Over the past eight years, Owlcat Games has built a reputation for making some of the best modern isometric RPGs (after a bit of patching, at least!), including Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader. And though it’s clearly not giving up on that genre any time soon (there’s a follow-up to Rogue Trader on the way), it is taking its first step outside it with one of its upcoming releases.
Like BioWare before it, Owlcat is making the leap from isometric RPGs to a third-person shooter RPG with The Expanse: Osiris Reborn—and, indeed, the Mass Effect comparisons are unavoidable. Like that beloved series, this game is embracing slick, cinematic sci-fi adventure over the more old-school feel of the studio’s previous RPGs.
It’s an ambitious move, and it’ll be interesting to see if Owlcat can pull it off. But in many ways, the assignment isn’t as different as it first appears. When we think of Mass Effect, we certainly remember the flashy combat, shiny graphics, and lush cutscenes, but that’s not what defines that series.
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The thing that always springs to mind first is the companions—the cast of friends and allies that invested the adventure with charm and personality. Building a roster the player can truly connect with is the challenge almost every party-based RPG faces, whether it’s a traditional throwback, a big modern blockbuster, or anything in between.
So I’m pleased to reveal that Owlcat has given us an exclusive look at Osiris Reborn’s mercenary crew—the squadmates who will have your back as you travel the galaxy, and hopefully put a lovable face to the game’s story.
The game is set in the very grounded, hard sci-fi universe of The Expanse—and in many ways that makes Owlcat’s job here a lot trickier. With no magic, alien species, or impossible gadgets to easily spice up your crew, the onus is all the more on simply creating interesting, well-expressed personalities.
From the bios I’ve been given (which you can see condensed versions of throughout this article) there certainly seems to be plenty of potential. Your crew encompasses a wide variety of different characters, from ex-military engineer to disgraced doctor to youthful idealist. And given the setting’s focus on distinctive and detailed sci-fi cultures, it of course features representatives from across the galaxy—including wealthy and powerful Earth, militaristic and brutal Mars, and the fractured, oppressed Belt.
You can expect them to have their own stories and sidequests to push them into the spotlight, too, with hints at grand ambitions and dark pasts catching up to them.
A companion’s personality shouldn’t be something you only experience in chats back at the ship. With combat a major focus of the adventure, you want your crew to express themselves in a fight too, showing off their unique skills and approach.
As you’d expect, each of Osiris Reborn’s party members have their own combat role, whether laying down heavy fire and drawing enemy attention, deploying defensive gadgets, or sniping from afar. Adding some extra flair, however, is the Exploit system. Effectively, each companion also has a special ability that allows you to further control the flow of battle.
Precision allows them to identify and take a shot at vulnerable points in the environment—for example blowing up an explosive object, making acid rain down from above, or causing a structure to collapse on an enemy’s head. Demolition is less subtle, directly destroying terrain and particularly wiping out enemy cover, forcing them into the open.
Malfunction makes electrical systems go haywire, with potentially deadly consequences, while Cyber-attack completely takes them over and turns them against the enemy.
How impactful this kind of environmental manipulation ends up being remains to be seen, but it’s a great concept—and particularly a cool way of making party members feel distinct and powerful in a world where you can’t just give them psychic powers and super-gadgets.
Of course, it’s not easy to tell how compelling any of these companions will be just from a bio—the proof will be in the writing and performances, as well as how confidently they evoke the specific feel and style of The Expanse.
But as an early look at the gang we could be spending many hours with, it’s promising. Fun character designs, a nice spread of archetypes, and some intriguing plot hooks have me keen to get to know them—and to watch them blow a lot of stuff up in combat.
For a closer look, check out the gallery of concept art below—and hopefully it won’t be too much longer before we’re able to give you some hands-on impressions of how the game is shaping up. In the meantime, though Osiris Reborn doesn’t have a release date yet, you can wishlist it on Steam to stay in the loop.
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