Single player RPG experiences of the depth, complexity, and production value of games like Fallout or Dragon Age are, sadly, increasingly rare beasts in the medium these days, so when a title like The Outer Worlds comes along, you pay attention. From Obsidian Entertainment, the studio behind expansive hits like Pillars of Eternity 2 and Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds is billed as the studio's spiritual success to that latter title, which is still held up as a touchstone for role-playing titles today.
Not only that, but when you consider that this new IP comes from the minds of Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky, the original creators of the Fallout series itself, it's not difficult to see why The Outer Worlds has quickly become one of the most exciting new single-player RPGs of this generation. And we don't throw the term RPG around lightly, either. This is an experience built from the ground up with role-playing in mind, with stories, characters, combat, and customisation that allows you to be anyone you want to be in Halcyon; humanity's farthest colony from Earth, owned and run entirely by private corporations.
There's no public government in Halcyon; only consumers, companies, and the invisible hand of the marketplace. That might sound like a nightmare come true but, as a newly arrived settler, it's an opportunity to make a name for yourself, save your friends, and perhaps even take down The Board itself, the mysterious cadre of rulers who run this colony like corporate dictators.
Like all of the best RPGs, The Outer Worlds' branching narrative is chock full of handcrafted missions, three-dimensional characters, and several fully explorable zones across the planets of Halcyon's solar system, all of which is designed to put player choice at the forefront of the experience. You're free to go anywhere, speak to (or attack) anyone, and be anybody you want, with Obsidian promising a world that reacts organically to your decisions no matter what you decide to do, and who you choose to be.
As for gameplay, The Outer Worlds pays homage to its lineage with first-person combat modified by its a deep character progression system and an arsenal of inventive weaponry, from pulpy sci-fi firearms to a whole armory of brutal and bloody melee weapons. Thankfully, your character's rude awakening from cryo sleep has one useful side effect, Tactical TIme Dilation, which allows you to slow down time at will to get the advantage over The Outer Worlds' pantheon of enemies, human or otherwise. It makes for combat scenarios that are as fast as they are tactical, and always a gloriously good time.
Each distinct Outer Worlds puzzle pieces join together to create one true, all encompassing RPG experience, the likes of which doesn't come around too often. You'll be able to jump into Obsidian's latest for yourself, and enjoy everything it has to offer, when the game releases on October 25 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
