Summary
The Outer Worlds 2has been gradually making itself more known here recently, showing off its improved gunplay, stealth systems, and gorgeous new world. As far as the full extent ofThe Outer Worlds 2’s storygoes, however, that much remains to be seen apart from its premise.The Outer Worlds 2takes players to the new Arcadia star system, where they assume the role of an Earth Directorate agent tasked with investigating mysterious rifts that threaten the colony’s stability. These rifts have triggered a factional war between the ruling Protectorate, a rebellious scientific religious order, and a powerful corporate entity, each wanting to either control the anomalies or close them altogether.
The Outer Worlds 2’s premise alone makes it seem as though there will be some pretty tough choices for players to make during the game’s narrative — choices that lead to multiple branching paths and different outcomes in turn. The various factions in the game all want to do something different with the rifts that have begun to appear in Arcadia, and until players find out more about what is causing these rifts and what they are capable of, determining which of these factions is in the “right” may prove difficult. Needless to say,The Outer Worlds 2is already looking like a bit of a moral minefield for players.
The Outer Worlds 2 Is Poised to Challenge Players' Morals
It May Be Tough to Side With ‘Good’ in The Outer Worlds 2
One of the best ways to challenge players in achoice-driven RPGis to ensure those choices aren’t easily defined as “good” or “evil.” Binary choice systems in games are often regarded as artificial decision-making, simply because those games generally encourage players towards “good” choices anyway. As such, it’s important for choice-driven games to be a bit more ambiguous about their morals to put more control in the player’s hands and give them more freedom over the story. Fortunately, based on what has been revealed so far, it seems as thoughThe Outer Worlds 2is heading toward moral ambiguity in its choices.
The Outer Worlds 2’s premise alone makes it seem as though there will be some pretty tough choices for players to make during the game’s narrative — choices that lead to multiple branching paths and different outcomes in turn.
This is primarily due toThe Outer Worlds 2’s various factions, as those that have been shown so far seem to have no righteous qualities about them, nor do they necessarily seem evil. Firstly, there’s the Protectorate and its, whatThe Outer Worlds 2itself calls, “so-called benevolent rule.” The way the game’s description of the Protectorate phrases that makes it sound as though this particular faction will have a thick layer ofquestionable characterbeneath its holy exterior. Then there’s the radical religious movement that opposes them, which screams “cult” and all but guarantees some interesting perspectives on things. In short, it might be difficult for players to determine who to side with inThe Outer Worlds 2, and that’s only two of the factions.
The Outer Worlds 2’s Companion Deaths May Offer Tough Choices
IfThe Outer Worlds 2’s factions aren’t enough to complicate the game’s decision-making, then its companions might do the job instead. Unlike the firstOuter Worlds, where companions could die in battle but be resurrected later,companions inThe Outer Worlds 2can die permanently if certain choices are made. This means that players might find themselves stuck at a moral crossroads during a quest with one of their companions, potentially choosing whether to save their friend or sacrifice them for the greater good. Time will tell on those specifics, but it still makes for a weighty choice system and one that is likely to challenge players more than the first game ever did.
There is also another faction inThe Outer Worlds 2— a corporate mega power who seeks to exploit the rifts for monetary gain, keeping the franchise’s themes of corporate overreach.
IfThe Outer Worlds 2follows through on what it’s apparently setting up, then players shouldn’t expect to walk away from Arcadia with clean hands. Between morally ambiguous factions and the possibility of losing companions based on difficult decisions, the game looks like it’s shaping up to be far more complex than its predecessor in how it handleschoice and consequence. There’s still plenty left to uncover about what these rifts are and how deeply they’ll affect the world, but if nothing else,The Outer Worlds 2already seems committed to making players think twice before picking a side.
