Welcome to our latest IGN First, featuring a month of exclusive coverage in April dedicated to The Outer Worlds 2. This is your very first glimpse at the game's real-time gameplay, showcasing a quest where you infiltrate the N-Ray Facility. This demonstration highlights several new features, mechanics, and a fresh approach to level design. One of the most striking aspects is the game's deeper dive into RPG elements, with developer Obsidian drawing inspiration from its rich history and immersive sims like Deus Ex and Dishonored.
The Outer Worlds 2 introduces more sophisticated systems than its predecessor, including a true stealth system and enhanced tools that make this playstyle more viable. Players can now utilize effective melee weapons and skills for silent takedowns. A notable feature is the health bar above enemy heads, which includes a purple-colored readout indicating potential stealth attack damage. This allows players to assess whether a one-hit kill is possible or if it's worth engaging the target. Additionally, enemies can detect dead bodies and alert others, but players with the right skills can quickly dispose of bodies, maintaining their stealth advantage.
The Outer Worlds 2 Gameplay - Screenshots
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As you progress through the quest, you'll acquire the N-Ray Scanner, which enables you to see certain objects, NPCs, and enemies through walls. This tool is essential for solving complex environmental puzzles and enhancing stealth and combat strategies. The N-Ray Facility is home to cloaked enemies, invisible to the naked eye but detectable with the N-Ray Scanner. Neglecting to use this device can lead to unexpected encounters, illustrating how gadgets add new dimensions to gameplay.
The game features several interlocking systems that influence your playstyle, emphasizing RPG elements and character builds. Beyond stealth and immersive sim influences, The Outer Worlds 2 focuses on improving gunplay, inspired by Destiny's standards. While not transforming into a pure shooter, the game aims to deliver satisfying first-person firearm mechanics.
This is evident during the approach to the N-Ray Facility, where players can opt for a guns-blazing strategy. Movement has been refined to complement gunplay, allowing for more agile actions like sprint-sliding while aiming. The return of Tactical Time Dilation (TTD) enhances combat by offering bullet-time tactics. The inclusion of throwables, while not groundbreaking, adds another layer to combat, enabling creative maneuvers like tossing a grenade, activating TTD, and shooting it midair to detonate on unsuspecting foes.While story details remain scarce, including the context of the N-Ray Facility quest, the gameplay video reveals slight tweaks to conversations in the sequel. For instance, interacting with an NPC named Exemplar Foxworth, who survived a cultist takeover, allows players to use their Medical stat to help her or respond based on their Guns or Melee stats. This segment also introduces a new companion, Aza, a former cultist whose frantic demeanor adds depth to the narrative.
Many of these elements were present in the original Outer Worlds, but the sequel represents a more fully realized vision of Obsidian's ambitions. My discussions with the team provided insights into the new features and the vision driving this sequel. The game seeks to blend Obsidian's RPG heritage with modern first-person RPG elements, drawing parallels to Fallout, specifically Fallout: New Vegas, which fuels my high expectations.This is just a glimpse of what's in store for The Outer Worlds 2, and we'll be covering it extensively throughout April's IGN First. Look forward to in-depth breakdowns of character builds, the new flaws system, an array of unique weapons, and insights into the game's expanded scope through interviews with key figures like original Fallout developer and creative director Leonard Boyarsky, game director Brandon Adler, and design director Matt Singh. Stay tuned to IGN all month for more exciting updates!
