It is at all times good to see a studio degree up in real-time. Owlcat has been a beloved studio for a few years, producing top-down RPGs just like the Pathfinder collection. Nonetheless, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn marks a serious shift for the Cyprus-based studio. Not solely is it their first third-person RPG, nevertheless it represents a considerable effort to adapt an already well-established and beloved IP with AAA manufacturing values.
Throughout Gamescom 2025, we sat down with Owlcat Video games and noticed a beefy 60-minute demo of this hotly anticipated upcoming area sport. On the identical time, we bought to ask each of them questions and actually dig into the targets they’ve with The Expanse: Osiris Reborn.
Throughout these sixty minutes, we noticed a powerful RPG that appears set to be the correct follow-up to the Mass Impact Trilogy followers have wished for greater than a decade, with lots of its personal gameplay twists and mechanics that really feel thrilling for the style. Nonetheless, for hardcore followers of The Expanse, the sport is firmly rooted within the political thrills and far-reaching lore of the IP. Can they strike a stability and hold everybody completely happy? The early indicators look good.
Rooted In The Supply Materials
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is an authentic story set alongside the primary two books (and the primary two and a half seasons of the TV present). The truth is, the studio has been impressed by the dramatics and visible fashion of the present in terms of the cinematics and story missions. Osiris Reborn is totally intertwined with the occasions of the present. The world’s factions, political programs, and world are all right here; you may inform that Owlcat is treating each facet of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck’s world with the utmost care and a focus.
Key moments that appeared within the present, like iconic video footage from key figureheads, will seem in-game. Plushie fashions of well-known in-universe TV present cartoon characters could also be discovered on a desk.
None of this implies newcomers gained’t discover one thing to understand onto right here, although. The likeable characters and traditional Mass Impact-style third-person gameplay present an attractive hook, and the unique story provides newbies a contemporary entry level into the franchise.
You possibly can play because the Earthers, Martians, or Belters, with notable variations between every choice. One character within the demo, Larry, is a Belter and is considerably taller than the opposite characters, and his speech and behavior replicate that of the Belters. Whichever gender you select, you should have a sibling of the identical gender, forming the private spine of the primary story, the place you play as a Pinkwater mercenary.
All through the sport, you may meet new companions, every with their very own specializations, personalities, and traits that may have an effect on gameplay, the story, and even the dialogue choices and selections you have got. A companion could provide an answer to repel an enemy boarding motion, whereas your participant character has one other methodology — it is as much as you to decide on which path to take, however ignoring your affiliate’s recommendation might have an effect on your relationship with them down the road.
Mass Impact is again, in all however title
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn owes lots of its gameplay DNA to Mass Impact. It’s a traditional cover-based third-person shooter with a wealth of skills blended in there, like cover-piercing rounds and the flexibility to spotlight enemies via partitions. You possibly can customise your character and likewise select a base playstyle. There aren’t any courses, and the sport just isn’t thinking about locking you out of utilizing sure tools or weapons. As an alternative, they kind a baseline in your character you could then construct round with weapon selections or expertise.
You possibly can mix expertise, weapons, and tools to deal with enemies and totally different threats, adapting on the fly for every encounter. Shielded foes will cost into you, and others will sit again and conceal behind cowl, forcing you to attract them out.
You too can lean in your companions fairly considerably in battles. You possibly can have two alongside you in fights, however we solely had one within the demo (our sibling). Every companion will be directed to finish sure actions, telling them who to assault, or instructing them to work together with the setting; it is paying homage to the contextual “Name To Motion” mechanic within the Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy sport.
A immediate seems when a close-by environmental object is interactable. These can destroy or create sections of canopy, and even topple elements of the world — like ceiling followers — down in your enemies’ heads for a brutal kill. Every companion has their very own means of doing issues.
Owlcat mentioned that one clear means it “wished to distinguish ourselves available on the market” is that even the companions who aren’t with you’ll play a job in missions. That may be speaking over comms with the participant, providing up choices to deal with targets, or — within the instance in our demo — serving to out with air assist and concentrating on enemies from exterior the ship. This implies the companions you do not select to combat alongside aren’t disappearing into the ether for 40 hours as you utilize everybody else.
The companion and fight programs are extremely sturdy and well-thought-out. We have solely performed a small part, however to this point, no mechanic, system, or concept looks like it has been underutilized or a half step. This can be a correct evolution for Owlcat and probably the most feature-rich RPGs I can bear in mind in recent times.
The sport is structured into a lot of explorable zones with facet quests, secrets and techniques, and hidden loot chests to seek out, nevertheless it’s not an open world within the conventional sense. There will likely be facet missions too — lots of them missable — so it pays to discover and discuss to everybody you meet, one thing that RPG followers do not must be advised twice.
Some secrets and techniques are hidden behind stat talent checks, like science and persuasion, and throughout the sport, you might be investing in these expertise and constructing out your stock of weapons, armor, and tools — both by shopping for or looting them. There is no such thing as a RNG to stat talent checks, although; it is a easy go or fail system relying on what number of factors you have got.
Blow all of it to items
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One ultimate factor that caught out throughout our demo is the graphical constancy and tech behind The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. Character fashions and lip synching are all top-notch right here, and it looks like a big-budget title in terms of manufacturing values.
Exploring the surface of your ship exhibits some beautiful views of area with nice lighting and a stable soundtrack. The sport additionally had real-time orbiting represented, which we discovered significantly spectacular, as you may see your ship spinning via area if you’re floating round.
Sound is muffled when preventing in area to replicate the shortage of an environment, and there’s a real-time physics system in place which means enemies and objects will float off into the space primarily based on the power that hits them or the path they had been thrown.
Moreover, there’s a powerful degree of element and environmental destruction. Partitions contained in the ship crumble because the signage, paint, and outer shell take harm from bullets, and you’ll fully destroy some weaker cowl in fight
These environments also can change primarily based in your selections throughout key story moments. We selected to assault the invaders as an alternative of give up, and in the direction of the tip of the demo, the ship’s corridors had been torn to shreds and plastered in our bodies from fights that broke out earlier than we arrived.
After seeing greater than 20 video games at Gamescom, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn has been the spotlight of the present, and it was probably the greatest pure gameplay showcases for a sport we now have seen in an extended whereas. It nonetheless has a option to go, however Owlcat appears poised to have a breakout second with Osiris Reborn, and followers of Mass Impact and The Expanse universe will likely be delighted with the respect and care that’s being infused into each pixel on display and each mechanic at play.
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Collection X/S. We do not have a launch date right now, however we’ll hold you posted as extra data drops.
