As we gear up towards finals season, I was looking for a game that would take my mind off all the various stressors in my life. I mostly play games on my switch, so I was looking through the Nintendo store. Eventually I came across a game titled “The Outer Worlds” that was on sale, so I figured I would check it out. 

Usually, I am hesitant to play any type of first-person shooter or violent game, but I figured I would give the game a chance.

When you open the game, you discover that your ship, the Hope, was one of the first batches of people sent to space in suspended animation when the rest of Earth had colonized space. You come to realize that you were the only one reanimated by a mad scientist Phineas Welles. The year is now 2355 in space which is now titled the Halcyon System named after the Halcyon corporation. Space has become a place for mega corporations and robber barons.  

You spend the game discovering more about the Halcyon system and trying to revive all the scientists and engineers stuck on the Hope in collaboration with wanted scientist Phineas Welles. So far it has been a wonderfully quirky and interesting game. It isn’t without flaws though. 

“The Outer Worlds” is a fairly glitchy game with maybe not so wonderful graphics for having been released in 2019. If you have ever played “Fallout,” you know that it’s a buggy game that while fun to play, can add undue stress.

Well, “The Outer Worlds” was created by the game people who made “Fallout.”

Often while I am playing, I’ll follow the paths to the next quest and then the game lags out. It would be okay if that happened occasionally, but nine times out of 10 you load into a whole host of NPC’s that are out to kill you.  

The graphics are also often pixelated and hard to read the character’s faces. This is extremely important in this game because you never know who you can trust in the game. Often you just have the dialogue to go from the characters’ intentions. 

I will also say that the side quests and missions have you bounce from planet to planet.

I wish they were way more concise instead of literally traveling all of space for a couple extra bucks, often having the side missions lead to nowhere.  

All in all, I think “The Outer Worlds” is a good game that could be a bit tighter around the edges. It’s a great game for those who are looking to dip their toes into more violent video games with a sci-fi edge to it.

Elise Keane is a sophomore neuroscience major. They can be reached at 581-2812 or at eskeane@eiu.edu.