Is Obsidian’s new sci-fi RPG out of this world or stuck on the launchpad? We round up the best reviews and scores for The Outer Worlds.
The Outer Worlds is the ambitious new space-faring RPG from Fallout: New Vegas developer, Obsidian Entertainment. The game might not be the expansive, open-world adventure that some were expecting, but it’s varied, colourful, and brimming with character.
Broadly speaking the critical response is positive, with the game’s satirical edge, combat, and mission variety all receiving plaudits. So grab your blaster and take a trip through our pick of the game’s reviews.
The Outer Worlds – Review round-up
PC Gamer
“There’s a category of games I think of as Saturday morning cartoon games. They lack depth, but they are fluffy and easy to enjoy. As I look back on some screenshots as Pippin laser blasts a poor marauder into a pile of dust, I realise that’s what The Outer Worlds is to me. If you meet it on those terms, I think you’ll enjoy it.”
79/100 – Review by Tom Senior
Eurogamer
“There’s a slight claustrophobia to The Outer Worlds, for all its searing skyboxes and neon-striped roads winding in amongst hills of alien flora. There are too many ways of beating each quest per square metre. You’ll discover key props or half-complete undiscovered quests in passing, and the different routes and means of reaching each waypoint are seldom far apart. You seldom have to really think about what you’re doing, or exercise much curiosity about either the environments or the people that live within them – everything just sort of falls into place under your feet.”
Not scored – Review by Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Polygon
“Obsidian has pulled off the delicate task of creating an RPG that feels big while still keeping control of the overall scope of the game itself. There is a galaxy map, but this isn’t No Man’s Sky, with the freedom to completely explore every sprawling world if I choose to. Each planet consists of relatively small zones, so I’m able to focus on my current quest without becoming overwhelmed.
“These areas are always small enough that I never lose track of the story or my immediate goals, but complex enough that new seeds are constantly being planted for the next area and quest. The Outer Worlds is expansive when it needs to be, but never falls into the trap of believing that bigger is always better.”
Recommended – Review by Cass Marshall
Kotaku
“The game isn’t quite bug free—my game had a hard time whenever I visited the abandoned, monster infested town of Cascadia, with texture pop-in and longer loading times, and for some reason it believed that one of my companions was dead, making it impossible to finish their personal quest (and snagging me a deadpan explanation that they didn’t survive at the end of the game). Neither of these issues were exactly game-breaking for me, and my playthrough didn’t suffer for them. This is the Obsidian game that people have been begging for: one with polish.”
Not scored – Review by Gita Jackson
USGamer
“The Outer Worlds cast has that Sci-Fi Channel feeling I’ve enjoyed in shows like Stargate SG-1 and Firefly. I don’t know if they’re as entirely memorable as the characters in Mass Effect, but they’re fun to be around and get to know. Ellie, a former doctor who prefers more daredevil antics to the medical practice, and SAM, a cleaning robot repurposed as a soldier, are probably the characters that best reflect the tone of the game. They’re outlandish, fitting in with satire of most of The Outer Worlds.”
4/5 – Review by Mike Williams
IGN
“The first-person-only combat is definitely more on the Fallout side of the spectrum, but it distinguishes itself with a faster pace and more emphasis on precision aim. Where Fallout’s VATS does the work of targeting an enemy’s weak point for you, The Outer Worlds’ tightly limited time-slowing ability rewards your good aim. Score a headshot and you’ll blind an enemy; target their legs to slow them; hit them in the arms to reduce their attacks; target them dead-center with a sniper rifle to go for an execution.”
8.5 – Review by Dan Stapleton
Destructoid
“The absolute highlight of The Outer Worlds though has to be the companion system. It’s no bullshit, shucking any sort of unfun micromanagement or restrictions. Once you meet a companion you can always quest with them anywhere, and they’ll constantly chime in with their opinion on the task at hand or open up new quests/avenues of play. They passively buff your skills and carrying capacity by just existing, and while the AI is decent by default, you can customize their basic strategy through menu options.”
9/10 – Review by Chris Carter
Other reviews
- Attack of the Fanboy – 4/5
- Critical Hit – 8.0
- GamesRadar – 4/5
- Twinfinite – 4/5
- VGC – 4/5
Title: The Outer Worlds
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher: Private Division
Release date: October 25, 2019
Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One. Nintendo Switch release date to be confirmed
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