Accidentally Mass-Slaughtering a Space Station and Maybe Smuggling Felines: Just Another Day in *The Expanse: Osiris Reborn*
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Jeff dives into *The Expanse: Osiris Reborn*, where your choices can accidentally decimate a space station, combat is surprisingly dynamic, and the real mystery is whether you’re about to become an intergalactic cat smuggler.
Right, so you know that feeling when you're just trying to get by, maybe smuggle a cat or two (purely hypothetically, of course), and then, *boom*, an entire space station goes pear-shaped because of one of your 'clever' decisions? Yeah, that’s pretty much the vibe I’m getting from Owlcat Games’ upcoming title, *The Expanse: Osiris Reborn*. I’ve been tinkering with the details from a recent Gamescom preview, and bloody hell, it’s wilder than it first appeared. Turns out, your choices here aren't just flavour text; they're more like reality-bending incantations with *actual* consequences. Big ones.
Now, if you’re a fan of James S. A. Corey’s *The Expanse* novels or the absolutely stellar TV series, you’ll know it’s all about the crushing weight of political machinations, corporate greed, and the gritty, chaotic reality of a Solar System teetering on the edge. Every decision, from a dock worker’s choice to a diplomat’s decree, can send ripples through the entire system. *Osiris Reborn* seems to grasp that concept with both hands, throwing players right into the thick of it between the first two books/seasons. You don’t need to be an astrophysics major or a lore wizard to dive in, either; the game eases you into the terrifying mysteries of the Protomolecule as your characters discover them. It's like accidentally stumbling into a secret lab and then having to figure out which glowing goo *isn't* going to turn you into sentient spaghetti.
You play as a pair of identical twin mercenaries, working for Pinkwater Security – a less-than-ideal employer, it seems, given their knack for being in the wrong place at the *exact* wrong time. Our story kicks off with these poor sods making the brilliant decision to visit Eros just as Protogen, a corporation with questionable ethics and even more questionable alien material experiments, is doing its thing. Naturally, they ‘borrow’ a Protogen shuttle to escape, bringing all sorts of trouble back to their Pinkwater space station. Before you even properly mess things up, you get to customise your starting character’s gender, choose a preset build like a 'marksman' (aka, a space sniper) or an 'officer' (assault rifle enthusiast), and even pick their origin, which apparently changes their look and story. It's not a rigid class system, just a starting point, which is nice. Gives you room to evolve your own digital wizardry.
Stepping onto Pinkwater Station, it sounds like a proper lived-in space. The preview mentioned detailed environments, right down to menus showing what they eat (algae, of course – delightful!), and NPCs gossiping about the latest interplanetary dramas. This is where the human story starts to peek through the corporate announcements. You’re chatting with folks like Luciana, who’s got supplies and all the station gossip, and Larry, an exhausted Belter worker who peppers his dialogue with genuine sign language. Larry asks you to deliver a 'painting' to his mum, *insisting* you don’t open it. The quest? 'A Purrfect Gift.' My immediate thought, as any discerning digital wizard would have, was: is it a picture of a cat? Is it *an actual* cat? Have I accidentally signed up for intergalactic cat smuggling? The devs, the cheeky buggers, wouldn’t confirm. But I’ve got a hunch. A very strong, feline-shaped hunch.
Then, the moment of truth. A Protogen ship shows up, demanding their stolen shuttle back. This is where *Osiris Reborn* really throws you into the deep end. You can tell the station commander you'll find a way to escape, or if your persuasion stats are high enough (always dump points into charisma, mate, it pays off), you can try to convince him to go full 'hold the line' against the corporate goons. The preview's choice? They went for the fight. And well, it didn’t exactly go to plan. You and your twin, J, sneak through vents, but it’s not long before Protogen security spots you, health bars dropping to a terrifying grayscale. It sounds like a proper nail-biter, especially since it’s just the two of you before you link up with more companions.
But here’s where it gets clever. Your twin, J, can exploit structural weaknesses – imagine blowing up a wall to catch enemies in a fiery embrace, or collapsing a ceiling right onto their unsuspecting heads. Each companion, like your remote guide Zahar (who sounds like a good mate to have), has their own specialist ability: hackers can EMP nearby foes, snipers offer cover fire. The combat isn't just about shooting; it’s about making the environment your weapon. And the level of detail? Bullet holes pockmarking walls, debris floating in zero-G after a skirmish – it’s immersive. This isn't just a combat encounter; it's a dynamic, destructive ballet of consequences.
When the station gets swarmed, Zahar wisely suggests going outside. And this, mate, sounds *gorgeous*. Imagine floating out in the black, Jupiter looming large, the station's ring spinning, your magboots letting you walk on *any* surface. Sound is muted, as it should be in space – no one can hear you scream, but you can feel the vibrations of movement. Exploring out here isn’t just for pretty views; it’s where you find crafting materials, cash, and gear, with some paths locked behind specific skills. Protogen inevitably catches on to your cheeky detour, leading to a zero-G firefight where bodies and blood globes float among the debris. The cutscenes sound equally dramatic, with the twins thruster-packing their way through floating wreckage, barely making it to their ship. And even then, your approach to the ship impacts what you encounter and how your companions react. Every choice, another branch on the tangled tree of fate.
Returning to the station, the consequences of that initial decision are laid bare: bodies everywhere, Protogen agents executing captives, the armory stripped bare. Larry, our potential cat-smuggling co-conspirator, bails you out again, reminding you about that mystery package. Seriously, *it has to be a cat*. After linking up with Zahar, the game truly opens up, offering freedom to explore iconic locations like Ceres, Mars, and Luna. This branching narrative promises 20 to 30 hours of gameplay, running parallel to James Holden’s own tumultuous journey. The preview, despite being hands-off, painted a vivid picture of a game where your actions truly matter, where a single 'bad' call can lead to widespread devastation, but also thrilling escapes and dramatic cinematic moments. I’m genuinely excited to see how deep the rabbit hole goes with these choices and what other delightful catastrophes I can unleash.
So, is *The Expanse: Osiris Reborn* going to be a deep dive into player agency, or just another game where choices are an illusion? Based on this glimpse, it leans heavily into the former. Owlcat seems to be crafting a narrative that respects the source material’s ethos of hard consequences, wrapped up in some truly spectacular space visuals and tactical combat. My only mild skepticism? How truly diverse those 20-30 hours of branching paths will feel in practice. But honestly, if I get to be an accidental cat smuggler *and* decide the fate of a space station? Sign me up, mate. That’s the kind of chaotic magic I live for.
Tags: The Expanse, Narrative RPG, Space Combat, Choice & Consequence, Sci-Fi Gaming
Original article: Polygon