We loved the The Outer Worlds when it released and it was quite the experience. Merging immersive storytelling with player choice, it was definitely an Obsidian specialty. The story of the unknown colonist turned ship captain who was freed from deep sleep in order to save the Halcyon Colony, or condemn it to servitude at the hands of Capitalism, was an enjoyable ride thanks to its characters, and writing.

Now, Halcyon is calling us back, and we’re more than willing to take a trip into the Outer Worlds once again with the latest DLC called Peril on Gorgon.

Welcome back, Captain

Peril on Gorgon adds not just a new Main Quest to the base Outer Worlds game but also adds new areas, characters, Science weapons, Perks, Flaws, and even increases the Level Cap. It’s not just another quest, but something that expands the experience with enough content to justify the price of admission.

New to the game? Unfortunately, you’ll need to progress at the base game first before you can take on the DLC and while it’ll be quite the trip that you’ll need to take before you get to DLC territory, we can assure you that it is a trip worth taking.

Peril on Gorgon has you and your crew intercept a mysterious package delivered directly to your ship, the Unreliable, and compels you to visit a new area, the Gorgon asteroid. What looks like a simple retrieval operation requested by a wealthy client is actually more than what it seems, and is really the highlight of the DLC. The storytelling is fantastic and you’ll be glad to know that Obsidian continue their streak of delivering an immersive experience here.

As such, we’d rather not go too deep into the details of the story since it really makes up a big part of the game but in the 6-8 hours of this DLC, the developers definitely really hit the spot that fleshes out the lore of The Outer Worlds. If you wanted to know more about some of the greedy corporations that run the Halcyon Colony, you’ll get the chance here and much more.

The action is not limited to the Gorgon Asteroid alone. Your journey will take you to familiar areas like the Groundbreaker and Byzantium, only this time, there will be new areas that you can explore. It actually felt fresh being able to see different areas of places you have visited in the base game, even if these areas weren’t exactly big in scale compare to the new star of the game: Gorgon itself.

Gorgon is a vast locale. There’s a lot to see and do in Gorgon, and it would do you good to explore early to get access to those Fast Travel points fast, unless you don’t mind walking and fighting your way to your mission objectives.

For the record, Gorgon isn’t drastically different appearance-wise from the other places in the Halcyon Colony and this actually relates to one of the slight disappointments regarding the DLC. Even though there’s an entirely new area to explore, the enemy variety and so-called “new armors and helmets” are not strikingly different from the ones already in the base game. The same creatures and marauders you fought before? Say hello to them again.

By itself, it’s not a bad thing. Our original review of The Outer Worlds already touched on the lack of variety and, in hoping that it would actually improve through this DLC, we were somewhat disappointed.

Lore Galore

The way Outer Worlds ropes pulls you into its story is continued here in the DLC. What was equally impressive was the fact that the new story details never felt out of place but really a part of something bigger, integrated into the game in a very natural way, emphasizing fluid continuity from the base game. Peril on Gorgon will not only provide more context and reveal secrets about certain people and places you’ve already visited, but at the same time get you on a quest that feels fresh and exciting.

As with the base game, you are still free to be a straightforward goody two shoe or a wiseass to people you meet and talk to. The main loop and systems don’t really change at all, and branching choices are also back, which very much echoes the base game’s Edgewater story where your choices have consequences.

It also goes without saying more dialogue will be open to you depending on the stats you have invested in, especially your people skills. It was a little disappointing how certain dialogue choices are locked behind pretty high requirements, like persuasion or intimidation, but at least after your initial playthrough you’ll know what to invest in next. In it lies the beauty of The Outer Worlds and the DLC, which gives you multiple ways to go about a certain situation, which you can choose to change the next time you play through it.

It was actually fun not just using your guns to get out of tight spaces and it is this same level of freedom that was so amazing in the base game being extended here to the DLC.

There are new side quest as well to augment the experience, and although they require some backtracking, their rewards are worth the hassle. Exploring and finding these side quests actually improved to the overall experience of the DLC and we found ourselves losing track of time because of the number of things you can explore across Gorgon – logs of its past inhabitants to deleted messages you can read that will paint a picture of what actually happened on the asteroid, all contributing to the fantastic world building of the game.

The experience was not bug free, unfortunately, as the game had a tendency to crash when continuing from an autosave. There were also a couple of loading issues where the game would freeze in the middle of exploring the world. They didn’t make the game unplayable, but it was certainly something that can be improved in time for the next DLC.

What we liked:

• Great story
• Loads of dialogue choices allowing for multiple ways to deal with a situation
• DLC expands on the already fantastic world

What we didn’t like:

• Lack of enemy and armor variety
• Technical hiccups

Verdict:

For it’s $14.99 price tag, Peril on Gorgon was a great reason to hop back into The Outer Worlds. Featuring a great story that builds on the already magical world and approximately 6-8 hours of playtime, every dialog choice and chit chat made the experience worth it.

One could argue that the additions were not drastic or game changing and we would certainly agree, the DLC didn’t take enough risks and played it safe. But the fun to be had here is in the stories and details that you learn as you make your choices throughout the world, and that alone was good enough to merit the praise.

If you ever needed a reason to go back to the Halcyon Colony, this may very well be one, and with a tempting price tag, Gorgon and all its mysteries await.