The Outer Worlds 2 Review (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, & PC)

When I think about a good RPG, I consider not only the freedom to customize my build and loadout, but also to create and define the kind of person I’d like to be. Cheery do-gooder, mindlessly trigger-happy, sneaky bastard no enemy sees coming… and so on. If I’m lucky, I might get the freedom to make my own choices, too, based on my character. And live with the consequences on myself, my companions, and the world I live in. This, to me, is a true, excellent RPG experience seldom achieved by the current options available on the market. 

Obsidian Entertainment is one of the few studios that have come close to hitting the nail on the head with completely player-centered RPG playthroughs. Avowed, Grounded, Fallout… to name a few. For the sci-fi, post-apocalyptic venture, they released The Outer Worlds in 2019, which, while imperfect, certainly left its mark among the best space-faring adventures. With the new sequel, the hope is that the flaws have been ironed out, and new changes and improvements have been added to place the series on the map of the best RPGs worth trying out.

So, how does the new game fare? Let’s find out in our The Outer Worlds 2 review below.

In the Distant Future

We all have different theories on where humanity might be headed in values, economy, technology, and space. While you might hold the view of an optimistic future where resources are split fairly and squarely among colonies, many seem to lean toward a capitalist-driven future. One where power-hungry factions and private corporations control resources and exert rule over the less fortunate. Frankly, not far off from the present state of affairs in our world right now, which is why The Outer Worlds 2’s satirical take on megacorporations’ takeover of space hits home. 

The new setting on the isolated colony of Arcadia isn’t just a tourism venture of what’s way ahead of time. But it might actually have a lot for you to relate to. As a result, you’re instantly reeled into the post-apocalyptic, futuristic, sci-fi journey of the star system on the brink of collapse. Even as a newbie, The Outer Worlds 2 is a standalone entry that takes its precious time setting the stage for the characters at play, the factions you’ll be nestling your influence into, and hopefully, leave a positive mark that will change things for the better. It might be a slow burn in the first half. But it certainly won’t lose you completely, as you find your groove in the shoes of the Stranger, an agent of the Earth Directorate. 

Personified Files

The Stranger is someone who can mimic your morals and ideals so close to heart, and right from the start. Based on background, traits, appearance, and skills choices, you can curate the kind of person you want to be. And it’s all deliberate: none of the choosing of traits and skills across the board. Your background can be an ex-convict, gambler, professor, or more. Traits only give you one positive and one negative choice. So, brilliant, lucky, sickly, etc. Skills, meanwhile, are arguably where the fun begins, when you have two skill points to start to spend on two of 12 skills. Explosives, guns, sneak, hack, medical, and so on, are all possible skills to slot into your starting build.

Even before The Outer Worlds 2 begins, you’re already carefully deliberating over your character’s personality and abilities. And the choices you make will have narrative and combat impact. Perhaps you might pass speech checks easily with a sly attitude or solve puzzles more easily as a professor. Your build might be melee, stealth-focused, or more, leveling up in your starting skills the more enemies you kill and quests you complete. And for a neat touch, your character build locks you into a specific path, one that’ll be difficult to change onward into the game. And that’s honestly perfect, mimicking real-life, where you don’t exactly have the wayward choice of becoming efficient at sneaking around and then suddenly turning around to snipe people with absolute precision.  

Spoilt for Choice

Flaws also return from the first game, although implemented more compellingly here. The Outer Worlds 2 tracks your subconscious behavior: stealing, lying, crouching, reloading, consumerism, and so on. The more frequently you engage with certain behaviors, the higher the chances a flaw springs up, giving you the option for gaining a bonus at a cost. So, you don’t exactly go at a complete loss, with some bonuses like larger magazines or lower vendor prices coming in handy. But you have to carefully consider trade-offs like damage reduction or lack of damage resistance once spotted. Thankfully, you can decline the flaw or remedy the tradeoff with a perk or upgrade. 

Perks are made available after leveling chosen skills, and are wide-ranging, enhancing your healing, increasing damage resistance, or damage output. Some provide instant reload when the magazine is empty. So, really, there are plenty of ways to circumnavigate your character progress, with every bonus, perk, and trade-off highlighted in the menus. In that sense, The Outer Worlds 2 really has refined and improved on its predecessors’ RPG systems.

So much choice that makes your playthrough meaningful and engaging. And that’s not even including the increased options for weapons, gadgets, and mods. Even ammo comes in four types. You’ll be shooting enemies with bullets that turn them into ash, which comes in handy when you’re intent on leaving no evidence of your presence there. And it’s all just such a joy to learn and discover all of the weapon and character builds The Outer Worlds 2 provides.

Buddies by Your Side

Some of the best RPGs can often leave certain vital features barren, but not The Outer Worlds 2. Obsidian has paid attention to the companions as well, whom you gradually recruit to your mission. They’re all representatives of various corporations and bring with them the ideals their backgrounds preach. It’s much welcome, on the one hand, as it serves as exploratory points for learning more about the inner-workings of the very factions you’re trying to align yourself with (or take down). On the other hand, it can butt heads with what should be natural in a group that travels together and would ideally react to each other’s personalities and ideals. 

When you mercilessly kill members of certain factions, for instance, the respective companion of said faction may take it to heart and even leave your service. And that consequence that can dismantle your party adds depth to your journey. But among themselves, companions seem not to mind one another’s company. But even I recognize my digging in too deep at how perfect The Outer Worlds 2 should be. It simply executes so many brilliant ideas with its dialogue systems and choices that have an impact, to expect it to extend to your companions’ dynamic. The Outer Worlds 2 seems to remedy any contention you might have with the companions by adding unique abilities for each that you can then level up at your discretion. And in turn, enjoy the benefits they bring when they aid you in battle.

Combat

It’s unfortunate that I’ve left little room to discuss combat, given it’s a major part of The Outer Worlds 2’s playthrough. And thankfully, it doesn’t lean into the rushed systems the genre often suffers. This time, combat is refined enough to feel snappy and satisfying. It had to do with the immense weapon variety, spanning all sorts of wacky and absurd mods. But also, the improved precision and weight of attacks make enemy encounters exciting. 

It’s a shame, though, that the enemy variety can be lacking, with animal types, humanoids, and robots among the main foes you’ll run into. They don’t respawn, either. So, as much as you might want to retread, seeking out the secrets and collectibles you might have missed, sprinting across large swathes of empty land makes for an initially bombastic experience that grows duller by the minute. 

Make no mistake, though, repeated playthroughs are going to feel necessary. If nothing else, to discover the alternate builds, paths, and consequences different choices might yield.

Verdict

The Outer Worlds 2 is an RPG experience that lives up to its genre, and then some. Pure control and freedom to decide who you want your character to be. Not to mention how you want to interact and fight with enemies. You’ll hardly lack the tools you need to take the path most intriguing to you. And the enemies you’ll encounter will feel satisfying to fight. The only caveat is enemy variety, which could definitely use more surprising designs and placement.

Having companions from rival corporations also seems unnatural for them to travel together. But for the sake of pushing the story forward, I’ll take it. In fact, I’ll take all of it, whatever issues might be scurrying away from my magnifying glasses. Either way, a lot has been done right. Perhaps even perfectly, when you’re looking to leave your mark on post-apocalyptic, futuristic space.