While the release of the next entry in the storied Mass Effect franchise remains uncertain and likely not dropping any time soon, Owlcat Games has proposed their own solution to hopefully scratch the space-faring RPG itch that many fans are experiencing as of late. Based in the universe of one of the best Sci-fi shows out there, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, which was recently showcased at Summer Game Fest with a stunning trailer that highlighted a third-person action roleplaying game set in a realistic and gritty picture of the distant future.
It didn’t take long before fans of the genre quickly took to the internet to express their opinions, mostly through the drawing of comparisons to BioWare’s Mass Effect series in both comments and some quality memes. My personal favorite comment was “I’m Commander Shepard, and THIS is my favorite studio on the Citadel,” which was both complimentary of the developers while also serving as a hilarious reference to one of the most notorious lines in gaming history.
Many fans of the science fiction and roleplaying genres are hyped, and with good reason, but none seem more excited and eager to get their hands on the game than fans of The Expanse television series. So many fans are stating their overwhelming joy that they are going to be able to immerse themselves into the universe they love, and in a gameplay style that is familiar and pretty “universally” enjoyed, if you’ll excuse the pun.
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is slated for launch on Xbox Series X, Windows PC/Steam, and PlayStation 5, but currently doesn’t have an official release date announced other than its Steam page stating, “Coming soon.” It’s hard to deny that the trailers and screens from the game look very much like Mass Effect, but the title promises to be far more than a simple re-skin of the popular but aging franchise, as it has a tremendous depth of lore to draw from much like Owlcat Games’ Warhammer 40k and Pathfinder games. There is a unique and innovative identity that will be woven into the plot and gameplay, as is true with every roleplaying narrative experience from the folks at Owlcat.
With that said, the game’s creative director Alexander Mishulin knows that the team have their work cut out for them if they want to set their game apart from Mass Effect, though Mishulin welcomes the comparisons with open arms and a great sense of humor and humility.
“First of all, [we are] humbled… Mass Effect is a great inspiration for us because it’s an iconic game for [the] Xbox 360 generation, and a lot of team members played it in their youth. We’re inspired by it. Some get into the industry of making games because they saw [Mass Effect] and were inspired and decided for themselves they want to do something similar, or just make games, as a living. So, it would be impossible to deny that Mass Effect has a lot of impact on us as game developers.”
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn will take place during the events of the first two and a half seasons of the television show for which got its name and will allow players the ability to create their own custom character to helm their own spaceship. Much like Mass Effect: Andromeda, players will also be joined on board their ship by their twin sibling, who will have a mind of their own that will lead to potential friendship as well as disagreements that can alter the narrative.
There will also be a host of interesting companions serving on the ship’s crew and will provide for optional romance and further relationship and character development to give agency to the player so they can approach the game in their preferred manner. Regardless of the number of notable similarities to Mass Effect, the developers at Owlcat have indicated that they aren’t trying to clone or replicate the series but instead hope to learn from their experiences with the games and improve upon their formula and gameplay, while contributing their own creative story and mechanics.
Mishulin shared that players won’t be limited to binary decisions that steer them down a linear path, it will be quite the opposite actually, as nuance is of great importance to the team at Owlcat. They want to create a game where the player can be as kind and righteous, or as dark and demented as they so choose for their individual playthroughs.
“It’s an Owlcat Games game and it’s different [from Mass Effect] in many ways… First of all, we make our story a little bit differently. We’re making more choices and consequences, and we want to make sure that this game still has a lot of them provided with a lot of agency… Mass Effect is a game that was released quite a long [time] ago, and the games industry now is a little bit different. Other systems were introduced, players [are] now accustomed to a lot more convenient user interfaces, convenient approaches to the gameplay, and we are doing that and not, like, modernizing Mass Effect, but just making a game in the same genre but with all the modern trappings.”
Osiris Reborn will evolve due to player decisions, their interactions with their companions and romance partners, as well as their choices in regard to their backstory such as their home planet and the like. These decisions will affect how NPCs speak with them, the level of trust and kindness extended to the player, and the potential difficulties that come with a certain archetype in the context of The Expanse universe.
“If you happen to be playing a character of Mars origin or Earth origin, and you will be able to select your origin from the start, you will not be very welcomed on Ceres because of those events,” Mishulin explained in reference to events from the television show that I won’t spoil here. “But if you will be playing Belter origin, you will be much more welcomed, and you will have more opportunities, more places to visit, probably some new side quests and everything. But on the other hand, if you [are] of another origin, there will be other opportunities and other places for you.”
I for one am a huge Owlcat Games fan, from Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, to Pathfinder: Kingmaker, and everything in between. I am very eager to play The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, as well as their upcoming title Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy. It’s a great time to be a fan of RPGs, especially if you’re a fan of Owlcat!
