True to its name, The Outer Worlds launches players into the far flung reaches of Halcyon, a colonised solar system run and owned entirely by the private sector. How a bunch of corporations managed to find themselves in charge of several planets on the outskirts of space dates all the way back to an alternate 1901, when U.S. President McKinley was never assassinated, and the megabusiness industry never stopped booming. Fast forward a few thousand years later, and this consumerist colony is your new favourite playground, packed to the brim with sights to see, things to do, and characters to interact with.
But how did you even end up in this privatised frontier, anyway? Well, your character is one of thousands of colonists who have been stuck aboard a malfunctioning colony ship called The Hope for the last 70 odd years, which has been orbiting Halcyon in limbo ever since The Board (the group of corporations in charge of things here) decided it'd be cheaper to simply leave you stranded in space than organise a rescue effort.
Thankfully, a series of circumstantial events (which we won't spoil here) have led to you being awoken from cryosleep, and tasked with saving the rest of the Hope's passengers from their extended slumber. But that's just the set up for your adventures across The Outer Worlds, which may or may not lead you going face to face against the all-powerful, all-seeing Board itself.
Not only that, but Obsidian's new IP is filled with hundreds of fully realised characters, exciting new landscapes (from wild and hostile planets to megamall-style space stations), and all manner of stories to discover, big and small. Despite some of its dark themes, The The Outer Worlds is also infused with Obsidian's brilliantly black humoured and laser sharp writing, and directors Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky (the creators of the original Fallout series) have helped conjure up a world that lampoons the madness of capitalism in ways you can't even begin to imagine.
Every sight and interaction in The Outer Worlds has been carefully constructed to reflect the game's deep and expansive backstory, right up to the vividly conjured art style, a veritable smorgasbord of neon lights and pulp action posters inspired by the Golden Age of post-WW2 America. It all makes for an elaborate experience that's moving, immersive, and hilarious all at the same time, and you'll be able to experience Obsidian's futurist milieu all for yourself once The Outer Worlds launches for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on October 25.
