Highlights
- The Outer Worlds established a unique identity in the RPG genre with its sci-fi satire and humorous style.
- The sequel should be careful not to compromise on its engaging narrative by focusing too much on humor.
- The game can incorporate more jokes through Easter eggs, pop culture references, and unique weapons without disrupting the overall story.
The sci-fi satire and overall style of humor of The Outer Worlds helped to establish a memorable identity for the franchise among other more serious entries in the genre of RPGs. The upcoming sequel has some big shoes to fill when it comes to what fans are expecting, and The Outer Worlds 2 should be careful not to steer the franchise in the wrong direction with an inappropriate balance or style of humor.
In a genre filled with plenty of dystopian worlds that tend to take a dark twist with their overall tone and humor, The Outer Worlds is a breath of fresh air thanks to its wit and silliness. From The Outer Worlds' beloved companions to the exaggerated corporate tyranny setting, the original game isn’t afraid to get silly at times while still maintaining a serious storyline. Not only did the original The Outer Worlds feature a praiseworthy sense of humor, but it also unfolded an interesting sci-fi story. When it comes to the sequel, though, Obsidian shouldn’t compromise on offering another engaging and emotional narrative for the sake of doubling down on stylish jokes.
The Outer Worlds 2 Needs a Good Balance of Humor Like the Original Game
While the story itself arguably needs to strike a fair balance between humor and tact, in the meantime, other features of The Outer Worlds 2 shouldn’t hold back their jokes. A big part of the original The Outer World’s style of humor is the Easter eggs and references to pop culture and sci-fi media that inspired the franchise. A lot has happened in the sci-fi scene in the gap between the original The Outer Worlds and the upcoming release of the sequel, so The Outer Worlds 2 has a whole new bag of tricks to pull from, including more references from older, nostalgic materials.
Another area of The Outer Worlds 2 that could include more humor is the variety of gear in the game, specifically the Science and Unique weapons in The Outer Worlds. The Unique weapons and armor sets from the original game were top-tier items because of the many different effects that they would have on top of their premium performances. Whether the same Science weapons from the original The Outer Worlds return for the sequel or not, The Outer Worlds 2 would be missing a grand opportunity to not include Science weapons again.
Even with the story having a lot of pressure to depict a serious plot, one feature from the original game could still come in handy without negatively impacting the bigger picture of the story, which is the “dumb playthrough”. Whether intentionally or not, players can create a character in the original The Outer Worlds whose stats relating to intelligence and charisma are so low that the character essentially role-plays as an idiot. This type of character build in The Outer Worlds is a sweet treat for familiar fans of the RPG genre that offers an extra path in the storyline that deserves another chance to shine in the sequel.
As long as the story manages a good relationship between humor and tact, this could leave the door open for expansions to step up to the challenge of having an extreme amount of humor. The two expansions for The Outer Worlds generally served as subplots in the universe of the game, but the sequel doesn’t have to follow this pattern. Given how much the first game has established in the universe of The Outer Worlds franchise already, there’s plenty of room for the sequel’s expansions to take on a new role, possibly featuring non-canon elements for the sake of humor.
Ultimately, The Outer Worlds 2 shouldn’t dilute its emotional and engaging narrative with too much silliness. While certain elements of the game can generally withstand a higher threshold when it comes to incorporating humor, the story of The Outer Worlds 2 is one thing that Obsidian should be mindful not to disrupt.
The Outer Worlds 2 is currently in development.