Developer Owlcat Games—known for titles like Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader—has revealed more details about its upcoming game The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. In a preview by PCGamer, more information about the various companions in the game has been revealed, which also happened to draw comparisons to the companions in BioWare’s Mass Effect series.
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn will allow players to meet and befriend plenty of characters, including the protagonist’s own identical twin, J, who works as the executive officer of the crew, and is described as being the player’s impulsive but loyal right hand. J’s Exploit—a core gameplay mechanic—will be Precision. The crew will also include a doctor—Teo—who is equipped with the Malfunction Exploit, and is said to be a “loud and boisterous combat medic who lost his medical license on Earth.” In gameplay, Teo will be able to make use of experimental stimulants to bolster his capabilities.
The personalities of the companions in The Expanse: Osiris Reborn fall in a wide spectrum of different traits. Liaison officer Regina, for instance, has a guarded personality, and is equipped with the Precision Exploit. On the other side of this spectrum is shipgirl Polly, who is described as being youthful, optimistic, and chatty. In combat, Polly can make use of her SMG to lay down covering fire, and make use of her Demolition Exploit when needed. There are also snarky characters in the crew, like electronic warfare specialist Aleesha, who has devoted her life to seek out complicated problems and unsolvable enigmas to test her own mental capabilities. Her Exploit is Cyber-attack.
Rounding off the crew is gunner Michael, who joined up after working in the UN military as well as private security and eventually growing disillusioned. The character has been described as being principled, while also struggling with tragedies he has faced in the past. His Exploit is Demolition. Mechanical engineer Zafar is an interesting foil to the louder, snarkier characters in the crew, thanks to his calm and collected nature. In battle, he can deploy turrets and EMF devices to disorient enemies by shorting their equipment. Along with this, his Malfunction Exploit will also likely come in handy.
Details have also been revealed about how these Exploits play out in actual gameplay terms. Essentially special abilities, Exploits can be used in the midst of combat to turn the tides in your favor. For example, characters with Precision can identify and shoot at vulnerable points in the environment. Malfunction, on the other hand, wrecks electrical systems. Cyber-attack works in a similar way, but rather than outright messing them up, the electrical systems are instead turned against the enemies.
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is being developed for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. While Owlcat Games hasn’t yet confirmed a release date, more information is slated to be revealed this week at the Xbox Partner Preview. In the meantime, check out its most recent trailer, which shows off a new threat getting aboard the crew’s ship.
