The Outer Worlds, developed by Obsidian Entertainment, is a semi-open world RPG adventure set in the far-off star system of Halcyon. Over the course of the game, you’ll explore many worlds, along with the dozens of towns and settlements present on them. Each of these settlements has many stories to tell and secrets to discover.
It’s certainly possible to find many throughout the normal course of the game, but a few require the player to go a bit off the beaten path or make some decisions that they normally wouldn’t. Here are ten things that most players probably missed in The Outer Worlds.
10 Small Choices, Big Effects
It’s been widely publicized that the player has the opportunity to kill literally every single other character in the game, and of course, that affects the game’s progression. But even more subtle decisions can change how a story or questline plays out, sometimes without the player even being aware of it.
For example, an early quest in one of the game’s first locales tasks you with searching for a lost scientist who went to a pharmaceutical building to retrieve some research. If the player proceeds directly there and defeats all the enemies, they’ll find the scientist alive, but locked in the room. If the player leaves without letting them out, the scientist may be dead upon their return. It doesn’t change the story much, but it does show that there are things happening beyond the player’s control.
9 Star Wars
Speaking of choices, the vast majority of them are made the more classic way– via dialogue options. Even though they’re crucial to progression, Obsidian still manages to have some fun with them, such as in an interaction with a corporate guard who is a bit skeptical of your presence in an off-limits area.
He asks to see the player’s identification, and the conversation can (if you choose the right options) play out exactly how any Star Wars fan would hope. “You don’t need to see my identification,” your character replies. “…I don’t need to see your identification,” they reply. “Move along.” Obi-Wan would be proud.
8 Taking On Tropes
Having formerly developed Fallout: New Vegas, Obsidian is very aware of all of the tropes that role-playing games tend to include. They certainly made use of a fair share of these tropes in the development of the Outer Worlds, but that didn’t stop them from poking fun at them, either.
For example, on the planet Monarch, the player will come across a character gives you the task of flipping a switch, the player has the opportunity to pursue a line of questions on what the “catch” is-will they need to find 3 keys, or fight a giant monster, or any number of other arduous tasks? The answer, as it turns out, is no, because who would design a system like that?
7 The Mystery of Cascadia
The Halcyon system is already dangerous, and Monarch is the most dangerous planet within it. But even on Monarch, not all towns are created equal. The town of Cascadia has managed to become the most dangerous town on the most dangerous planet, by virtue of being overrun with monsters. But how, exactly, did that happen, and where are its former residents?
The player won’t receive any quest telling them where to go or what to look for, but there are clues spread throughout the town. One series, in particular, is easy to miss. Instead of focusing their search on either half of the town, they must cross the bridge in between, and locate an elevator that descends to a power station. Inside, they’ll find a cow, a robot, a very large man in candy-colored armor, and a lot of information.
6 Dungeons and Dragons Tribute
It’s safe to say that most video game RPGs owe some level of their inspiration to Dungeons and Dragons. The iconic tabletop RPG has been a direct and indirect reference for dozens, if not hundreds, of games, and The Outer Worlds is no exception.
It is rare, however, that the developers so directly acknowledge their own personal experiences in their game. In this case, Obsidian’s team included many of their own D&D characters in the game’s credits, along with the names of the dungeon masters for the campaigns, and the status of the characters (quite a few didn’t make it.) It’s certainly off the beaten path, but it’s a fun reference that gives everyone a little insight into the developers.
5 The Awesome Colorblind Mode
Okay, to call it colorblind “mode” may be a bit inaccurate, because, as it turns out, the entire game is designed to be colorblind-friendly. Game director Josh Sawyer pointed this out on Twitter, noting that fellow director Tim Cain is almost completely colorblind, and as a result, games that rely on color to convey information can become extremely difficult to play. As a result, The Outer Worlds utilizes several functions to make it more accessible.
First, the game uses a high-contrast color palette, which makes different values easier to distinguish, even when the colors themselves aren’t. The designers also made sure to never rely on color alone to provide information. Audible dialogue, subtitles, sounds, and non-color reliant visual indicators are used to convey everything necessary to progress in the game and to play it skillfully.
4 Too Close To The Sun
Though this secret is part of the main campaign, most players will never see it on account of the fact that most players won’t willfully make their character stupid, or jump on enough landmines to permanently concuss them.
Still, both of those are options, and if things line up just right, the player can show off their spectacularly low intelligence in the most spectacularly awful way possible. When the player reaches the end of the game, they will be required to use the ship’s computer to jump a massive colony ship filled with thousands of people to one of two planets. If the aforementioned conditions are met, however, they’ll have the option to take control and do it themselves. The camera will pan out, and the player will receive a gorgeously rendered view of the ship accelerating into the nearest star.
3 Firefly
It’s impossible to talk about hidden references in this game without talking about Firefly. The cult classic TV series was one of the main inspirations for The Outer Worlds, and the directors have said as much.
Aside from many subtle influences on characters, jargon, and style, even the design of the ship itself. But the developers decided to add a few more direct references. If the player stops to look at a variety of crates, lockboxes, and ammunition containers, they’ll notice the name of one of the many corporations that control the Halcyon system. The name? Firefly. No beating around the bush on this one.
2 The Stainless Steel Rat
Though Star Wars and even Firefly are pretty well known, not all of the game’s cultural references are so obvious. While on the planet Monarch, the character may become embroiled in a murder mystery.
The quest is given under the name “The Stainless Steel Rat.” The Stainless Steel Rat was also the name of a series of comedy science fiction novels about a mysterious con man and thief who uses his less than savory talents to eventually do some good. While it’s unclear just how much this specific series influenced the game, what is clear is that there are some big similarities, including themes of cynicism, corporatism, and overarching wry humor.
1 Anything for a Friend
Straying out of the game proper one last time, we find an iconic image and popular meme hiding in the achievement list. The Outer Worlds has six companions for you to find and add to your team, and each of them has an associated questline.
If you complete one of these on Xbox, you’ll be rewarded with the achievement “Anything for a Friend.” The accompanying art clearly depicts two arms clasping in the most muscular greeting of all time, an irrefutable reference to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers’ famous greeting in the movie Predator. Simple, easy to overlook, but a ton of fun when you find it.
