The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, we tried the beta of the new sci-fi action RPG!

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, the beta test!

There are several reasons why you should be interested in reading our preview of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, starting with the fact that we got our hands on the game's beta and we're here to tell you everything we saw and experienced. Expected next year, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn will take us into the world of The Expanse (and who would have thought...), created by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. Initially, Ty Franck was laying the groundwork for an MMORPG plot, only to be convinced by Abraham to use his ideas to create a series of novels.

In addition to its publishing success, consisting of nine volumes, a famous TV series (which you can find on Prime Video) also covered the first six novels of the saga. The Expanse has, in short, made a complete revolution around the sun, starting as an idea for a video game and becoming something else entirely, eventually giving birth, however, to a new video game, after the decent title developed by Telltale Games. Talk about twists of fate. The Expanse offers science fiction that tries to be as plausible as possible, striving to respect the laws of physics, biology, and proposing realistic technology. No "magic," no hyperspace, no teleportation: everything must be credible. 

The plot of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn begins in parallel with the story that fans of the brand know well and throws us right into the middle of the Eros crisis. If you are familiar with the story of the Rocinante spaceship crew, you don't need explanations, but if you are a newcomer, know that from the Eros space station, a complex plot unfolds, mixing political intrigues, faction wars, and the mystery linked to the Protomolecule, a substance that could change the future of the entire universe. The beta begins shortly after what will be the game's incipit and allows us to choose between an Earthling or Belter character, meaning one of the inhabitants of space stations like Ceres or, indeed, Eros.

In any case, don't worry because, among other options, in the full version you will also be able to choose to have been born on Mars, and although when the game hits the shelves we will be able to create our protagonist from scratch, here we will have to limit ourselves to choosing between two classes, officer or hacker, with obvious differences in combat and available abilities. We will arrive with our brother (who will have the specialization not chosen by us) at Pinkwater 4 station, as security personnel returning from Eros. The first news about the situation is starting to leak, but in a short time, we find ourselves having to escape from the station due to what appears to be an attack by fierce space pirates.

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, is it the heir to Mass Effect?

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, is it the heir to Mass Effect?

From here, the mission unfolds, allowing us to familiarize ourselves with The Expanse: Osiris Reborn and gauge some of its peculiarities. Right from the start, it feels like we're back in the days of Mass Effect, and it's clear how great the influence of BioWare's masterpiece is on the Owlcat Games title. On the other hand, the atmospheres of The Expanse perfectly blend with classic science fiction narration, which is why a comparison between the two brands is impossible not to make. I played the beta with a PC that is certainly not top-tier, but despite fearing I would have to make several compromises, I must say that the performance was more than satisfactory and I did not notice any slowdowns or fluctuating frames. To be clear, with an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X processor, 16 gigs of RAM, and a GeForce 3060 with 12 GB, which is a more than affordable configuration, I played smoothly in full HD with details at maximum, giving hope to those with more powerful machines. Despite still being many months away from release, it must be said that the technical sector already seems solid from almost every point of view. Of course, the animations could certainly be smoother, and the style is reminiscent of titles from a few years ago, but what I've seen and played promises a lot.

As for the gameplay, I was able to test both exploration and combat. The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is not open world, but it is based on large maps with plenty of forks, detours, and optional areas, recreating specific environments such as spaceships and orbital stations. There are NPCs to talk to and gather information from, as well as vendors and workbenches to manage equipment, exactly as one would expect from a classic action RPG.

I was able to get a taste of the dialogue system, where we can try to use our persuasion skills (if we have the right ability) to convince other characters to make decisions that suit us. In the playable mission, the choices made led to marginal differences, but they will certainly have an impact on the overall game economy.

However, know that The Expanse: Osiris Reborn will not have a moral system, but the story will proceed in a very specific direction, but what you do will have different impacts on both your companions and the factions present. The role-playing component is also glimpsed in the skill tree, where we discover that we can unlock three different types of skills: Shooter, Gadget, and Survivalist, each dedicated to a different gameplay philosophy. Focus on open combat, make room for technology, or focus on survival skills? A fairly classic dilemma for role-players, but one that enthusiasts never tire of facing.

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, gameplay and combat

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, gameplay and combat

Combat utilizes the classic cover system and allows for real-time use of fire abilities and specific assistance from our companion, perhaps to flush out particularly tough opponents. Naturally, much changes based on our class, and while as an Officer we focused on unleashing our firepower, in the second run as a Hacker we were able to test a greater variety of approaches, such as the use of gadgets and debuffs against unfortunate antagonists. Aside from a few cases where opponents were reluctant to take cover and preferred to charge head-on, the AI seemed to be in good shape, though improvable.

The part where we moved outside the station, using the magnetic boots of our suits to move in space anchored to the station's walls, was very interesting. In these situations, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn offers an interesting management of physics, modifying our movements, trying to simulate what could happen in zero gravity and with the encumbrance of a space suit, as heavy as it is necessary. The horizon line shifts and changes based on our movements, with sudden changes that can make the environment around us "spin" up to 360 degrees. To be clear, using magnetic walking we could climb a vertical wall that, in a few moments, would become horizontal to follow our point of view. It's remarkable how everything else also changes compared to the internal sessions, for example with different bullet physics and a filter to make sounds more muffled. Now, I've never been on zero-gravity space walks, but I must admit that what the Owlcat team has recreated seems highly plausible.

At the end of the beta, it's clear that we are looking at a product on which the development team is working diligently and which, from many points of view, is already in an advanced state. There are truly many elements that are the result of an ambitious production, such as the voice acting for every line of dialogue (but the game will not have Italian language support) and great attention to the original work, so much so that even in this brief preview I caught more than one direct reference to facts and protagonists of the TV series and novels.

As a fan of The Expanse and Mass Effect, I can only eagerly await the arrival of the full version of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, and it seems the adventure will be enjoyable even if you don't know the brand, as Owlcat assures that even newcomers will have plenty to sink their teeth into and that the plot will explain the events independently of previous works. Stay tuned with us because we will follow every evolution of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn to understand if the final product will reflect the excellent impressions we got from playing this beta. There is still plenty of time to smooth out the rough edges and make all lovers of sci-fi video games happy, and if Owlcat Games continues on the path it has taken, we could have a truly interesting title on our hands!