Developer Owlcat Games is back with a new blog post dedicated to the upcoming action RPG The Expanse: Osiris Reborn and the role that player choice has. Previously, the developers have detailed Origins and the unique weapons-driven approach to playstyles.
“When an RPG presents you with a choice, do you look for the “right” answer? The one that saves the most people, earns the best reward, or keeps every companion happy?”
Right away, the team hints that things aren’t going to be that simple. A decision can determine the fate of an entire station. A piece of advice can gradually change who a young member of your crew becomes. And some choices may only reveal their true cost much later.
There are several layers of choices and consequences players will encounter during their journey, starting with the game’s first decision: picking an origin. But where you come from does not decide where you stand, it simply gives you a place in this world. It is your choices that determine what you do with it.
Other notable choices include:
One of the earliest dilemmas happens on Pinkwater 4. Protogen mercenaries have followed you back to the station, putting everyone’s lives at risk. You can convince the station’s personnel to fight back — or ask them to stand down while you find another way out.
An organized defense gives you valuable support during the escape, but it also escalates the attack. Asking the station to stand down leaves you to face a much harder route out, but may prevent the conflict from igniting. Neither decision ends when you leave Pinkwater 4. Later, you may meet the families of station personnel and see for yourself how your one decision has affected them.
There are also choices to be made when it comes to your crew. And what if the most important choice in someone’s life does not look important when you make it? Take Polly, the youngest member of your crew. At one point, you will have to choose someone to mentor her. This is not just a dialogue choice. Her mentor can shape the profession she pursues, unlock a unique non-combat skill line, change the role she can play during missions, and even influence her appearance.
And, of course, it won’t be The Expanse if it didn’t have factions and politics. Earth, Mars, and the Belt each have their own priorities. Helping one side can create problems for another: a decision that benefits Earth’s supply lines may seem a threat to Mars, regardless of your intentions.
Keeping good relations with everyone won’t be easy — you’ll only get one chance to stay on everyone’s good side
“The game does not ask you to select your captain’s personality from a list. Instead, the game’s archetype system tracks and follows your every choice. Do you keep putting other people first? Chase profit? Defend your faction? Or simply do whatever it takes to keep yourself and your crew alive?”
