The Outer Worlds 2 – Review

I am escaping to the one place that hasn’t been corrupted by capitalism – SPACE!

It was impossible not to mention Tim Curry's famous line from Red Alert 3, which fits this title like a glove. It aims to parody corporate greed in a distant future, but ironically, it ends up becoming the subject of its own corporate greed, being the first Xbox game sold for 80 euros. A hard pill to swallow for ordinary consumers and a huge responsibility for developers, who must prove they can deliver an exceptional product capable of justifying this increase.

Given that the first The Outer Worlds received a mixed reception, and Avowed wasn't much better, it seems Obsidian doesn't have many chances left to prove it deserves the reputation established by Fallout: New Vegas, and is now facing the ultimate test.

So, is The Outer Worlds 2 capable of dethroning old Fallout and introducing new innovations in epic narrative RPGs? No, but it is, however, very, very funny.

Space Cowboy

This time, the story detaches from the Halcyon colony of the first game and takes us to Arcadia, where we step into the boots of an agent working for the Earth Directorate, an institution that ensures coordination between Earth and its colonies. Due to spatial anomalies, communication between Earth and Arcadia has been interrupted, and we are tasked with restoring it.

At the same time, we learn about the conflict between the Protectorate, a totalitarian government that holds a monopoly on the technology allowing ships to reach light speed, and Auntie’s Choice, a megacorporation resulting from the merger of pharmaceutical giant Auntie Cleo’s and household goods distributor Spacer’s Choice. The latter have invaded Arcadia with the aim of stealing transport technology from the Protectorate and gaining a monopoly over trade routes between colonies.

The mentality promoted by Auntie's Choice is one of ultra-capitalism, taken to such an exaggerated level that it becomes comical. The role of the common person rarely exceeds that of a consumer, and everything is dictated by the free market and opportunities to earn bits, the currency used in Arcadia. Here, people work excessively, advertisements are omnipresent, and company employees are willing to do anything to climb the corporate ladder.

The game offers a healthy dose of humour based on consumerism and corporatism. For example, you'll work for someone with the title of middle upper middle lower upper manager, you can negotiate a free lunch in exchange for 15 hours of work, or you can buy a weapon that launches drones displaying ads in front of enemies.

On the opposite pole, the Protectorate has an approach centred on military and scientific domination. They seek total control over their subjects by establishing a severe doctrine, the violation of which is harshly punished. To support this, they have set up re-education centres where subjects are brainwashed with the help of a device, a technology that has attracted the attention of Auntie’s Choice researchers for its enormous commercial potential.

Although the game gives the impression that the Protectorate members are the “bad guys”, it doesn't fully convince me, as both sides are equally diabolical in their own ways.

In addition to these, there are also several smaller factions trying to survive amidst the conflict between the two major camps, factions you will gradually get to know and whose trust you will have to earn. Whether you succeed or not depends entirely on your character's abilities and the choices you make throughout the story.

Hey, you, you’re finally awake

First of all, you'll need to configure your agent. Besides physical traits, you'll be able to choose defining origins and peculiarities. I opted for a former professor, a guy capable of getting out of any situation diplomatically, but sickly, starting with 15% less health than the others. The selected traits can unlock special dialogue lines along the way, and some of them can get you out of trouble... or get you even deeper into it.

As in most RPGs, you'll have a set of skills you can develop as you level up. In principle, they are divided between combat-oriented skills – Guns, Melee, Sneak – and those dedicated to interacting with the environment – Speech, Engineering, Hacking. Surprisingly, the system is well-balanced and doesn't force you to play in a single style, as each skill has a dual role. For example, Speech gives you a damage bonus against humans with each point invested, and Guns can unlock special dialogue options as you progress. A plus for Obsidian is that you won't feel helpless in combat if you're good at talking, nor lacking charisma if you prefer to shoot first and ask questions later.

In addition to skills, you'll have the opportunity to select a bonus trait every two levels to enhance your playstyle, a concept popularised by Fallout. Complementing this is the flaw system, which is perhaps the coolest thing here. In short, depending on your playstyle, you'll occasionally receive a notification that a new flaw has been discovered, and you'll have to choose whether to keep it or not. These come with both advantages and disadvantages, and once selected, they cannot be removed.

The one that amused me the most was “Bad Knees,” which increased my movement speed while sneaking, but every time I stood up, my knees audibly cracked, alerting everyone around (very similar to real life). Equally hilarious was “Consumerism,” which gave me some financial benefits, but at the same time, gave me access to some of the stupidest dialogue options.

I almost burst out laughing when the game realised I was skipping dialogue lines and offered me the chance to receive an experience bonus, BUT, from now on, it would choose my dialogue options for me.

I absolutely loved the level of protagonist customisation, because it gave me free rein to build my agent exactly how I wanted, without ever feeling irrelevant. It's clear here that Obsidian has strived to offer you as much freedom as possible in the choices you make, something that also extends to the gameplay.

Is that a blaster in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

As expected, the game places a strong emphasis on dialogue, which is directly influenced by the skills you acquire; a higher level offers you the chance for a line that would normally be blocked. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there are other ways to make someone talk, as you can bring up information you've found, either by reading documents, accessing computers, or finding various objects throughout the level.

For example, I managed to convince a rebel to stop an attack on a settlement because I had read his emails and could use the information to prove he was being manipulated. On another occasion, I found a commander's favourite toy on the battlefield and prompted him to attack an outpost. A fantastically implemented idea that intelligently encourages and rewards exploration.

This level of flexibility also extends to how you approach a secured objective. You can choose to talk to the guard at the entrance, hoping they'll let you in, you can wipe out everything that moves, or you can sneak in. I was pleasantly surprised by the game's verticality, thanks to the double jump ability. There's a plethora of vents and open windows you can access, which immediately reminded me of Dishonored.

Moreover, you'll benefit from four devices that grant you abilities such as slowing down time, melting enemies, X-rays, or a temporary shield, all dependent on a rechargeable energy bar. Although the game probably expects you to use them frequently, I didn't feel the need to use them except when absolutely necessary.

As for weaponry, there's a healthy variety of instruments with which you can “unalive people”, in the words of the great master Aidan. Weapons are classified by rarity and the type of damage they inflict. Ammunition comes in four types – ballistic, acid, plasma, and electric – and plays an important role, as you need to choose it wisely, depending on the enemy in front of you.

Electric ammo clearly works better on robots, ballistic is ideal for creatures, and plasma, I've noticed, works excellently against humans. As for acid... I only used it once, on an angry reptile running towards me; I emptied an entire magazine unsuccessfully and died the next second. The last save was, of course, 15 minutes ago. Obviously, I filled the reptile's fridge, and from that moment on, I couldn't look at any object with acid ammo without remembering the trauma.

One thing I absolutely loved is that weapons don't become irrelevant over time. They scale with the player's abilities and can be used throughout the game. My favourite is a Western-style carbine that uses electric ammo and temporarily stuns robots once you hit them. I found it in the first few hours and it accompanied me to the end – I could dedicate an entire paragraph just to declare my love for it.

You'll also have various types of clothing, categorised into the same four rarities, each offering different passive benefits. Unlike the Fallout series, clothes don't raise your skill levels, but only increase your resistance and combat effectiveness, which, for me, was slightly disappointing. However, there's enough variety to decorate your character in your desired style – in my case, a robo-space cowboy.

Throughout the game, you'll collect a real arsenal of weapons and armour, but what disappointed me most is the lack of a place to store equipment I'm not using. Instead, I have to scroll through my inventory until I find the weapon I want to equip. Obsidian, why do you do this?

Misery loves company

Another thing that raised an eyebrow is the lack of purpose and personality of your ship, which serves as the central hub of the game. This is where you meet your companions and choose which planet to travel to, but its utility pretty much stops there, as there isn't much you can interact with. You can have a pet to stroke, but I would have expected to be able to decorate the ship, read old messages from the terminal, play a mini-game between missions, or at least display the weapons I've found. Wasted potential – perhaps a future update will change that.

And speaking of companions, it's worth mentioning that there are six of them, each with their own personality and backstory. They support you both in combat and in conversations. On the combat side, each has a set of skills that can be improved, along with their own equipment. On the narrative side, you can discuss your missions with them and even help them achieve their personal goals.

I particularly liked Niles, Aza, and Tristan, because they clearly stand out with their distinct personalities. Niles is the ship's second-in-command, engaged in an internal struggle to define his morality; Aza is a Harley Quinn-style assassin, but with a surprisingly serious side; and Tristan is a massive soldier, devoted to his cause, but plagued by doubts. Each managed to elicit at least one smile from me throughout the game – especially Tristan, who struggled to hide his enthusiasm when we adopted a pig on the ship.

Out of this World

Last but not least, it must be mentioned that the game is absolutely gorgeous, and each location is easily distinguishable by its theme and vegetation. The decorative elements seem influenced by titles like Fallout and Deathloop, especially in interiors, where a dystopian retrofuturistic style dominates. You'll see monochrome terminals, analogue devices, radios, and all sorts of other gadgets, and your steps will take you through vividly coloured forests, majestic halls, high-tech hangars, and amazing scientific laboratories.

I know what you're going to say – Unreal Engine 5, yuck – but I want to tell you that it's surprisingly well-optimised. I managed to play it on my old GTX 1660, and with upscaling, I maintained a constant 30 FPS, without my PC turning into a space heater. Moreover, I was impressed by how few bugs I encountered. I only counted four visual bugs, nothing that caused a soft lock, and I didn't experience any crashes.

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Although I had fun throughout the approximately 25 hours spent with The Outer Worlds 2, I find it hard to recommend it at the current price of 80 euros. I would suggest trying it at a discount or via Game Pass. I consider it a very good game, but not one that innovates the fundamentals of the RPG genre. If you want to temporarily satisfy your craving for a new Fallout and are looking for a funny title with a solid scenario and satisfying gameplay, then The Outer Worlds 2 is exactly what you need.

Thanks to PC Game Pass Romania for the review codes and the opportunity to play The Outer Worlds 2.

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Played on: PC (Xbox App)
Release date: 29 October 2025
Developer:  Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios