The Outer Worlds 2

Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PC

The original The Outer Worlds was well-received, but despite developer Obsidian brandishing all the talents it honed in fan-favourites like Fallout: New Vegas, the sci-fi RPG never quite set the world alight. Six years later, The Outer Worlds 2 corrects course –— cooler and more confident in every area, this may be the studio’s best game since that tour of post-apocalyptic Sin City.

The Outer Worlds 2 beautifully blends Jules Verne-ian mechanics, art deco architecture, and Flash Gordon-style retro-futurism into a not-so-glittering world of tomorrow, diverging from our history in the early 1900s. Centuries later, colonists in the Arcadia solar system are now torn between three factions vying for control — interstellar mega-corporation Auntie’s Choice, the patently fascistic Protectorate, and the science zealots of the Order Of The Ascendant. As a space-faring Earth Directorate agent, you’re charged with keeping these powers in check, but an ally’s betrayal sends you into a battle for control of crucial space-time rifts.

Like the first game, you’ll be aided on missions by companions, but stronger writing and a sterling voice cast make for a far more interesting crew, each having their own opinions.

While there’s considerable freedom in how to resolve each quest Arcadia throws your way, some options will be locked off depending on how you craft your agent. A rich assortment of backgrounds, skills, abilities, and flaws allows you to build almost any type of character — but like the best RPGs, you can’t excel at everything.

The Outer Worlds 2 forces specialisation. Tailor-make a tech-smart professor who moonlights in stealth combat and inspirational speeches, and running into gunfights won’t pan out — but you might be able to quietly assassinate a key figure instead, or talk your way out of conflict entirely. When you do have to duke it out though, combat thoroughly delights, with satisfying shooting and meaty melee that stand alongside dedicated action titles, bolstered by unique RPG twists like tools that slow time or liquefy fallen foes to prevent alerting other enemies.

Like the first game, you’ll be aided on missions by companions, but stronger writing and a sterling voice cast make for a far more interesting crew, each having their own opinions. It’s even possible to drive them away entirely, if your actions offend them — far better than Obsidian’s Avowed, where allies might complain if you committed the odd atrocity but still stuck around for plot reasons.

The greatest improvement is tonal though. The Outer Worlds 2 is still deeply satirical, often lampooning politics in ways that makes Starship Troopers look subtle, but it no longer skirts Borderlands levels of farce. Every weighty decision feels morally grey, adding a much-needed dash of maturity that elevates this into an instant RPG great.