The Outer Worlds 2 Review – Just As Good The Second Time Around

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The Outer Worlds was Obsidian’s ambitious effort to create a game similar to their popular Fallout work, and it clearly showed their experience. While set in a new space-themed world, it felt like a natural progression from their previous titles, but with enough unique elements to stand on its own. The Outer Worlds 2 continues this strong foundation, offering more of what players loved from the first game, but also expanding on it with confidence, hinting at a promising future for the series.

In The Outer Worlds 2, you take on the role of “the Commander,” an agent of the Earth Directorate. Unlike the first game where you were just a colonist, this time you start with a position of authority. You’re sent to the Arcadia region, which is facing chaos from warring factions, corporate greed, and strange rifts that are cutting off communication with Earth. From the beginning, you have the tools and a small crew, operating from your spaceship, the Incognito. Naturally, your first mission doesn’t go as planned, and after waking up some time later, you set out to find those responsible while also investigating the growing rift crisis. It’s a compelling start to the game, filled with momentum and mystery, without giving away too much of the story.

When building your character, you can choose from various backstories, like a gambler who fell from grace, a former professor with a tarnished reputation, a freelancer who messed up, or someone with a criminal past. It seems most people end up working for the space FBI as a last resort, but the Lawbringer background is for genuinely good and lawful characters. I picked Roustabout, which is a polite way of saying you were a bit of a screw-up.

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Outer Worlds 2 really shines when it comes to role-playing. It lets you create your own unique story through choices and interactions, often leading to funny or even bittersweet moments. I started by creating a character inspired by Zapp Brannigan from Futurama – someone charming, a bit reckless, and not the brightest. I focused on skills like guns and persuasion, and a bit of luck. This allowed me to either fight my way through situations, talk my way out of them, or just get surprisingly lucky, and it worked well for a good while.

As I played, my character began to evolve in unexpected ways. I started making choices I wasn’t proud of, all to stay true to the persona I’d created, and I wrestled with tough decisions that made me question my limits. I realized I couldn’t be good at everything, so I focused on Guns, Speech, and Leadership. Since I didn’t have a background in science or engineering, I relied more on my teammates, asking for their input and opinions. Ultimately, my Commander became a story of someone who started as an arrogant fool but grew into a competent leader, earning the trust of their crew and learning to trust them in return. That journey proved far more engaging and satisfying than simply imitating Captain Kirk for the entire 20-hour playthrough.

Similar to the original game, you’ll spend most of your time exploring unusual planets, completing quests to advance the story and build relationships with different groups, and battling alien creatures, robots, and enemy soldiers. This time, the main human opponents are the Protectorate, a controlling government in Arcadia. Like the first game, combat is the core of The Outer Worlds 2. While you can sometimes talk your way out of trouble or use your skills to avoid fights, you’ll mostly need to defeat enemies before you can move forward. I chose to focus on shooting, but you could also build a character skilled in melee combat or stealth, allowing for different ways to approach each encounter – like drawing enemies in for a close-range fight or sneaking around to attack from behind.

I really enjoyed the gunplay in Outer Worlds 2 because the weapons felt powerful and fun to use. In the first game, guns were just tools to get the job done, but this time, it feels more like a proper shooting game. Each weapon is unique – one might use a special fuel to deal radiation damage, but also mess up robotic enemies, while another is a powerful, close-range shotgun. Some even set enemies ablaze! They all felt good to use and responded well. With 10 different types of ammo, I found myself constantly switching weapons to try them all out. You can also customize your guns with modifications to fit your playstyle, though I was changing weapons so frequently that I didn’t always get around to fully utilizing those options.

Besides my guns, I’ve got a few really useful gadgets. They brought back Tactical Time Dilation from the first game – it’s basically like VATS from Fallout, letting me slow down time to get a perfect shot on an enemy’s weak point. There are a couple of new ones too. The Acidic Dematerializer is awesome for stealth – it dissolves bodies so no one finds them. And the N-Ray Scanner lets me see enemies even when they’re cloaked, plus it helps with those engineering puzzles. I did run into a little issue where I’d be using the N-Ray Scanner to solve puzzles, then forget to switch back to Time Dilation before a fight, which was annoying, but overall, having those options is a big help.

As you level up, you get two skill points per level to develop your character. However, there are so many skills to choose from that it’s hard to become proficient in everything, and succeeding at difficult checks often requires focusing on a skill early on. Since the game revolves around combat, specializing only in non-combat skills like science or lockpicking could be tough. Every two levels, you also earn a Perk point, letting you add special abilities that can even combine with each other. For example, the Intimidator perk, which needs a good Speech skill, actually works in combat by scaring weaker enemies when they’re injured. Another perk, Grim Visage, expands on this to frighten enemies nearby. By the end of the game, I had perks that made my lies more convincing, improved my reputation with all groups, and even gathered crafting materials automatically while I was away from my ship. It’s a really adaptable system with powerful benefits, and you can browse all the perks from the start and mark your favorites to help guide your character’s development.

Alongside your skills and perks, we’ve brought back the Flaws system, which was a popular feature in the original Outer Worlds – and it’s even more refined now. Unlike perks you actively choose, flaws pop up naturally as you play, based on your habits. Don’t let the name worry you, though – flaws aren’t always bad! They’re more like trade-offs that can enhance how you play, and you can always decline one if you don’t like it.

Okay, so playing The Outer Worlds 2 just feels different – like the game is really hitting its stride. I’m loving how much freedom I have in combat, and the way my character develops feels really satisfying and impactful. It’s a big step up, honestly!

The game’s imperfections can actually create unique challenges and surprises. For example, after repeatedly lying, I unlocked a perk called “Compulsive Liar” that would automatically choose lies during conversations. I turned it down because I preferred to decide when to be dishonest. However, many of these flaws are actually beneficial, either enhancing your preferred playstyle or covering up weaknesses. The game noticed I was frequently reloading and gave me the “Overprepared” flaw, which increased my weapon magazine size but penalized me if I ran out of ammo. Likewise, constantly running low on ammunition earned me the “Wasteful” flaw: vendor prices went up slightly, but enemies always dropped ammo when defeated. I already had a perk that lowered vendor prices, making this a worthwhile trade-off and solving my ammo problems.

When building your team, remember that it’s not just about your character – your companions develop too! Each companion has a special ability you can use during battles, and every five levels, you get to choose a perk that further defines their role. For example, you can build Niles to either absorb enemy attacks, or increase his damage output, both of which work well with his existing ability to draw fire and deal extra damage. They also have passive traits – Niles can even act as a portable crafting station, letting you create ammo or modifications on the go.

Choosing the right companions for a mission and developing their skills greatly impacts your gameplay. I could play more carefully, taking time to aim and use gadgets, knowing my companions would draw enemy fire. They also automatically level up with you and come equipped with unique weapons and armor, simplifying party management. Beyond their basic abilities, each companion has a personal questline that unlocks further customization options, like boosting specific damage types or changing their look.

Having companions in the game really brings the world to life. They each have unique backgrounds and connections to different groups, which gives you a wider view of the galaxy. I especially liked Marisol, a seasoned former black ops agent. It was awesome having a mature female spy along for the ride, and I found her cool, analytical take on everything really engaging. Plus, her companion quest was a great spy story with a sci-fi twist.

The story is filled with obvious satire – it’s closer to the style of Mad Magazine than the more nuanced humor of The New Yorker – but surprisingly, it’s often delivered with genuine sincerity, making it feel relevant and urgent. This is especially true when depicting a future dominated by extreme devotion to capitalism, embodied by the massive corporation Auntie’s Choice, formed from the merger of two companies from the previous game. While the story doesn’t directly target Microsoft, the company that owns the game’s developer, it offers a sharp and insightful commentary on the issues we face today.

Another frequent target of satire is the Order of the Ascendant, a group as extreme in their beliefs as Auntie’s Choice, but focused on knowledge and science. They believe they can understand everything and govern with perfect logic, which is presented as admirable but also cold and detached. While clearly intended as a contrast to the profit-driven motives of Auntie’s Choice, this critique falls flat. Unlike commentary on capitalism, which feels relevant today, mocking scientists and researchers currently comes across as unnecessarily harsh.

Exploring the planets in The Outer Worlds 2 offers much larger environments than the first game, with plenty of open space to discover. While the game’s graphics aren’t particularly flashy – it focuses more on the inner workings of its world than visual spectacle – the sheer size of some areas is still noteworthy. However, getting around can be a bit of a slog, as there doesn’t seem to be a quick travel option; you’ll mostly be running everywhere. This is compounded by occasionally unclear directions. The game’s waypoint system doesn’t always clearly show you the best path, especially in complex buildings with lots of hallways and floors. Sometimes it points to a general area, and other times to a specific spot without telling you how to get there, leaving you to figure things out on your own.

As you progress in the game, the lack of quick planet-to-planet travel becomes annoying. You have to travel to your ship, then to the planet, and finally to the nearest marker for your next task. On Xbox Series X, where I tested the game, loading times for larger areas can also be lengthy, leading to a lot of waiting around while moving between planets. Another slowdown comes from the numerous computers you find on each planet. While they offer story details, much of the information is delivered through dense, corporate-style writing and lengthy email chains. This approach aims to reflect the game’s bureaucratic world, but it frequently interrupts the gameplay with long stretches of reading.

Despite a few minor hiccups, The Outer Worlds 2 is a fantastic step forward for the series, boasting engaging combat and rewarding character progression. While the original Outer Worlds felt like a loving tribute to classic Fallout games set in space, this sequel truly establishes its own unique identity. It successfully blends familiar sci-fi elements with a distinctive style, creating an experience that feels both recognizable and refreshingly new.

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2025-10-23 16:12