The Outer Worlds 2 Review

The Outer Worlds 2 review

Sequels are never easy, invariably delighting some and disappointing others of the original. Obsidian's The Outer Worlds has become almost a cult classic. However, even its most ardent supporters admit that it had some shortcomings. Some of the storytelling was underdeveloped and the combat was a bit weak. Not everyone liked the game's sense of humor. The Outer Worlds 2 successfully solves the problems of the original. It's a more mature and fully realized version of what made the first game stand out.

Mature can also mean boring or opinionated. The Outer Worlds 2 it's not any of those things, nor is it as irreverent or funny as the original. The trade-off is worth it.

Arcadian Adventures

As with the first game, the star of the show in The Outer Worlds 2 is Obsidian's talent and passion for world-building. The game takes place in the system of planets and moons of Arcadia. This is not an open world game, but an “open zone”, and the environment is very varied and interesting. The move to Unreal Engine 5 means the various biomes are bathed in light, shimmering and sparkling with detail and intensity. The Outer Worlds 2 is always visually appealing. As usual, Unreal Engine 5 brings some problems. We'll get to it.

Obsidian's art direction is the best when it comes to architectural and design details. Like the first game, The Outer World 2 is set in a universe where technology and style stretch back to the pre-digital era of the early 20th century. Art Deco/Nouveau motifs are synonymous with American decadence, while rebuilt and redesigned equipment evokes the Industrial Revolution taken to the extreme. It's a world that is, by and large, incredibly consistent and full of detail and character. We often use the term “environmental storytelling” to talk about random scraps of paper left behind by developers instead of a coherent narrative. There are many things worth picking up and reading. But the real storytelling comes from the over-the-top design.

One delightful detail that can be completely overlooked is the game's faction-based radio stations, which broadcast a constant stream of period music, propaganda, advertising, and the occasional well-hidden subversion. As with the game's dialogue and characters, the humor runs a little deeper and is more subtle. Announcers provide news related to the players' actions.

The world has character(s)…

I won't go into details of the story for several reasons. First of all, I don't want to spoil anything. Secondly, beyond the basic story, everyone's experience will be slightly (or significantly) different. Like the first game, there is a staggering amount of branching dialogue and character modifications that shape the storyline. Almost every decision has resonances that become apparent later.

The essence of storytelling is to put people in difficult situations and see how they behave. You play as an Earth Control agent sent to Arcadia to find out why FTL skip engines are suddenly creating destructive rifts. This description is similar to saying that The Lord of the Rings is about some lost jewels. In other words, complications abound.

You will immediately find that several factions are vying for power. The Protectorate is a dictatorial de facto ruling party, the inventors of skip drives. The Order of the Ascendant is a science-based, seemingly benevolent faction, and Aunt's Choice (a merger of the Aunt Cleo and Spaceman's Choice megacorporations from the original game) represents a corporate interest. Additionally, there is a mystical rift-worshipping cult called the Glorious Dawn.

As the game progresses, you will unlock six possible companions. Each of them is associated with one of the factions or is in conflict with it. Like the first game, The Outer Worlds 2's arc is essentially a series of challenging situations in which you try to balance or break your relationships with various factions, and the factions with each other.

…And character matters

As with most role-playing games, you start by creating a character, both in appearance and choosing a number of attributes. The system is a bit simplified from the first game, but is still effective and players should be thoughtful about their starting decisions. You choose a backstory, personality traits (both positive and potentially negative), and skills, mostly specializations. As you play and level up, you unlock perks. Finally, there's an interesting new mechanic called Flaws. Disadvantages are combinations of positive and negative effects that result from behavior patterns. Once accepted, they will remain constant throughout the game.

Almost every moment of exploration, combat, or dialogue is related to a quest. There are main and side quests, missions, companion quests and faction quests. This means you won't lose much time as everything will be earned through coins, experience, equipment, or by building your relationships. However, especially during opening hours, all these mechanisms rotate quite slowly. It takes a long time to feel strong and competent. And, just like in the real world, there will always be skills that the player never had.

As with Obsidian's other RPGs, your character creation and gameplay choices interact with dialogue options to determine your success or challenges in navigating the world. These choices have real consequences. Quite often, a decision made too quickly led to long-term consequences or the permanent closure of the tracks. Overall, The Outer World 2's systems work together well, but from time to time I found myself interrupting the quest chain by completing tasks out of order.

Fight, fight, fight

In The Outer Worlds 2, the combat system has been improved and expanded, complemented by the much-requested third-person view. As before, there are perks and specializations that will make ranged, melee, and other approaches to combat more effective. I spent most of my playthrough using ranged weapons because, although they had been improved, I still found melee combat imprecise and not particularly useful. The new third-person camera works quite well and the game is easy to play from start to finish. I think most players will stick with first person mode.

As I noted above, the fight is quite difficult at the beginning until some things are put into specialization and perks. Players who just want to continue the main story quest will be disappointed because their character will be constantly at a low level. The Outer Worlds 2 requires players to interact with a lot of systems and stories. This game requires patience and progresses slowly.

With difficulty come potential technical issues, and they're certainly part of the experience right now, just as they were in the first game. I experienced several desktop crashes, freezes, framerate spikes, and pop-ups. There was a persistent audio bug that never went away. However, the audio is another place where the game shines, thanks to an attractive musical score and consistently good acting.

Written in the stars

Like the recent Borderlands 4, The Outer Worlds 2 pushes much of the humor to the side. It can still be incredibly biting, satirical and ironically dark, but the core of the story, characters and dialogue is more serious. Without being too harsh, the premise of commercial, authoritarian and pseudo-religious factions vying for power remains, unfortunately, all too relevant.

There are a few ways in which The Outer Worlds 2 is no better than the first game. It's bigger, deeper and more complex. The story and characters are more enjoyable. Combat has been improved. It takes time and requires players to be patient and participate in all of its systems, as well as ignore some technical problems that arise quite often. I can't imagine a world – External or not – in which fans of the original wouldn't enjoy this new experience.

***Xbox code provided for review by publisher***