The Outer Worlds
Obsidian traded one wasteland for another, from the post-nuclear apocalypse to the intergalactic mess caused by mega-corporate mega-greed. Truth be told, Obsidian has never really had trouble diversifying. Obsidian has pulled out the best in licensed products like Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II and South Park: The Stick of Truth. It has crafted CRPGs with hugely ambitious stories like Pillars of Eternity that have enough writing to fill tomes. And, it has created some of the most beloved-yet-overlooked games of a generation like Fallout: New Vegas and Alpha Protocol.
It’d be criminal to overlook Obsidian’s latest, certainly more flagrant than lockpicking or hacking but probably not as bad as murder. Probably. The Outer Worlds is one of 2019’s very best video games, and no persuasion from a silver-tongued charmer is necessary. Everyone who plays The Outer Worlds knows it’s a star.
To put it simply, The Outer Worlds does nearly everything you’d expect from a role-playing game like this. It has cutting and incisive writing, quick with a joke and quicker to leave you considering how your character would respond. The quest design is varied, leaving every situation to be approached from all sorts of angles. There are companion characters that you’re going to fall in love with; they’re show-stealers in an already incredible game.
Now, to put it bluntly, The Outer Worlds is nearly everything you want if you expect better from Fallout. It’s the sort of creative and imaginative RPG that made people go head over heels for Fallout 3 and New Vegas. Obsidian has proven that it’s more than capable of carrying the torch, even if it’s only in spirit and not in name.
Because of The Outer Worlds‘ immediate success (and because it’s not 200 hours long), there’s a strong chance we’ll see a sequel. In the words of PT Barnum, “Always leave them wanting more.” Halcyon, indeed.
