Osiris Reborn, the New Game with Mass Effect Vibes?

In the busy marketplace of spacefaring action-RPGs, the Mass Effect franchise stands head and shoulders above its competition. This remains true even after the disappointing Mass Effect: Andromeda; Mass Effect has long been a gaming touchstone, a sci-fi adventure that others in the genre are invariably measured against.

There’s good reason for this, as so many action-RPGs with sci-fi trappings are clearly inspired by Mass Effect. This is ostensibly the case with The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, an upcoming space RPG developed and published by Pathfinder studio Owlcat Games. As its name suggests, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is based upon The Expanse book and television series, which themselves are rather similar to Mass Effect in some ways, from their focus on humanity as newcomers to the galactic scene, to their emphasis on space-crew camaraderie. Indeed, if The Expanse is being adapted to the video game format, there is arguably no better guiding light than BioWare’s space opera.

What Is The Expanse: Osiris Reborn About?

The Expanse novels and TV show center on James Holden and his crew, who find themselves pitted against a mysterious alien force called the protomolecule. The books and show hone in on this existential, cosmic-horror struggle, with a good bit of space diplomacy thrown in for good measure. However, Osiris Reborn will seemingly have little to do with this plot.

In Osiris Reborn, players take control of a mercenary captain in the employ of Pinkwater Security. While on shore leave on Eros Station, the player and their crew become reluctantly entangled in a mysterious solar-system-wide conspiracy. The finer details of the plot have not been revealed at this time, but it’s clear that the main characters of The Expanse (James, Naomi, etc.) will not play central roles.

That said, Osiris Reborn is said to be set alongside the events of the books and show. According to Owlcat, Osiris Reborn‘s story runs parallel to the main Expanse plot, spanning the first two books, or the first two-and-a-half seasons of the show, if you prefer. This suggests that the events of these early chapters will impact the story of the game. At the very least, the tenuous diplomatic allegiances between the various human civilizations at this point in The Expanse‘s timeline will likely inform the game world.

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn Has Mass Effect-Like RPG Systems

Mass Effect is all about choice, and The Expanse: Osiris Reborn purports to be no different. In an interview with IGN, Owlcat Games explicitly named the Mass Effect franchise as a core influence on the game, though the developer has implied that it will be even more ambitious and feature-rich than BioWare’s classic RPG:

…while it still has a similar target in the audience, we are providing more choices and we are more focused on a modern approach where you can make your own playstyle, make your own experience through the game, which separates us in many ways from the mechanical decisions of Mass Effect.

This is certainly a bold claim, and puts Osiris Reborn in direct conversation—and competition—with Mass Effect. How well Owlcat handles its choice-based storytelling and action-RPG systems in comparison to BioWare remains to be seen, but much of the already-released information about the game indicates key similarities. For instance, Osiris Reborn will allow players to customize the gender and appearance of their protagonist, choosing from three races/backgrounds:

• Earther: Humans raised on far-future Earth.
• Martian: Descendants of humans who have colonized Mars, characterized by their unusual height and lower bone density resulting from lower Martian gravity.
• Belter: Working class humans born and raised in or around The Belt, an asteroid belt in the outer part of the Sol system. They are generally taller and thinner than Martians due to even lower gravity in their home environments.

Something especially exciting about The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is how the physical differences of these three peoples will be portrayed. In the TV show, Earthers, Martians, and Belters all look roughly the same, despite being described as physically distinct in the books. This will reportedly not be the case in Osiris Reborn, which is free from many of the show’s practical limitations. Whichever background the player chooses, there will certainly be a degree of diversity found in the squad mechanics, which present yet another parallel to Mass Effect.

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn Will Have Combat Similar to Mass Effect

Shades of Mass Effect crop up in Osiris Reborn‘s combat as well. Players can bring two squad members into battle and issue tactical commands while engaging in real-time firefights. Interestingly, and potentially a cause of some contention, Osiris Reborn looks like a cover-shooter, encouraging the player to seek refuge behind walls, boxes, and the like, controlling the battlefield through slow and methodical movement rather than running-and-gunning.

At the same time, Owlcat Games has teased a more dynamic and holistic companion system, as anyone not in the immediate squad for a mission will “support from a distance,” with tech-disabling and distracting being named as two possible functions. This indicates that even “unequipped” squad members will impact gameplay, which is an exciting twist on the Mass Effect formula.

Will The Expanse: Osiris Reborn Have Romance?

Mass Effect fans can take comfort in the fact that Osiris Reborn will include romance options, though much like the rest of the game at this point, this feature is shrouded in mystery. But Owlcat Games has been clear that romance will play a role in the game, gesturing toward the romance systems in Pathfinder as an example of what audiences can expect from this The Expanse adaptation. With so much in common between The Expanse and its inspiration, it’s certainly a game Mass Effect fans should be watching closely.