There’s been a megaton of interest in the Fallout series since the release of the Amazon Prime TV Series, and it’s no wonder why, as there’s incredibly rich lore, humourous writing, and over-the-top action. With this surge in popularity, the game’s (Even Fallout Shelter on Switch) has seen phenomenal growth with users flocking back to recapture some of that small-screen magic in an unforeseen side effect. This also has many a gamer asking “Can we get Fallout on Switch? Ask no more dear gamer, we already have Fallout on Switch at home…
Well, kind of.
The Outer Worlds from Private Division and Obsidian (who crafted what is arguably the best Fallout in the series, Fallout : New Vegas) is an original IP that’s essentially Fallout, without the nuclear bombs. While it was released a while back now, much like the wastelands, it was a little worse for wear and I think now is a great time to revisit it to see how it stands now. What’s it Like? Fill out your employment form for Spacers Choice, lock and load, and enjoy this review brought to you by Spacers Choice: You’ve watched the best, now try the rest as we review The Outer Worlds.
The Outer Worlds is a first-person Sci-fi action RPG that sees you awakened from cryosleep to embark on a crazy journey across multiple planets run by Spacers Choice, a super conglomerate controlled by “The Board” who pretty much exploit and rule the galaxy. I don’t really want to spoil the story for you as it’s an entertaining and well-written journey that differs from the “you can be good or evil” derivative to instead offer choices that aren’t so black and white. I found these really enjoyable since most games I try to play as a lawful good hero whereas The Outer Worlds offers a more chaotic approach. At an early stage of the game, you have to decide whether to shut power off to one of two settlements, meaning no matter what you do, people get hurt. A charismatic or diligent player may be able to explore an outcome where the blow is softened a little, but your choices and actions in The Outer Worlds mean you as a player may have to lean into the greyscale areas of your moral compass. None of this is bad, and it’s this stellar quest writing that makes The Outer Worlds so enjoyable, fleshing out quests and making the player question their actions throughout the game.
Speaking of characteristics, you are able to distribute your stat points into how you want to play The Outer Worlds. You can play as a melee fighter, charismatic scoundrel, or a weapons specialist just to name a few. You can also inherit flaws depending on how you play that offers a debuff risk for a stat boost reward. One such flaw was inflicted upon me from taking too much plasma damage, I could choose to accept a 25% increase in damage taken in exchange for a free perk. You can reject these flaws as well and keep things simpler should you wish to do so. Combat is handled with tight shooting mechanics and stats boosts that were reminiscent of the Borderlands series. You can slow down time momentarily to blast foes in specific areas to put debuffs on them like blind for headshots or cripple for limb shots. You can even disarm opponents with a well-placed shot. There are a lot of ways to solve problems in the game, and I found some of the more rewarding outcomes came from resorting to using my brain instead of splattering the enemies.
Upon its initial release, The Outer Worlds on Switch was criticized for its poor performance and bland visuals, but thankfully the Developers listened to player feedback and have done their best to address these concerns. The game does suffer from the dynamic resolution blur we see in a lot of performance-heavy games, and there are some performance drops, but the engine has been vastly improved since the initial release. Worlds and environments are varied and interesting, ranging from warm tropical planets to cold and mechanical spaceships that are more linear in structure, breaking the game into more manageable bite-sized pieces rather than leaving the player lost in space. You are still offered open-world freedoms in these areas, exploring and tackling objectives at your leisure, and there’s still a lot to discover off the beaten path for the more adventurous explorer. The new updates have smoothed framerates out and added more detail such as foliage and trees to areas, as well as additional world details which make the game much more visually appealing. It’s a fairly visually impressive game even in its reduced state to make it perform on the Nintendo Switch.
Sound design is fantastic with expertly voice-acted characters, bringing The Outer Worlds to life with humourous quips and quirkiness that doesn’t go over the top. Character design and dialogue are certainly The Outer World’s stronger traits, with the developers assigning a lot of skill points to that category.
Value-wise, The Outer Worlds regularly goes on sale for about $25 AUD for the stand-alone game and $40 AUD for the Board Approved Bundle which includes 2 expansion packs one being a new location and the other being a murder mystery. Overall the game will take the average player about 35-40 hours to complete for the stand-alone game, providing plenty of bang for your buck, especially when it’s on sale. For my vision-impaired Space Crew, there are some accessibility options around text size and highlighting companions. It is a bright and colourful game for the most part but I do suggest further researching it the game will suit you as an individual.
Overall, The Outer Worlds is a fantastic RPG that I found hooked me within the first 10 minutes and took me for a ride across the galaxy. Its fluid and tight shooting mechanics make combat fun and interesting and the stellar writing and voice acting kept me engaged when the danger was over. Sure, there are some compromises to make the game run on Switch, but those who play it will be in for an amazing journey across the stars. Kudos to Obsidian and Private Division for listening to the Switch player’s feedback and further developing the port. Is The Outer Wilds fixed since its launch? Yes, it has vastly improved to provide a much better version of an already great experience. It’s safe to say that The Outer Worlds is out of this world on Switch!
So What’s It Like? The Outer Worlds is like Borderlands crossed with Fallout New Vegas.
