Summary
The sci-fi satire and overall style of humor ofThe Outer Worldshelped 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, andThe Outer Worlds 2should 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 Worldsis a breath of fresh air thanks to its wit and silliness. FromThe Outer Worlds' beloved companionsto 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 originalThe Outer Worldsfeature 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.
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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 ofThe Outer Worlds 2shouldn’t hold back their jokes. A big part of the originalThe Outer World’s style of humoris 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, soThe Outer Worlds 2has a whole new bag of tricks to pull from, including more references from older, nostalgic materials.
Another area ofThe Outer Worlds 2that could include more humor is the variety of gear in the game, specifically the Science andUnique weapons inThe 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 originalThe Outer Worldsreturn for the sequel or not,The Outer Worlds 2would 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 originalThe Outer Worldswhose stats relating to intelligence and charisma are so low that the character essentially role-plays as an idiot. This type ofcharacter build inThe Outer Worldsis 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 twoexpansions forThe Outer Worldsgenerally 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 ofThe Outer Worldsfranchise 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 2shouldn’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 ofThe Outer Worlds 2is one thing that Obsidian should be mindful not to disrupt.
