Placing you in a galaxy run by private corporations, "The Outer Worlds" is a first-person sci-fi role-playing game. On Oct. 25, game developer Obsidian Entertainment released "The Outer Worlds" for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows.
The game starts off with your character being lost in transit while a colonist ship is on its way to the farthest edge of the galaxy. Your character wakes up years later only to find themselves in the middle of a conspiracy threatening a colony that is important to the game's story.
Rather than the game taking place on a single open map, the game has a handful of outer-space areas. The game consists of small colonies, corporations and the outskirts of these areas to explore. Each area has its own flavor and charm in terms of the people you meet, enemies you have to defeat and the outdoor areas you get to explore.
"The Outer Worlds" is smaller in terms of narrative as well. There are many different conversational options that are given with each interaction. Every time you get to talk to a non-player character, there are nearly half a dozen lines to choose from. Sometimes it's difficult to choose what is the best response to the situation.
Lines range from sarcastic and rude to empathetic and wise. Many NPC conversations in other games are simplistic: Having a nice option, a mean option and a middle of the road option. In "The Outer Worlds," sometimes being sarcastic or rude is the nice thing to do.
At times, being empathetic backfires and turns a simple situation into a complicated one. Even small interactions give you dialogue options. The amount of effort placed on even these small interactions shows how intricate and careful the game is with its mechanics.
Details that may seem unimportant at the moment become crucial later on in the game. While there are many dialogue options, there are options that repeat which take away from the game's immersiveness.
As mentioned previously, you have companions in the game. There are six companions for you to find throughout the game. Depending on what companions you bring with you, you will unlock different abilities.
You can influence their fighting style as well as build their armor and improve their special abilities. You also spend some time bonding with your companions. Each character has a bit of a fragile past, and some interactions with them play out like a mini-drama series.
"The Outer Worlds" is created by the originators of the "Fallout" game series and — while it is similar — it does stray away from the "Fallout" framework.
The game contains a lot of weapons ranging from guns, swords and clubs. It also has a time-slowing mechanic that you can use in case of very dangerous situations.
Several of its mechanics mirror those of "Fallout" such as its modding, skill and perk systems that you can use to improve your character and your companions. The game is not all about shooting, however: In order to survive, you will also have to partake in stealth and puzzle-solving.
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"The Outer Worlds" is not extremely glitchy like "Fallout," but there are some glitches, such as enemies flying far off into the distance after they are attacked.
One major glitch that occurred during my playthrough was that one of my companions attacked me, therefore leading me to kill my companion. Later in the game, he was somehow alive once again, but I couldn’t complete any of the missions related to this character.
Ultimately, with "The Outer Worlds," you really feel like you are driving the experience.
You are building your character's story, and the game has a soulfulness that some "Fallout" titles lacked. It is beautifully created, and it proves that mid-sized development teams can take on large projects and succeed.
"The Outer Worlds" is rated M and is intended for those over the age of 17.
Caitlin Scott is a freelance reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at culturereporter@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Caitlin69123118
