So let's break The Outer Worlds down into its constituent parts, starting with the most important one of them all; you! The player, and the choices they make throughout Obsidian's spacefaring adventure, are at the heart of everything in The Outer Worlds, determining how you'll experience its story, combat, characters, and more. Right from the game's opening moments, you'll be customising an avatar that's wholly your own, investing in a broad range of skill-sets and traits that'll define the kind of person that you want to be in this brave new world.
Want to role-play as a psycho with the gift of the gab? Not a problem; invest those skill points into your character's Charm and Temperament Attributes, grab a hammer, and start whacking everyone you see. Local law enforcement might have something to say about the results, but hopefully you'll be able to talk yourself out of some of the stickier situations your character throws themselves into.
Or how about roaming the galaxy as a do-gooding genius? Prioritise your intelligence, grab some party mates and start taking on as many altruistic side quests as you like. The Outer World's intricate progression system of skills and attributes determines all of your interactions, both violent and otherwise, throughout the adventure, setting the stage for a branching experience that means no two playthroughs will ever be entirely the same.
That level of freedom goes for The Outer Worlds' story, too, which takes place in Halcyon, humanity's farthest colony, owned and (mis)managed entirely by corporations. Your character had boarded a colonist ship headed for Halcyon 70 years ago, but the spacecraft malfunctioned, leaving you stuck in cryosleep orbiting the solar system ever since. Thanks to the help of a new friend, you're finally woken up, with a serious vengeance against Halcyon's ruling board of corporate autocrats, who decided to leave your ship floating in space just to cut costs.
The decisions you make throughout the story, often with life or death consequences for those you come across, will determine the ultimate fate of Halcyon itself, so be sure to think through each choice carefully, and really make it count. The Outer Worlds won't encourage you down any particular route throughout its story, but each mission or situation can be tackled in a variety of ways, each with their own corresponding outcomes.
All of these freeform design structures coalesce to create a role-playing experience that priorities player choice and agency above all else, one which demands multiple playthroughs just to see everything that Obsidian's latest has to offer. The Outer Worlds launches on October 25 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
