The latest Outer Worlds expansion is here.
(Editor’s note: We received a key for the purposes of this review. Since Steam has its own built-in screenshot function, I do have my own assets this time around.)
Murder on Eridanos is the second of two DLC releases and the final narrative expansion announced for The Outer Worlds. Now those of you who have followed my work know that I really enjoyed The Outer Worlds. Trust me, if I didn’t like the game I wouldn’t have played it this many times. Let’s go back to something I said with the Peril on Gorgon review;
I feel like The Outer Worlds is running thin on plot as there are so many ways one can shift a story around how those corporations that we all know are evil and have no regard for the lives of their employees are doing things that are evil and show no regard for their employees.
The good news is that Murder on Eridanos made me feel interested again in the world of The Outer Worlds, and a lot of that stems from the simple fact that the plot does not center around comically evil corporate shenanigans. There are plenty of evil corporate shenanigans, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not the sole focus like previous plot devices. The punchlines work better when it’s the supporting act, not the main show.
Murder on Eridanos feels like a crime drama straight from the mind of Agatha Christie or Dick Tracy. Halcyon Helen is the protagonist of the serial drama Terror on Monarch. Since this is The Outer Worlds, the whole serial is just a massive ad for Rizzo’s Spectrum Vodka. I guess Happy Madison films these. Halcyon Helen is murdered and it is terrible because the company was just about to launch a new vodka line! What will they do? Oh and the loss of human life is bad too.
What sets this expansion apart is the Discrepancy Amplifier. You are given the tool to help search for clues. This thing is equipped and is technically a weapon although its main purpose is to ping you when evidence is around for you to scan. The DA has a personality of its own and half of the fun is just going through the dialogue options to see how it talks. Remember when games had dialogue trees you actually wanted to pay attention to?
The expansion game world takes place on a floating set of islands surrounding a massive hotel that also serves as your primary hub for the course of the expansion story. You’ll run around and engage with various side quests while trying to figure out everyone’s alibi and finger the culprit. Obsidian gives you plenty to work with and lets you determine whether the stories your suspects offer seem credible or not. A master of the linguistic arts can also talk their way into additional encounters and options.
There’s a whole body horror element involving parasites that may or may not be controlling their victim’s brains and them living in a world of sheer bliss. Even the ending boss battle feels refreshing as while it may be a big arena, you are rewarded for running around and seeing what options are available.
You do get access to a few new weapons including a revolver that can cycle through several types of damage, as well as a big machine gun. It’s pretty interesting even if I didn’t find them very useful compared to my already far more powerful arsenal. As I also said the DA is a weapon in itself even if it doesn’t do much.
The level cap increases to 36 and there are a few more flaws added to the game. As someone who has never, and likely will never, see the benefit in flaws I admittedly couldn’t tell you which ones are new. They all follow the same logic of offering some detriment in return for an extra perk point. At level 36 I already had most of the perks I wanted. The next time I play I’m going to take every flaw so I can have every perk, especially the one that increases damage by 5% for every perk.
Murder On Eridanos feels like the perfect conclusion for The Outer Worlds. It renewed my faith that the thematic pool isn’t as shallow as I had originally assumed, and it’s got me thinking that Obsidian could reasonably pull off a sequel that doesn’t feel like a retread of the original. I just hope they let this one simmer for a while. The Outer Worlds is like a fine brie cheese; it’s tasty and filling but if you eat a lot of it multiple times over it’ll make you sick.
Murder on Eridanos was reviewed on Steam.
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