The Outer Worlds 2

The Outer Worlds 2 feels like it improves upon everything from the first game. The writing is much better, the gameplay feels tighter, and the whole game feels like a reminder of why Obsidian is loved.

Back in 2019, Obsidian Entertainment did the unthinkable and gave us The Outer Worlds, a brand-new, narrative-driven RPG among the stars – a realisation of the “Fallout in space” dreams that have circled on message boards for over a decade. Set in a galaxy driven by capitalism and greed, you took an the role of a stranger in a colony beset by corporatist ideals that had become second nature to its people.

RPGs and portable gaming devices are a match made in heaven. The Switch is already filled to the brim with RPGs, but the vast majority of them are the ones made in Japan, such as Digimon Story, Pokémon, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and so on. With the exception of The Witcher 3, Skyrim, Divinity, and maybe one or two titles I may be missing, we haven’t had a lot of western RPGs released for the system. I was expecting for Bethesda to release one of their more modern Fallout titles after th...

The Outer Worlds 2 is for better and worse still fluffy gaming comfort food, but it is significantly improved and better than its predecessor in almost every way.

Once you get past a weak first act, The Outer Worlds 2 sharpens Obsidian’s RPG formula with smarter writing and better combat.

The Outer Worlds 2 boasts better-crafted, more deliberate storytelling alongside a wide scope for meaningful player choice. While there are undoubtedly problems with polish, and the combat system still needs some work, The Outer Worlds 2’s writing and commitment to world-building are enough all on their own. The depth of customisability will draw you back in, asking you how you might save the day next time around.

The Outer Worlds 2 is one step forward, one step back, and sometimes one step to the side in an enjoyable RPG whose commentary on consumerism bleeds into the game's own position.

The Outer Worlds 2 is Obsidian trying to rediscover the role-playing magic that once defined it as a juggernaut within the genre.

The Outer Worlds was a pretty big deal for me when it was released six years ago, effectively taking the same gameplay style of Fallout: New Vegas and transplanting it into a spacefaring adventure in a distant colony among the stars called Halcyon. That was all I needed; something a bit fresher, newer, with a sense of humour. The Outer Worlds 2 takes us to another colony, Arcadia, and aims to do the same again. Arguably with too much success.

The Outer Worlds was this writer’s gateway into RPGs. Its dystopian world was appealing, but the slower pace and whimsical nature of the story made Obsidian’s 2019 adventure feel more accessible than the vast world of Fallout.

Meanwhile, if you float into Arcadia expecting something as deeply crafted and eminently memorable as New Vegas, or even Obsidian’s medieval murder mystery Pentiment, I’d say the experience falls short of those very lofty marks. Or, as The Outer Worlds 2 seems to think my advertising-addled brain would put it: me like Other Words too, but no new New Vargas.

The Outer Worlds 2 is one of my favorite RPGs released this year, and it's so close to greatness. It has practically everything I wanted in a game (enough that I could have considered it even better than Mass Effect), but Obsidian just missed the mark with its tone. Who knows, maybe the company will figure it out with the third game in the series.