Obsidian Entertainment Returns with a Grand New Adventure in The Outer Worlds 2
Obsidian Entertainment is gearing up to release the highly anticipated sequel to their satirical RPG, The Outer Worlds 2. Journalists who got a chance to play the demo are reporting that the title significantly improves upon the original in almost every aspect. From its expanded scale and cinematic presentation to deeper character customization and diverse playstyles, the game feels like a premium project built on Unreal Engine 5.
A New Universe to Explore
The narrative of The Outer Worlds 2 moves beyond the familiar Halcyon system to a brand-new colony called Arcadia. Players now take on the role of a Captain in the Directorate of Earth, an organization that initially presents itself as a galactic champion of justice. However, in true The Outer Worlds fashion, its hypocrisy and authoritarian tendencies quickly become apparent.
Instead of greedy corporations, players will face off against the autocratic regime of the Protectorate, the sole manufacturer of faster-than-light travel technology. The prologue sees players and their crew infiltrating the 'Horizon Point' station, where they investigate malfunctions in space engines. This mission quickly escalates into a web of sabotage, betrayals, and unexpected explosions. The game's signature venomous satire remains intact, filled with cynical, career-driven, and fanatical characters.
Enhanced Presentation and Premium Feel
From the opening moments, The Outer Worlds 2 showcases a polished, high-budget presentation. The prologue kicks off with a Directorate propaganda video featuring truly cinematic visuals: natural character faces, detailed materials, and fluid animations. Dialogue scenes no longer rigidly focus on the speaker's face, a common feature in older RPGs. Instead, camera angles are varied and dynamic, with unique perspectives and animations.
Claire Lewis from Polygon noted, "The first thing that strikes you when launching the game is how good it looks, especially compared to the first installment." While the environments remain vibrant and expressive, the most significant improvement lies in the characters. The somewhat stiff character models from the original are gone, replaced by companions and NPCs who feel much more alive, with natural facial animations that don't repeat. Cutscenes are beautifully rendered, but even outside of them, characters look genuinely good, with smooth and natural expressions. The camera no longer jarringly cuts to a speaker's head at the start of dialogue. Lewis concluded, "The most beautiful game you’ll ever play? Probably not. A significant step forward? Absolutely."
Character Creation: More Expression and Quirks
The character editor offers greater flexibility, with numerous options for makeup, tattoos, piercings, and eye and hair colors. While it's possible to create a comedic or outlandish character, accidentally making an 'ugly' one is difficult. The base facial presets aren't endless, suggesting a focus on detailed customization. A standout feature is the inclusion of cybernetic limb prosthetics. Each arm and leg can be customized with three styles, ranging from 'skeletal' dark metal to elegant 'ivory.' This explicit cyberpunk aesthetic was missing from many other sci-fi RPG character creators.
Obsidian has also refined the role-playing system. Attributes are gone; instead, players choose a background, one or two positive traits, and a negative trait (if two positives are selected) at the start. Skill trees are shorter, but each rank provides a noticeable effect and more frequently unlocks checks in the environment and dialogues. Lewis elaborated on the biography options: "Once you've settled on your character's appearance, you need to decide who they are and how they came to be in the Directorate of Earth – an interstellar law enforcement organization that, of course, acts solely for the benefit of humanity and is by no means corrupt." There are six biography options, influencing specific dialogues and events. Lewis picked 'Renegade,' envisioning her character as a former criminal seeking a career change. She also highlighted the 'Janitor' background, which humorously positions a character who lucked into their position, reminiscent of the first game's protagonist.
Accessibility options have also been expanded, alongside four difficulty levels. Many journalists quickly increased the difficulty, finding the base game too easy.
Infiltrating Horizon Point
Journalists replayed the demo multiple times. One author completed it thrice with different builds, each run lasting 45-60 minutes, noting significantly varied routes. Another mentioned that a direct, skip-everything run could be finished in 15 minutes, but exploring all branching paths extended it to an hour.
The core mission involves infiltration, rescuing, and evacuating a Directorate agent. The execution is rich with possibilities: hacking terminals and cameras, reprogramming security robots, navigating ventilation shafts, carefully luring patrols with distractions, or going in guns blazing with the improved combat system.
Meaningful Player Choices and Variability
The abundance of skill checks is a highlight of the prologue. Environmental checks for 'Science' and 'Engineering' grant access to traps and disabled security mechs. 'Hacking' and 'Lockpicking' open alternative routes past guard posts. Dialogues offer just as many alternatives. For example, players can persuade a guard to disable part of the defenses via intercom. The guard might recognize the hero's voice and demand a 'deal'—like erasing demerits from their record—before lowering a bridge.
Previewers generally agree that The Outer Worlds 2 feels like a 'light immersive sim' in the best sense. While locations eventually converge, there are many paths to choose from. Ted Litchfield of PC Gamer remarked, "This isn’t a full-blown Deus Ex or Dishonored yet, but I noticed many elements of a ‘light immersive sim’ that always make me happy in an RPG. The prologue reminded me of the structure of Obsidian's underrated spy RPG Alpha Protocol (only much more polished), the best quests from New Vegas like 'Beyond the Beef', or excellent infiltration side missions in Cyberpunk 2077." Even after multiple playthroughs of the demo, the feeling of uniqueness remains.
Combat and Movement: Faster, Better, Smoother
Gunplay has significantly improved. Obsidian consulted with the Halo team and drew inspiration from Destiny to ensure weapons feel impactful. Even the basic pistol feels fast and responsive. Shots and recoil have weight, complemented by enhanced sound design. While the demo only featured a pistol, rifle, knife, and electro-baton—lacking the more outlandish weapons of the first game—this is just the beginning.
Movement is more dynamic, allowing players to slide and mantle ledges. Verticality is now a factor, encouraging players to look up for alternative routes. In stealth, The Outer Worlds 2 provides prompts for 'hidden attacks,' and thrown distractions help lure patrols. However, a completely 'pacifist' playthrough does not seem to be a viable option.
Ted Litchfield added, "Playing the demo in 'ghost' style was a real pleasure. It seems that The Outer Worlds 2 doesn't support full pacifism – in the very first room of the 'stealth' route, a guard was looking directly at the exit, and there were no means of distraction yet. But at no point was I forcibly pulled into combat just because enemies automatically detected my presence – a cardinal sin in RPGs that allow you to spec into stealth, only to punish you for using it."
Companions and Their Role
The demo did not allow players to choose companions, saving that mechanic for later. However, the crew's personalities immediately shine through with sharp jokes, banter, and unique reactions to the player's choices. Within a few hours, players develop a desire to protect them and learn their backstories, even if their combat utility in the demo was largely secondary.
Claire Lewis shared, "Locations and characters from the Halcyon colony of the first game aren't present here (at least not yet), which was one of my main concerns. Fortunately, the new characters in the prologue are just as well-written. Despite only spending a couple of hours with them, I quickly became attached and interested in their stories. The prologue didn't allow choosing companions or using their skills in combat, but their personalities already felt alive."
Optimization, Graphics, and Settings
On Xbox Series X, the demo ran smoothly with 'balanced' settings, experiencing no noticeable frame drops. PC players have a full suite of options, including 4K, ray tracing, and FSR 3, resulting in a "damn good" visual experience. While HDR was reportedly finicky on PC in the current build, it worked flawlessly on console.
A third-person mode is also included and appreciated, though interacting with items and loot was reportedly clunky in this view during the demo. For controller players, flexible sliders are available for aim assist, turn speed, and other fine-tuning options.
Jesse Norris from XboxEra noted, "I played in both first and third-person modes, and while I appreciate the latter's inclusion, I found the first-person mode more comfortable. It felt better for both movement and aiming, as well as interacting with the world. This is an early preview build, and in third-person mode, I had many issues using items and collecting loot."
Anticipation Builds for a Promising Sequel
According to journalists, The Outer Worlds 2 feels more ambitious, inventive, and carefully directed. The presentation is more cinematic, combat is more energetic, movement is more engaging, and gameplay variety is wider. Scott White of RPG Site admitted, "Before playing the demo, The Outer Worlds 2 was on my radar more because of Obsidian's name than any particular love for the first game. I liked it, but without much excitement. Now, this game has quickly moved into my list of most anticipated releases of 2025."
While many systems like crafting and the impressive 92 new perks were not available in the demo, it's clear that this will be an RPG where players will share diverse playthrough stories and discover radically different outcomes. Obsidian has once again proven their ability to create excellent role-playing games. If they can build upon what was seen in the prologue, the October release could become a major hit of the year. White concluded, "I'm eagerly awaiting it."
Players can dive into the world of The Outer Worlds 2, filled with its biting satire and intriguing characters, starting October 29 on PC (Steam, Battle.net), Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. The game will also be available on Xbox Game Pass from day one. Full Russian text localization will be included.
Post a Comment