The Outer Worlds 2: A refined journey through a broken solar system.
As seen in Fallout: New Vegas and Avowed, Obsidian Entertainment has a long history of making solid RPGs, having moral choices, and having big, complicated worlds. When The Outer Worlds came out in 2019, it felt like a funny, short space RPG. It was a lot like Fallout, but with a satirical twist.
Now, Obsidian has released The Outer Worlds 2, a follow-up to the original game that retains its charm while expanding the sandbox, enhancing its role-playing features, and refining the fighting and exploration systems.
The first game primarily took place in the Halcyon system, but the second game is set in Arcadia, a group of broken planets that are in chaos following Auntie’s Choice, a multinational corporation, and its conflict with the Protectorate, Arcadia’s militarized government. The system’s survival is in danger because of these rifts, which were caused by experimental skip drive technology.
As an agent of the Earth Directorate, it is up to the player to navigate the complex political, business, and scientific landscape. There are a lot of strange and interesting groups in this world, from the military Protectorate to the neon-happy corporate cult of Auntie’s Choice to the scientific fanatics of the Order of the Ascendant.
The Outer Worlds 2 begins with a self-aware propaganda program that sets the tone: it’s satirical, darkly humorous, and over the top. The world seems bigger, weirder, and more real than in the first game. Corporations aren’t just pretty things in the background; they shape Arcadia, while groups and local governments fight for control of ideas and land.
This change makes the world seem both real and surreal, which gives players numerous reasons to explore and get involved. The humor is still a significant part of the game, but its tone has changed. The first game made you laugh by making fun of the silly things that companies do.
The second game, on the other hand, is darker and more sarcastic in tone. This creates an interesting dynamic: players must make tough moral decisions, but the dark humor of the world can sometimes soften the blow. This is both a strength and a weakness: choices feel important, but they don’t always feel like they change your whole life.
Even though the tone has changed, Obsidian has never been more committed to giving players control and letting them make choices that matter. The story isn’t just a list of events to follow; it’s also a place to explore, negotiate, and settle disagreements. Each group reacts to what you do, and the results are directly related to your moral sense (or lack thereof).
Arcadia is not a paradise. Every moral sense is broken and spins like a slot machine in this universe.
The main story is about the rift anomaly and how Auntie’s Choice and the Protectorate are at odds with each other. After being frozen for ten years, you come back as an agent of the Earth Directorate to find a system in chaos. There are high-stakes tasks, political intrigue, and terrible environmental risks in the main story, but you are never forced to go in a certain direction.
You can choose to side with one group, betray another, or try to find a careful balance between different groups’ needs. The Outer Worlds 2 is different from other RPGs because the story, quests, and conversations are all tied together so well. Perks and skill checks change talks and open up new ways to solve problems. Exploration, on the other hand, rewards paying attention to the little things.
Hacking terminals, fixing systems, and reading logs can all be useful, and they can sometimes lead to different ways to complete a quest or extra prizes. A lot of the time, side quests connect in strange ways, making even small actions have big effects. The group of the sequel is lively and easy to remember. Even though companions can’t be romanced, they are more fully developed than in the first game.
Their personal quests, usefulness in battle, and dialogue all contribute to the story, and they often respond to your choices, which makes the narrative more complex. Even minor NPCs feel unique because they have their own quirks, humor, and goals that make the game more than just a bunch of generic sci-fi tropes.
The writing is a good mix of humor and seriousness. There are ridiculously high stakes in the story, but things like corporate greed, authoritarian governments, and religious fanatics are all blown out of proportion. Some of the humor is darker or drier than in the first game, but it suits the world’s broken tone, making Arcadia feel like a dangerous, unpredictable, and living place.
Every choice resonates across Arcadia, shaping not just outcomes, but how the system itself perceives you.
Creating characters works immediately and is useful. You can’t sculpt every part of the face, but the choices you make about the surroundings and skills have a lot of meaning. Choices made early on significantly impact the ways you can communicate, explore, and engage in combat.
The perk and flaw system adds another level of depth to the game by letting players take on challenges that come with bonuses. This creates a constantly changing balance between risk and return. Throughout Arcadia, skills such as building, medicine, hacking, leadership, and fighting prove invaluable.
In The Outer Worlds 2, even skills that are mostly used in fights can be useful in other situations as well. For instance, guns or close combat skills can help you start conversations, figure out problems, or change the world in interesting ways. This integration gives your choices value and makes you want to try new things.
The discovery loop is still very important: explore planets, read terminals, interact with NPCs, complete side quests, and be cautious with your loot. The different worlds in Arcadia are interesting because they have story tidbits, hidden items, and environmental puzzles. Some solutions, like restoring power to open a secret area, require you to think outside the box.
This is similar to the rewards you get for exploring in old-school RPGs. Experience points, skill upgrades, perks, and flaws all affect how far you can go in the game. Flaws are fascinating because they can make the game harder while also giving you big rewards to make up for it.
This, along with the level-based perk system, allows players to tailor their leader to their preferred play style, whether they want to be a diplomatic peacemaker, a soldier with a gun, or a sneaky investigator.
Obsidian trusts players to connect the dots, making exploration and choice feel like genuine discovery.
The combat in The Outer Worlds 2 is better than in the first game. There are many different kinds of weapons that feel heavy and realistic, from handguns and long guns to science weapons and melee weapons. The use of gadgets like tactical time dilation, In-Ray vision goggles, and temporary shields enhances the strategy, but they don’t alter the game. The fighting is faster and smoother, with a balance of shooter-like action and classic RPG controls.
Different kinds of enemies, like humans, robots, and aliens, make battles interesting. Even though AI isn’t perfect, the harder levels are a good test. Time dilation allows players to be strategic in chaotic fights and rewards them for planning or devising creative solutions on the spot. Companions take part and often turn the tide of battle. The AI that controls them acts in a way that feels both helpful and based on their personalities.
Puzzles still involve nature and logic. They’re not too hard, but they do reward careful study, smart use of items, and combining skills. The game stresses player choice and problem-solving over repetitive trial-and-error, whether the player is rerouting power, hacking terminals, or moving items. Using your character’s unique set of skills to solve problems in different ways gives you a lot of pleasure.
XP and skill development have a direct effect on both fighting and solving puzzles. High-level skills and perks give you more ways to talk to people, make it easier to avoid danger, and make fighting more effective. Leveling up affects almost every aspect of the game, which makes players want to become deeply immersed in both battle and exploration.
Every firefight and puzzle feels earned, a product of your build, choices, and ingenuity.
The graphics in The Outer Worlds 2 are stunning. The retro-futuristic art direction combines the look of 1950s sci-fi with alien landscapes, neon corporate bases, and heavily armed Protectorate zones. Ray tracing enhances lighting and reflections, making landscapes more realistic, from sunny plains to spooky skies with cracks in them.
Textures and character models are well done, but hair rendering and other small objects sometimes fail to function properly. In any case, the graphic presentation always supports the tone and world-building. Planets feel different because they have their own dangers, plants, and building styles. From gap anomalies to energy weapons, the special effects are powerful without being too much for the senses to handle.
Performance is good on all devices. On platforms like the Series X, the game maintains a 60 FPS frame rate in performance mode, although grass or softer models may appear and disappear intermittently. On PC, playing games in 4K with high settings gives you smooth, stable frame rates. Features like DLSS and frame generation help maintain speed without compromising the quality of the graphics.
Arcadia is alive, with each planet serving as a stage for chaos, exploration, and discovery.
Immersion is improved by sound design. Ambient effects, like machines in skip drive facilities or alien wildlife, make places feel like they’re real. It’s satisfying to hear satisfying feedback that emphasizes the weight and presence of weapons. Strong voice acting, and no one person is used too much. Companion lines are interesting and don’t feel repetitive.
The music complements the mood well. Radio songs, themes for each group, and music from the environment add to the humor, tension, and exploration. Some tracks use familiar Fallout themes, but overall, the score does a good job of supporting the story and world-building. The dueling radio songs demonstrate a great deal of attention to detail.
The Outer Worlds 2 is a polished, big follow-up that builds on what was good about the first game and fixes what was wrong with it. The story is smart and driven by the player, the fighting is heavy and tactical, exploring is fun, and the world feels alive and reacting. The perk and flaw systems, along with the skills and branching dialogue, make sure that choices have value and that the game can be played over and over again.
Even though the humor has become darker, and there are a few minor technical issues, these are outweighed by the game’s rich world, the level of player control, and the smooth presentation. The game is a great deal, taking about 35 hours to finish the main story and more than 50 hours for completionists. It’s even better because it’s available on Game Pass.
In the end, The Outer Worlds 2 demonstrates that Obsidian knows how to craft sequels: they retain what works, enhance features, add more options, and create a world that is both silly and scary, yet also very interesting. This is a great RPG to play, whether you’ve played the first one or this is your first time in Arcadia.
