Highlights

  • The developers of The Outer Worlds 2 should focus on designing visually distinctive planets with interesting landmarks and people, while ensuring they are fun to explore.
  • The sequel has the opportunity to improve upon missed opportunities in the first game and set a new standard for space-faring RPGs in the market.
  • The Outer Worlds 2 should prioritize quality over quantity, crafting a smaller selection of well-made planets that serve a purpose and provide players with plenty to do and see.

When The Outer Worlds 2 takes players back into space, it doesn't need to aim any higher than it needs to. The planets of The Outer Worlds 2 will need to deliver at least on the same level that those of the first planet did. However, the developers will need to know what they should be focusing on when it comes to designing these planets. Good direction can lead to a universe that vastly outshines the first game's offerings. However, if The Outer Worlds 2 tries to fly too close to the sun, it may not turn out well.

There's a natural aim for The Outer Worlds 2 to outclass the original. After all, while the first game was a fun RPG with interesting worlds to explore and a selection of crewmates to adventure with, there is still a lot of room for improvement. There were a few opportunities that the first game missed that the sequel would be wise to catch up on. Considering how there have been surprisingly few space-faring RPGs to see major releases, the market is still very open for one to break through in a major way. The Outer Worlds 2 could be the one to set that bar.

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The Outer Worlds 2 Needs a Refined Approach to its Planets

outer worlds welcome to halcyon

When it comes to the planets players will find in The Outer Worlds 2's new star system, there are a few expectations that players should have of them. These planets should be:

  • Visually distinctive from one another
  • Feature interesting and memorable landmarks and/or people
  • Be fun and exciting to explore

The Outer Worlds managed to accomplish this, with locations like the massive ship Groundbreaker and the vicious wastelands of Monarch. While the planets of The Outer Worlds were small in number, they provide an excellent model for the sequel to follow and expand upon when crafting its own planets.

While The Outer Worlds has a full solar system shown on the map, Olympus, Typhon, and Hephaestus are inaccessible by any means.

The Outer Worlds 2 can also learn from other recently released games as well. The procedurally generated planets of Starfield were massive in number, meaning that players could spend hours upon hours exploring them all. However, this approach didn't lead to planets that were all-around better than their rivals in the field. A lot of Starfield's planets ultimately felt interchangeable, since many of them just felt like a collection of biomes and elements put together. While players could find some planets that had an interesting hook to them, most of the time, the planets that were designed from scratch were the ones most worth exploring.

The planets of The Outer Worlds 2 should be crafted lovingly and with purpose. A focus on quality over quantity in The Outer Worlds 2 should be paramount. Every planet in the sequel needs to feel important in some way, to feel like all of them serve a purpose in the game. Of course, there will be some that either play host to major events or act as a recurring hub, which is only natural.

After one shot at the space RPG genre already, Obsidian should have what it takes to make major improvements with a sequel. The Outer Worlds 2 can explore a lot more with a brand-new set of planets, but the developers need to make sure that they're worth exploring. A list of dozens of unremarkable planets is worth less than a smaller selection of planets that all provide players with plenty to do and see during their visit. The Outer Worlds 2 doesn't need a massive solar system, it just needs a few well-made planets for players to explore.