With The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, developer Owlcat is taking its first leap out of the isometric RPG genre it’s claimed a foothold in with games like Pathfinder: Kingmaker and into something more inspired by the glory days of Mass Effect. Heading into a hands-on preview of the game, my big question is: can the studio really pull that off? The mission I get to play feels like a direct answer to that question—an hour of third-person combat and visual spectacle, the perfect taster of whether Owlcat has the technical know-how and design expertise for such a major genre shift. The result? I’m feeling much more confident in what the studio has cooking, even if I don’t get to see much of the RPG part of this action-RPG. (Image credit: Owlcat Games)Taking place early in the game, the demo sees me trying to escape a space station besieged by hi-tech mercenaries. To be frank, I’m missing a lot of context—the game clearly has an explosive intro in which me (a customisable main character) and my companion J (my identical twin) are thrust into some kind of conspiracy, but somehow get out with a new ship and dock at a friendly port. But now the bad guys are here too, intent on apprehending me, and I need to survive long enough to escape and fly off into the great unknown. Considering my level of confusion, it’s probably a good thing that conversation is kept to a minimum. A chat with the guy…
