited to a specific playstyle, so you can switch up and invest in other skills in case you discover a new approach that you enjoy more.

As you level up, you will also be able to unlock perks based on the number of skill points you have allocated to certain skills. For example, after investing in the Lockpick skill, I learned how to Pickpocket, which was useful because in some cases I had to complete a side quest to progress the story. Instead of doing what the quest giver asked, I simply went behind them and stole what I needed from their back pocket.

There are many opportunities for synergy between skills and perks. I loved sneaking up and killing enemies from behind, and the Sleight of Hand perk I unlocked by leveling my Lockpick skill to level 8 not only made pickpocketing faster, but also granted me extra damage when performing sneak attacks.

In fact, I spent so much time crouching and minimizing the sound of my footsteps that the game noticed, and I detected a flaw, an optional permanent trait that has both positive and negative effects. This one was called Bad Knees and it increased my crouch speed, but every time I crouched I made a cracking sound that alerted hostiles to investigate me. I decided the pros weren’t worth the cons, so I declined this feature. There is so much experimentation in these in-depth game systems that each playthrough is unique.

Credit: George Yang / Mashable

Fighting words

The combat and gunplay were some of the weakest aspects of the first game, and it’s unfortunately the same story here. This is partly why I also opted for the stealth and vocal routes I used. I would take out regular enemies one by one from behind, then during boss fights I would convince them to stand down so I wouldn’t have to attack them at all.

Regardless, there are some marginal improvements. Like its predecessor, you can equip mods to improve your weapons, such as reducing the ammo cost of certain weapons. However, many of these mods make a negligible difference to the overall picture, and I barely felt these improvements during instant shootouts.

This is a stark contrast to Declaredwhich really showed off the best of Obsidian’s combat systems. The gunshots in The Outer Worlds 2 just doesn’t have the same impact and satisfaction as the reactive magic-casting and sword-fighting mechanics in Declared impressed me. Even when I started a new game and chose more combat-focused skills and perks, the shooting still felt flat and clunky in my hands.

East The Outer Worlds 2 it’s worth it?

If you enjoyed the first game, there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy the sequel. Fortunately, The Outer Worlds 2 has a whole new story and cast of characters, so you can jump straight into it if you haven’t played the first one. There is good writing and humorous writing, even if the anti-capitalist schtick is a bit over the top.

Outer Worlds 2 Companions.
Credit: George Yang / Mashable

The companions are truly profound and make the space odyssey much more bearable. And while the combat hasn’t improved much, the deep role-playing elements and synergies between skills and perks make the game fun to play.

The Outer Worlds 2 will be available on all platforms, including PC and PS5. It can also be played through Xbox Game Pass. With games like Guardian And Ninja Gaiden 4subscription is worth purchasing for this month’s Microsoft releases, despite its recent price increase.