Is outer worlds basically Fallout?

As a long-time gamer and fan of sci-fi RPGs, I‘ve been eagerly diving deep into The Outer Worlds since its launch. And an inevitable question keeps coming up — with its retro-futurist vibe and dark humor, is The Outer Worlds just Fallout in space? At first glance, it clearly shares DNA. But how far does the apple really fall from the tree?

At a Glance – The Core Similarities

Before getting into granular differences, let‘s outline the major elements that The Outer Worlds adopted from the Fallout blueprint:

• First-person perspective
• Open world regions to explore rather than linear levels
• Skill trees and special abilities to customize builds
• Companion characters that support you in combat and quests
• Flexibility in how you approach objectives – combat, stealth or persuasion

These core mechanics and design principles are clearly inspired by Fallout. Yet the devil is in the details, and we‘ll soon see Outer Worlds puts its own spin by tweaking these familiar foundations.

Setting and Tone: Dark Humor in Space

Let‘s start by contrasting each game‘s flavor and environment, because it defines so much of the surrounding experience.

Fallout is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland – the aftermath of catastrophic nuclear war. It‘s a grim, unforgiving world where survival is a daily struggle. Towns try to find order amongst chaos, but morally gray factions vie for scattered resources and territory.

In contrast, The Outer Worlds adopts a more tongue-in-cheek space opera setting. Corporations have pioneered interstellar travel and colonized alien planets, but their efforts are driven entirely by profit. Workers like yourself end up trapped under the thumb of their corporate overlords.

While it tackles weighty themes like capitalism and colonialism, The Outer Worlds does so with a heaping dose of dark humor and satire. It‘s more vibrant, colorful and laugh-out-loud funny than Fallout‘s stark, dead landscape.

So in terms of narrative flavor – Fallout elicits despair about human nature, while Outer Worlds is a cynical parody of corporate dystopia.

World Design: Compact and Contained

Beyond setting, the way each franchise builds its environments also shows crucial differences. I‘ve spent over 80 hours wandering the wastelands between Fallout 3 and 4, so exploring is a key attraction. These games feature one massive, continuous open world dotted with random shacks, monsters, and hidden secrets. I‘ll randomly stumble on debris telling an ominous story, or silhouette of a destroyed city on the horizon that I can actually walk to.

The Outer Worlds opts for more compact, contained open worlds in each location. While missing that continuous wanderlust, it makes up for it with density – towns feel vibrantly alive and I get to know each character‘s backstory and quirks. Exploration feeds back into quest lines rather than aimless ambling. When comparing map sizes:

As the numbers show, Fallout‘s world is simply gargantuan by comparison. But Outer Worlds makes up for verticality and density what it lacks in raw scale.

Gameplay: Flexible RPG vs. Sandbox Explorer

Now we get to the heart of the experience – gameplay mechanics. Both games feature first-person combat and flexible character building. But here too there are subtle contrasts that cater to different gamer psychographics.

I specced my Outer Worlds character as a high-charisma diplomat, skipping combat when possible through persuasion and stealth. Conversely, my stock Fallout build is a luck/agility gunslinger that shoots first and asks questions later.

The Outer Worlds offers more depth of RPG systems – dialog skill checks, companion relationships affected by actions, faction reputation meters. My choices directly fed back into quests outcomes beyond simply completing the objectives.

Fallout provides more sandbox freedom and experimentation – between crafting weapons, building bases, and open exploration, I had endless ways to test game mechanics without touching critical path quests.

So while both offer emergent gameplay driven by player choice, Fallout is a physics playground while Outer Worlds has more emphasis on story outcomes.

Verdict: Spiritual Successor, Not Clar carbon copy

After analyzing the facts and spending countless hours wandering through Halcyon’s colonies, I‘ve concluded that The Outer Worlds is indeed a spiritual successor to Fallout, but very much its own creature.

There’s no denying Obsidian used the Bethesda formula as a blueprint by plopping a skill tree and companion characters into an open world. But the signature tone, black humor, flexible quest design and contained exploration create a distinctly Outer Worlds flavor.

It echoes without mimicking. Refines without reinventing.

As a closing analogy, think Jurassic World toJurassic Park – an homage, not rip-off. It tips the hat to franchise roots while modernizing the recipe for a new generation.

So let‘s drop perceptions of The Outer Worlds as some copycat imposter trying to cash in on Fallout’s fame. Instead we can appreciate it as an refined take on the formula we know and love from the original’s own creators. Obsidian didn’t try reinventing the wheel here. Just making it roll a little more smoothly.