Breaking Down Barriers in RPG Design

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, a third-person action RPG, is set to revolutionize the way we experience RPGs. By ditching traditional class-based progression systems, the game introduces a more flexible approach to character development, where your gear and equipment define your playstyle.

At the heart of Osiris Reborn lies the concept of specialization. Upon starting the game, players choose a specialization that shapes their captain’s initial skills and gear. For instance, a cyber warfare specialist begins with decent gadget expertise, emphasizing abilities over firearms, while a firearms specialist starts with better shooting and leadership skills, relying on their own aim and issuing orders to companions in combat.

However, specializations do not restrict progression or lock players into a particular role. As you level up, you can invest in various skills, such as Marksmanship, Gadgets, Survivalist, and Leader, to develop your captain in the direction that suits you. The Marksmanship skill tree focuses on mastering various weapons, unlocking bonuses to critical damage, accuracy, and other combat modifiers. The Gadgets skill tree enhances gadget-related abilities, increasing damage and duration, reducing cooldowns, and more.

The Survivalist skill tree ensures your survival in combat by increasing health, armor, and armor regeneration capabilities, as well as providing unique bonuses that make you more lethal to enemies while exposed or engaging in melee. The Leader skill tree represents your ability to work with your crew, providing bonuses to companions, such as weapon and ability damage, increased armor and damage reduction, and buffs for your captain while companions are nearby.

While you can mix and match skills, you can’t take everything. Respecs are available on your ship for a price, which increases each time, allowing you to adjust your approach but not entirely change it in the heat of battle. This means you’ll need to choose your respecs carefully.

Gear plays a significant role in defining your combat playstyle, and you can upgrade weapons and gadgets via the workbench. Every weapon and gadget can be upgraded, shaping your abilities, combat rhythm, and the way your captain fights. Some upgrades are straightforward stat boosts, while others unlock triggered effects, like damage bonuses that stack with every kill.

Even gadgets like frag grenades can be upgraded, from a simple radius increase to emitting multiple projectiles that deal extra damage. At each tier, you’ll make an exclusive choice between two or three upgrade paths, pushing your gear toward your desired playstyle, until reaching the final tier, where the item can be upgraded with a powerful final perk. The quality of the item affects how far you can take it, but you can find higher-quality variations to unlock further upgrade depth.

Companions also have their own skill trees and signature gadgets with unique upgrade paths. Take Zafar, an engineer who joins your team early in the game. With no upgrades, he installs a portable turret to hold a position. From there, you can boost its rate of fire, enhance targeting systems, or equip a heavy-caliber module to maximize its raw power.

According to Owlcat, the developer behind Osiris Reborn, the goal was to create a game where players are free to experiment with different playstyles until they find what they enjoy most. ‘Your captain’s arsenal and your companions’ skills and equipment are designed to adapt to your chosen playstyle,’ the studio explains.