The Outer Worlds is an action role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Private Division. Released on October 25, 2019, The Outer Worlds game is set in an alternate future where mega-corporations have colonized space and control entire planets. Players assume the role of a character known as the “Colonist,” who has been awakened from cryosleep to find themselves in the midst of a corporate conspiracy that threatens the colony.
Set in the retro-futuristic Halcyon colony, The Outer Worlds features a strong narrative-driven experience with a focus on player choice. Players can navigate the story in various ways, using dialogue, combat, or sneaky tactics to influence the outcomes. The game offers a blend of dark humor, moral ambiguity, and sci-fi adventure, along with the freedom to shape the protagonist’s path through the choices they make.
The Outer Worlds received widespread critical acclaim for its writing, world-building, and player agency, drawing comparisons to classic RPGs like Fallout: New Vegas, also developed by Obsidian.
Gameplay
The Outer Worlds combines traditional RPG mechanics with first-person shooter elements, offering players a rich and dynamic gameplay experience. The game allows for a variety of playstyles, with a strong emphasis on exploration, combat, and moral decision-making. Below are the core elements of gameplay:
Core Mechanics
Combat: The game features a blend of tactical and ranged combat. Players have access to a wide range of weapons, including traditional firearms, energy-based weapons, and unique special abilities that can be customized to suit different playstyles. Combat is fast-paced, and players can use cover, movement, and strategic thinking to overcome enemies.
Tactical Time Dilation: One of the key gameplay features in The Outer Worlds is the “Tactical Time Dilation” (TTD) mechanic. This allows players to slow down time during combat, giving them a tactical advantage to plan out their attacks, avoid damage, or gain a better position against enemies. It’s an essential tool for strategic battles, especially against stronger or larger groups of enemies. Similarly, in Dave the Diver, players also need to make tactical decisions in real-time as they juggle between managing a sushi restaurant and exploring the underwater world; though the mechanics differ, both games challenge players to think strategically and make the most of their available resources.
Skill Progression: As players progress through the game, they earn experience points (XP) which can be used to improve their character’s skills, such as Persuade, Hack, Medical, and more. These skills allow players to approach problems in different ways—whether by using combat, hacking terminals, or negotiating with NPCs.
Moral Choices: The player’s choices throughout the game significantly affect the story and the relationships with NPCs, factions, and companions. Players can be ruthless, diplomatic, or choose to ignore the issues altogether. These decisions shape the protagonist’s role in the world and influence which factions and characters align with or oppose them. Some quests can be completed through combat, while others may require negotiation or clever problem-solving.
Combat
Weapons and Abilities: Players can wield various weapons, from handguns and shotguns to plasma rifles and flamethrowers. Each weapon has different stats, such as damage output, rate of fire, and accuracy. Players can also unlock and use different abilities, such as buffs to improve combat effectiveness or debuffs to weaken enemies.
Companion Assistance: Throughout the game, players can recruit companions, each with their own set of skills, personalities, and combat abilities. Companions provide strategic advantages in combat, as well as additional dialogue options and insights into the story. Companions can be ordered to perform certain combat tasks or can be left to act autonomously based on their personality and skill set.
Exploration
Open-World Design: The game features open-world exploration across multiple planets and space stations. Each location offers unique environments, from industrialized, corporate-controlled towns to untamed wilds and abandoned mining colonies. Players can explore these areas on foot or use a ship to travel between planets.
Side Quests & NPC Interactions: Players can engage in side quests that deepen the world-building, reveal more about characters, or provide additional loot and experience. NPCs in the game are richly detailed and react to the player’s actions, allowing for different responses based on the player’s reputation, skills, and moral choices.
Freedom in Approach: The game allows players to approach situations in a variety of ways. For example, a mission could be completed through brute force, stealth, or diplomacy. Players can also choose whether to support or oppose various factions, affecting the overall direction of the story and the gameplay experience.
Character Progression
Skills & Perks: As players gain experience, they can choose to improve specific skills and unlock new perks, such as improved combat effectiveness, hacking abilities, or charm skills that aid in dialogue. The skill system is deep and allows players to personalize their character based on their preferred playstyle, whether it’s focused on combat, dialogue, or technical prowess.
Factions & Reputation: The player’s interactions with various factions, such as the corporate-controlled entities or the rebellious groups, impact their reputation and access to missions, rewards, and story choices. The way players handle missions and conflicts will influence their standing with these factions, shaping the game’s outcome.
In summary, The Outer Worlds offers a flexible and engaging gameplay experience with a mix of tactical combat, moral decision-making, and exploration. With its branching skill system, dynamic combat mechanics, and open-world design, the game encourages players to approach each situation with creativity and strategy while their choices significantly impact the story and the world around them.
Visuals & Art Style
The Outer Worlds features a visually distinctive retro-futuristic art style that blends mid-20th century Americana with advanced sci-fi technology. The game’s aesthetic captures the essence of a space-faring society that is both nostalgic and dystopian, creating a unique visual experience.
Retro-Futuristic Aesthetic
The game draws heavy influence from 1950s and 1960s American culture, combining it with futuristic technology to create a “retro-futuristic” world. The architecture, advertisements, and designs reflect this blend, with neon lights, sleek chrome surfaces, and vintage elements scattered throughout the game’s various settings.
Players will encounter brightly lit cities with signs that echo old-fashioned advertisements and propaganda alongside more advanced, often dilapidated technological elements, such as automated robots, holographic billboards, and high-tech machinery. This mix of old and new creates a satirical take on corporate control and consumerism, reinforcing the game’s thematic elements of capitalism gone awry.
Environments
The game’s environments vary greatly across the planets and locations, reflecting the different factions and control exerted by corporate entities. Corporate-controlled towns are depicted as polished, industrial areas full of advertisements, while more untamed wildernesses feature rugged, natural landscapes.
These contrasting locations from bustling, vibrant settlements to desolate, barren moons—are designed to highlight the disparity between the wealthy, corporately controlled areas and the less-developed, poverty-stricken zones.
In addition to space stations, planets, and settlements, players will also explore abandoned factories, futuristic-looking colonies, and alien worlds that are visually diverse, giving each location its own personality.
Color Palette
The color palette is a mixture of bright neon hues and muted, industrial tones. Neon signs, glowing advertisements, and light reflections contrast sharply with the duller, weathered surfaces of the settlements and the darker areas of the game. This balance of color helps bring attention to specific areas of the world, such as the glowing lights of cities or the shadows cast across uninhabited wastelands.
Character and Creature Design
The characters in The Outer Worlds have a stylized, cartoonish design that plays into the game’s satirical tone. They are not overly realistic but rather exaggerated in ways that reflect the game’s humor and social commentary.
NPCs and enemies are designed to fit the corporate, dystopian world, with uniforms, robotic assistants, and futuristic armor designs that enhance the game’s themes.
Creatures and aliens are designed with imagination, blending biological and mechanical traits in ways that are both quirky and menacing, depending on the situation.
Attention to Detail
Every aspect of the environment is crafted to enhance the overall narrative and theme of the game. The visual storytelling is strong, with environmental cues (like graffiti, ruined buildings, and corporate logos) helping to deepen the immersion and atmosphere.
From the glow of a futuristic city to the eerie quiet of abandoned space stations, The Outer Worlds’ visual design offers players a highly detailed and immersive world that complements its narrative.
Key Features
Choice-Driven Narrative
The game offers a branching story where every choice you make impacts the world and the factions you interact with. The consequences of your decisions shape the direction of the narrative, offering multiple story outcomes.
Companions
Players can recruit companions, each with their own backstory, skills, and abilities. These companions not only assist in combat but also influence the story progression, providing different perspectives on moral decisions and helping to shape the player’s journey.
Combat & Exploration
The game combines first-person shooting with tactical combat. Players have a wide range of weapons and abilities at their disposal.
The open-world exploration lets you navigate various planets, uncover side quests and hidden secrets, and interact with NPCs, allowing for a diverse gameplay experience. You can approach each area with different strategies, such as stealth, diplomacy, or combat, depending on your playstyle.
Skill & Perk System
The game features a deep character progression system. As you gain experience points through missions and exploration, you can improve your character’s skills, abilities, and perks. This allows you to tailor your playstyle, making the character uniquely yours and enhancing your ability to face challenges.
Factions & Reputation
Your interactions with the various factions in Halcyon affect your reputation. These factions react to your decisions, which influences the gameplay, how you are treated by NPCs, and the overall direction of the plot. Your reputation can open or close opportunities, shaping your interactions and the game’s outcome.
Conclusion
The Outer Worlds offers an engaging RPG experience set in a satirical sci-fi universe. With its branching story, tactical combat, and open-world exploration, players are immersed in a world shaped by their choices. The retro-futuristic art style and dynamic character interactions make it a standout title for RPG and space exploration fans.
