The Outer Worlds

The Outer Worlds is a satirical sci-fi RPG set in the colonized Halcyon system, entirely controlled by corporations. The main character wakes up after decades in hibernation aboard a ship full of forgotten colonists and quickly discovers that this corner of the universe operates as one giant advertising brochure, beneath whose surface lie poverty, absurd bureaucracy, and deadly serious corporate power. The narrative tone is outright ironic, poking fun at corporate slogans and people's willingness to accept utterly nonsensical rules, all without losing seriousness where it's needed.

Gameplay combines first-person shooting with proper role-playing. The character is built through attributes and perks, and the game also offers so-called flaws, meaning voluntary weaknesses taken on in exchange for skill points. High values in persuasion, lying, or intimidation open up dialogue options that let players bypass most fights, and many quests can be resolved in several mutually exclusive ways, with corresponding consequences for entire settlements. Companions have their own quests and opinions, help out with special attacks in combat, and their reactions to the player's behavior are among the game's best parts. Combat can slow down time for more precise aimed shots.

On PlayStation 4 the game runs without issues and leans on a bold, colorful retro-futuristic look rather than technical cutting edge. Individual planets and stations are smaller, self-contained areas, which benefits the game since it's densely packed with content instead of empty stretches. Critics received it very favorably and called it a return to what the studio does best, namely reactive RPGs with well-written dialogue. Today The Outer Worlds is an ideal choice for players who want a rich RPG completable in a reasonable amount of time. The main campaign takes roughly twenty to thirty hours and offers plenty of reasons for replaying with a completely differently built character, since the persuasion path and the combat path lead to different endings.