Laugh Your Way Across the Galaxy

“The Outer Worlds” is a first-person shooter and role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment, longtime veterans of the role-playing genre.  Set in a dystopian future where corporations have begun colonizing distant worlds in order to further their business interests, players take on the role of a colonist sent by one of these corporations to the Halcyon galaxy. You awake from being cryogenically frozen to find that you have been asleep for 100 years instead of the 10 years that were originally planned.

“The Outer Worlds” features extremely robust writing and world-building. Players are dropped into the Halcyon galaxy where they must explore an unknown future and save the existing colony. In this adventure, players meet a broad cast of characters including mechanics, rebels, a gruff priest and even a snarky spaceship artificial intelligence. As you travel, you will be faced with many choices and ultimately the fate of the colony and characters who join you will be in your hands.

The writing is filled with sarcastic and absurdist humor. A great example is the iconic slogan of one of the fictional Spacer’s Choice corporation, a goofy jingle that says, “It’s not the best choice, it’s Spacer’s Choice!” Even during fights against monsters and villains, “The Outer Worlds” never takes itself too seriously and remains consistently funny.

“Even during fights against monsters and villains, ‘The Outer Worlds’ never takes itself too seriously and remains consistently funny.”

The gameplay is mostly exploration and first-person shooter combat, interspersed with plot-driven conversations and quests. Additionally, it features a unique gameplay mechanic. As a side effect of your extended stay in cryogenic sleep, your character has the ability to slow time in combat for a few seconds, allowing for distinctive strategic combat moves. As with most role-playing games, “The Outer Worlds” also features an intricate leveling system, allowing players to continuously customize their character. Players can level up and increase skills such as persuasion, hacking or proficiency with various weapon types.

I hadn’t heard much about “The Outer Worlds” prior to its release, so I was genuinely surprised by how much I loved this game. The excellent writing and wonderful sense of adventure made it an unforgettable experience. It went from being a game I hadn’t heard much about to one of my favorite games of the year. It is an experience I would recommend to anyone.

Peer Rating: 5/5