The Outer Worlds Review

Unlike Fallout, The Outer Worlds brims with so much potential; however, also unlike its titanic peer, it's a game that feels like it's in its infant stage. That's not to say it's not a good game. In fact, it's a really good game. It's maybe even great, but it's easy to tell that this is a new IP and somewhat of a comeback for Obsidian rather than a reaffirmation of their ability to create the best RPGs on the market. The game stars you as a unplanned variable being woken up by a supposed terrorist. From there, you begin to make choices that will affect the world around you, and you are giving the choice to join the "terrorist" in taking down the corporation or joining the corporation.

It's no surprise, then, that the best thing about The Outer Worlds is many of its RPG elements. The choices and dialogue options are astounding and filled with so much character. Generally speaking, The Outer Worlds is a pretty satirical title, but it can be serious too. A lot of that depends on how you want to play, and it feels like there are many different ways to represent your character baed on the dialogue options available. Many of the choices you make have real consequences as well and can affect your standing with certain factions. While these counters are more visual than anything else, they still make you feel like you are making an impact on the world. More so, a lot of these choices might also affect the way the end game plays out.

There's a lot of great characters too, but none of them really appear to be the ones closest to you. The companions are all pretty bland, but the characters you encounter in the world such as Sanjar or that one Winking guy are brimming with personality. These characters added a lot to the world of the game, and they made me want to continue exploring it.

The combat is another solid effort here. I liked most of the weapons, though I wish there were more, and I found it a blast to strategically take down enemies ahead of me. There's so many ways to handle conflict. I can sneak, gun in like a brute, use swords, hammers, heavy guns, rifles, or I can talk my way out of it. On my first runthrough, I killed almost everything that crossed me, and the gunplay is surprisingly smooth. It feels satisfying to kill enemies, which isn't something I could say for the Fallout games.

The game shows it weakness in the details. At first, the game seems to become more and more interesting, but it starts to decline at a certain point. Eventually, you will notice things such as towns not having distinct characters with their own personal homes. Most people you see in towns or establishments are labeled something generic like "City worker". It took me out of the experience some and didn't make the worlds feel like they were actually lived in. While I appreciated the art in the game, I began to realize that many of the environments felt a bit lifeless and lacking in variety. It would have been great to see more creatures and unique plants inhabiting each planet, but it often feels like you are running across open canvases with handpicked locations for outlaws or creatures. What's worse is that the planets don't even seem to have unique creatures! You will find a lot of the same creatures on different planets, which just feels lacking or even lazy. For a game called The Outer Worlds, none of the creatures really seem like they are out of any world. This lack of variety causes the game to feel a bit stale by the time you are hitting the end, but it doesn't destroy the overall enjoyment.

Overall, The Outer Worlds is a great start for a new franchise, and I can't wait to see where Obsidian goes with it. There's so much potential here, but it needs to be harnessed by being given more detail and interesting environments. Certainly, I think this franchise can be better than Fallout, but it has yet to be a game outdoes it in every aspect. Still, it's a game that's certainly worth your time, and I highly recommend it.