The Outer Worlds – What we know so far

The Outer Worlds is being touted as one of the best titles of 2019, and it’s coming to stores and the Xbox Games Pass on Friday.

It’s almost here people. Obsidian’s answer to the likes of Fallout and Mass Effect is just around the corner and it looks likely to be a genuine GOTY contender for 2019.Mixing together a blend of accessible FPS gameplay and traditional RPG elements, the devs of the original Fallout titles have brought their signature quirky nuance to this new space western adventure and there’s enough content to entertain us for months, according to early reviews.

The premise

Set in an alternate future in which humankind has begun to terraform alien planets and mega-corporations have assumed the role of governments. Your created character, dubbed the ‘Stranger’, awakens at the edge of colony space after your ship veers off course en route to a galaxy called Halycon.

Owned and operated by classist corporations, the ship is wilfully abandoned after its skip drive malfunctions, extending what would’ve been a ten-year voyage to sixty. The ship’s many colonists are directed into the orbit of the uninhabited ice planet Typhon, and it’s very existence covered.

35-years on in 2355, a rogue scientist named Phineas Vernon Welles rescues you from the ship and sends you to a colonised planet with a habitable atmosphere similar to Earth. Under the guidance of Welles, you take control of your own star ship – Unreliable – and quickly become embroiled in a vast conspiracy that threatens to destroy Halcyon and it’s powerful corporations.

Is it open world?

The Outer Worlds isn’t really a giant sandbox akin to the likes of Fallout: 76 or Cyberpunk 2077. Unlike most RPGs of today you can’t freely roam around all the planets at your leisure; you’ll be exploring single sections of each one at specific points in the overarching narrative. But there is still a heavy emphasis on exploration and each section will be teaming with interesting NPCs to interact with and side quests to complete.

You will be able to travel directly between areas without returning to your home base – the spaceship – but keep in mind you’ll have to endure the occasional loading screen.

For those familiar with Obsidian’s previous work, co-director Leonard Boyarsky has drawn comparisons to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, claiming, ‘a good bit of context for the approach is to think of what we did in Star Wars with potentially more ground to cover and explore in each area’.

While some may be disheartened by the news it isn’t completely open world, the devs’ choice does isn’t without reason. Obsidian want your in-game choices to directly affect the world and it’s settlements, and areas may change between visits depending on your actions. FYI you can kill literally every NPC including ‘quest givers’ if you wish to strut around empty towns from start to fin. That may get a little lonely though.

From the very beginning you’ll be able to travel around most of Halcyon, but to progress the main story you’ll obviously have specific locations to visit and NPCs to interact with. It’s worth noting there are several ‘points of no return’ throughout the campaign which will irk completionists out there, and that each area will vary in difficulty and quality of loot.

How does combat work?

If you’re familiar with Borderlands, Fallout, Bioshock, or literally any other FPS shooter of the last decade you’ll quickly get to grips with The Outer Worlds’ combat. From the gameplay we’ve seen, it would appear the shooting mechanics aren’t the strongest point of the game, but they look solid, nonetheless.

You’ll go up against Halcyon’s many enemy types with an array of pistols, plasma rifles, and shotguns, as well as melee weapons like hammers, scythes, and special ‘science weapons’ – including a shrink ray. In true RPG style, there are elemental mods and special ammo types. Like Fallout, combat largely focuses around a timed attack feature similar to VATS which slows time and displays info about the selected enemy’s remaining health and weak points. The key difference is you’ll always be aiming manually.

Lastly, your chosen companions will always have a big hand in battles. Selecting the right posse is crucial to grind through the more challenging sequences, as each has their own timed ability to provide buffs or inflict extra types of damage at different ranges (think Mass Effect).