My first foray into The Outer Worlds dates back to October 2020. I picked it up upon its Steam release, intrigued by the fact that it was the latest title from Obsidian Entertainment, and I stuck with it through to the end, DLC included. While the narrative had its charms, the peculiar storytelling and translation choices made certain sections a bit of a slog. The combat felt clunky and repetitive, though I must admit, the game’s satirical edge and distinct brand of humour were quite compelling.

When 'The Outer Worlds 2' was announced, I found myself oscillating between anticipation and dread. Having played Obsidian Entertainment's previous title, Avowed, my concerns only deepened. That game suffered from a lack of depth, a truncated companion arc, and a general simplification of systems. While the action had ostensibly improved, it still trailed behind genuine AAA action RPGs, and the third-person animations were frankly atrocious. I could only hope that the shortcomings I witnessed in Avowed would not bleed into The Outer Worlds 2.

I recently had the opportunity to dive into the prologue of The Outer Worlds 2, courtesy of Microsoft. Having put it through its paces, I must say that the experience wasn't quite enough to fully put my anxieties to rest.

Players take on the role of a Special Operations Commander for the 'Earth Directory.' As a veteran who has survived more than a few hopeless missions, the player character holds a certain notoriety within the ranks. At the start, you are tasked with creating your avatar, and perhaps due to the 'hard-knock life' narrative, you have the option to equip prosthetic limbs. It is entirely possible to replace both arms and both legs with cybernetics, if that’s your fancy.

The mission at hand? Infiltrate the Arcadia star system. It is here that the 'Skip Drive'—the tech that makes interstellar travel possible—is manufactured. It turns out that the 'Rift Anomaly' tearing through space and threatening humanity is a direct consequence of the Skip Drive’s existence. Armed with this knowledge, you arrive in the system alongside a handful of squad members and a local operative named 'De Vries'.

The overall atmosphere is undeniably grimmer than its predecessor. Gone is the lighthearted, bubbly vibe; this time, the reality of being a soldier on special ops lends a more serious weight to the proceedings. This is immediately apparent in the early comms with De Vries. Attempt a joke, and De Vries will snap back, demanding you take the situation seriously. The Arcadia system itself, depicted as being under the thumb of a brainwashing cult, only adds to the oppressive air.

Fear not, however—the trademark satire of The Outer Worlds remains intact. The opening cutscene is a piece of Earth Directory propaganda reminiscent of Helldivers 2, and upon reaching Arcadia, you are bombarded by the bizarre, repetitive speeches of the local 'Monarch.' You even have the option to override these speeches with Earth Directory propaganda, drawing the ire of every enemy in the vicinity. Watching De Vries lose their temper because you’ve tipped off the entire world to your presence is, frankly, the highlight of the prologue.

The true strength of an Obsidian Entertainment RPG lies in how it weaves your character's origins and skills into the fabric of the game. Look at Fallout: New Vegas; your stats and skills weren't just numbers—they opened up entirely new quest paths and hidden dialogue. These robust RPG elements are alive and well in The Outer Worlds 2. Even in this early slice, my character's background and skill set fundamentally shifted how I could interact with the world.

At the start, you choose a background for your commander. From professor and outlaw to prisoner, there are six options to choose from. These backgrounds trigger unique NPC reactions. Choose 'Professor,' and if you provoke De Vries, they’ll mock you as an 'ivory-tower academic refugee who’s going to ruin the mission.' You’ll even find specific interactions, like being the only one capable of deciphering complex mathematical problems scrawled on a blackboard.

The skill tree is divided into categories like Engineering, Explosives, Firearms, Hacking, Leadership, Lockpicking, Melee, Medical, Perception, Science!, Stealth, and Persuasion. It seems Obsidian has opted to simplify the somewhat convoluted sub-skill system from the first game into something far more manageable. Your skills dictate your agency; invest in Hacking and Stealth, and you can bypass entire encounters by disabling machinery from a terminal. If you’ve dumped points into Firearms or Melee, you can simply storm in, guns blazing.

You can even combine these traits to deceive or manipulate characters. In one mid-game sequence, the path is blocked. To lower the bridge, you must persuade, intimidate, or eliminate a 4th-grade apprentice warden named Corbin. Intimidate Corbin, and they’ll call in a combat bot after lowering the bridge. Fail a lie during persuasion, and you’ll find yourself facing human guards. Or, simply use Lockpicking to slip through a side door and eliminate Corbin yourself. There are at least two ways to skin this cat.

Combat in The Outer Worlds 2 hasn't strayed far from the original blueprint. Without a fully fleshed-out build, you’ll need to rely on tactical thinking early on. Players use firearms, melee weapons, grenades, and the Tactical Time Dilation (TTD) tool to gain an edge. In the demo, I was restricted to four weapons: a pistol, a rifle, a dagger, and a shock baton.

Melee combat is just as monotonous as in other Obsidian Entertainment RPGs, relying heavily on simple light and heavy attacks. Stealth allows for backstabs that deal significant damage, and firearms reward precision hits on weak points. Grenades are impressively potent; on normal difficulty, a single toss was enough to take out a giant mech sitting at 50% health.

Perks have been tweaked to be more interesting and directly linked to skills. For instance, the 'Pickpocket' perk requires a certain level of Lockpicking and allows you to, well, pick pockets. In the previous game, many perks were just boring stat boosts like '+50% Health,' with the game-changing stuff locked behind Tier 3. Things seem improved here, though the lack of level-ups in the demo meant I couldn't fully put these to the test.

The Tactical Time Dilation (TTD) system—that brief slow-motion effect—feels nearly identical to the original. Combat has seen some granular improvements, such as cover that can be destroyed. The 'Inhaler' now handles health recovery, but be warned: while it heals you quickly, it builds up toxicity. Hit the limit, and you’ll be in a state of drug overdose, rendering the inhaler useless until your toxicity levels drop.

Despite these changes, I can’t say the combat feels significantly better. It suffers from the same issues as Avowed; while the impact of hits feels slightly more pronounced, the enemy AI remains simple, rarely demanding any strategic movement. Furthermore, the third-person animations are a bit of a mess. While the sprint feels less clunky than in Avowed, crouching and moving looks incredibly awkward. The crosshair and HUD feel dated, lacking the polish one would expect in a modern title.

Granted, this was just a demo, and I haven't seen all the gear or perks in action yet. There is still a chance that the final release will offer more depth and satisfying combat systems.

The Outer Worlds 2 is set to launch on October 29 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, with full Korean language support.