by Anthony O'Connor
Worth: $15.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Intro:
… a generous, expansive offering with plenty to recommend it, flaws and all.
The Outer Worlds came out in 2019, and while it was imperfect and a bit limited in scope, it certainly scratched the story-based single player RPG itch that had been steadfastly ignored by Bethesda the year before with Fallout 76. Developers Obsidian had a solid hit on their hands and, of course, talk soon began to revolve around a potential sequel. Now, in 2025, The Outer Worlds 2 is here, but can it recapture the magic in a gaming era that has seen Cyberpunk 2077, Baldur’s Gate 3 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 drop since the original launched? The answer is yes, mostly, but there are some important caveats.
The Outer Worlds 2 takes place in the isolated colony of Arcadia, with the player adopting the role of an Earth Directorate agent sent to investigate rifts in the fabric of space time that have cut off colonies from sweet mother Earth. You soon end up embroiled in a very personal revenge yarn, a most uncivil war between the zealous nutters of the Protectorate and the corporate stooges of Auntie’s Choice and a wider-ranging plot that could mean the deaths of countless millions. Happily, you’ll have an ever-growing roster of companions to help you, along with various upgrades and powers you can utilise in different builds and weapons. So, so many deadly weapons.
A big criticism of the first Outer Worlds was its size and scope. Despite having the appearance of a Fallout entry, the title was actually quite small and soon became repetitive in terms of both weapon and enemy variety. This was largely mitigated by a solid story and sharp writing, but it did make repeated playthroughs – a desired feature of this type of game – much less compelling. The Outer Worlds 2 addresses some of these flaws. It’s a much bigger game, and showcases a more ambitious story, however the enemy variety is still severely lacking. There are many more weapons and build options this time around, however the writing doesn’t quite hit as hard as it did six years ago. The first hours are particularly rough, with every second character spouting anti-capitalist rhetoric with the frequency of a reddit mod after a fat line of goey. Don’t misunderstand us, it’s great when a game explores political ideologies (just look at Disco Elysium) but in the early hours, everyone’s point of view seems a bit samey and terminally quirky.
Things improve as the plot unfolds, however, and there’s a decent yarn at the core of the game along with great side quests. Build craft too is very impressive and if you’re willing to embrace chaos, the Flaws system – where you’re given a boon that contains a nasty sting in its tail – can make for engaging, unexpected twists to what is now a familiar formula.
The combat is better, although still a little ropey, and the weapons are a more varied lot, with impressive loot/mod systems for those who love to fiddle with gadgets and whatnot. However, in 2025, The Outer Worlds 2 does feel a little old fashioned, a tribute to a relic of a bygone era. Certainly, it’s nice to revisit “Fallout in space”, particularly since Bethesda doesn’t seem to know what to do with that franchise, but it’s undeniable that time has not been entirely kind to this very specific type of game.
Still and all, if you enjoyed the first one and want to see what a bigger and better version of that might be – and you’re the type who can overlook clunky writing and outdated systems – then The Outer Worlds 2 is a generous, expansive offering with plenty to recommend it, flaws and all.
