The Expanse: Osiris Reborn Reveals Multiple Endings, Character Origins, and 30-Hour Campaign

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is quickly becoming one of the most interesting upcoming sci-fi RPGs, especially if you've been waiting for another game that captures some of what made the original Mass Effect trilogy so memorable. Its focus on character relationships, player choices, and a grounded sci-fi setting could make it a strong addition to the genre.

Developer Owlcat Games has already revealed some promising footage, but a recent interview has added more details about what players can expect. These include multiple endings, three character origins, companion storylines that can develop in different directions, and a combat system that combines third-person shooting with tactical options.

Interestingly, Owlcat isn't avoiding comparisons to Mass Effect.

The developers have openly acknowledged their appreciation for the series and hope Osiris Reborn will appeal to the same audience. But the studio is approaching this project differently than its past RPGs, bringing its experience with detailed role-playing systems to a more cinematic third-person sci-fi adventure.

One of the biggest surprises is the game's narrative choices. According to game design director Leonid Rastor, Osiris Reborn will have multiple endings, with your choices affecting the main storyline, individual characters, and the relationships you form throughout the adventure. 

This approach could make the game's narrative considerably more interesting, as even minor decisions could affect your experience. Your choices can lead to many different relationships with each character, and their personal stories won't always follow the same path. 

Companions will also play an important role throughout the adventure, with each character having their own motivations, personal goals, and story lines. Feel free to explore these relationships, or ignore some characters if you want. Owlcat has also confirmed romance options, though the devs haven't said which characters you can pursue relationships with.

Another important detail is the three character origins you can choose from at the beginning of the game.

This isn't just a backdrop description that doesn't impact the overall experience. The developers say your chosen origin will strongly affect your personal storyline, especially early in the adventure, and how certain people react to you on different planets.

So, your experience can vary greatly depending on which character background you choose. Owlcat has even gone so far as to explain that players who want to see all the origin-specific content will need to do at least three playthroughs. This doesn't mean the whole campaign will change every time you start over, but different dialogue opportunities, personal storylines, and character reactions should give you more reason to replay it.

These differences also feed into the multiple endings and companion relationships, giving you several reasons to return after finishing the main campaign. The developers have also provided an estimated completion time, saying a playthrough covering the main storylines and narrative arcs should take around 30 hours.

Players who stick to the main story will finish considerably faster than those who want to explore their companions' personal storylines, which take longer. These optional character arcs make up a large part of the experience, but you don't necessarily need to complete all of them to reach the ending.

A 30-hour campaign might seem small compared to some of Owlcat's prior RPGs, which are known for massive worlds and content.

But that length could work well for a more cinematic adventure with fully realized environments, third-person combat, and tons of character interactions. A tighter campaign with meaningful choices and memorable companions might be more fun than a much longer game filled with repetitive content.

There's a lot we haven't seen yet, particularly how the combat system and exploration will function throughout the campaign—however, recent statements from Owlcat point to a clear direction for The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. The upcoming RPG promises an interesting sci-fi game with multiple endings, branching companion stories, different character origins, and a campaign that should run about 30 hours