The Outer Worlds Review: Much More Than Fallout In Space

Story & Writing

So, what’s going on in this story? Well you find yourself for (reasons determined by the player), en route to the Halcyon Galaxy in order to start a new life in this rather remote area of the universe. Unfortunately your ship experiences a malfunction, and rather than come rescue you, the companies in charge of the transport decide to leave you there, because it’s cheaper to do so.

Awakened for reasons I won’t spoil, you find yourself indebted to a scientist on the run from these organisations, and together you travel the galaxy in the hopes of salvaging the tech you’ll need to rescue the other members of the ship who weren’t so lucky to escape.

It’s this combination of the callous expenditure of human life by shadowy corporations that’s a driving force of The Outer Worlds' narrative and, in a morbid way, a huge proponent of its humor.

You’ll find hardened soldiers ready to die for their company, shouting out slogans as they charge into battle, or drearily repeating catchphrases from behind smiling helmets clearly becoming aware they are a tiny cog in a machine that doesn't care. There’s even a huge religious movement of the same thinking - that people need to shut up, work until they die and be happy about it.

It’s a scathing but hilarious attack on the nature of businesses who pretend to be doing things for the benefit of humankind, but are obviously only interested in their bottom line, and I found this type of humor to be much more appealing than that found in the Borderlands games.

I expect many will compare Outer Worlds to 2K's franchise, as this also deals with companies at war with one another, alien wastelands and whole tonne of shooting in between.