MeinMMO editor Dariusz Müller has played the beta of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn and already recognizes the great potential of the game – but to become a hit, it must solve a serious problem by the release.
From April 22, 2026, you will have the opportunity to take a look at The Expanse: Osiris Reborn in a closed beta and play the second mission of the campaign if you have purchased “Miller’s Pack” or the collector’s edition of the game.
I have already played the beta in advance and gained insights into the dialogue system, shooter combat, and movement in zero gravity. I could also see that my choices in conversations with various NPCs have consequences, which I would only feel much later in the finished game.
Fans of the “The Expanse” universe are also offered some lore right at the beginning of the beta. In the first 5 minutes, I heard a news anchor talking about James Holden – the protagonist of the TV series and the books. As a fan of the original work, I love such details.
Dynamic Battles Instead of “Hit the Lukas”
During the beta, we can choose between a male character from Earth or a female character from the asteroid belt with a specialization in officer or hacker abilities.
I played two runs of the beta, once with a female officer from the belt and once with a male hacker from Earth. While the officer creates chaos with grenades and incendiary ammunition, the hacker shocks his opponents with electric shocks and sends a robotic swarm of bees after them, causing damage.
Fighting takes place in a third-person perspective, and you should urgently seek cover in every fight. The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is primarily a cover shooter. However, the skill tree suggests that there could be a build later in the game that allows you to embrace the Rambo style a bit more.
In line with this, the game quickly shows you that you cannot sit motionless behind cover for hours – your opponents will often destroy this after a few seconds. This makes the gameplay a bit more dynamic and prevents a shootout from turning into “Hit the Lukas” with everyone just waiting for the opponent to peek out from cover.
As I am very impatient, I also made ample use of my abilities and my companion. This companion can throw an explosive present at your adversaries. To avoid panicking while coordinating attacks, you can temporarily slow down time with the press of a button while you select the desired command for your companion.
This was rarely necessary in the beta with only one companion, but it can be a very useful feature in the finished game with multiple companions. Once you get the hang of the combat system, issuing commands becomes quick and fluid. I completed the second run of the beta in just under 30 minutes.
Lots of Action with a Special Highlight: Zero Gravity
Overall, the beta gave me a good first impression. There was a lot of action, as we were thrown into a new firefight at several points within the mission. But even between the shootouts, there was often no shortage of action, as several cutscenes featured things flying into the air.
However, my highlight was the fight in zero gravity. At one point in the beta mission, we fight on the outer hull of a space station – and this fight feels fundamentally different from the battles that take place indoors:
- Shots sound noticeably duller.
- The movements of the characters are quite different.
- The projectiles from firearms do not fly as they do in normal space.
The best part of the combat in space was the change of perspectives on the battlefield. To prevent our character from drifting uncontrollably into space, our character wears magnetic boots.
With these magnetic boots, we can also walk along an incline and gain – compared to our previous combat position – a new perspective on the still same battlefield.
The Gameplay Feels Unique, But the Rigid Faces are Distracting
This is the impression of MeinMMO editor-in-chief Leya:
On one thing, I must directly agree with Dariusz: The sequence where you go out into space and fight on the ship with magnetic boots completely blew me away! I could really feel how the boots stomped on the metal, clung, and my movement became a little slower. That, combined with the rotating perspective, gave me a sensation that I can hardly compare to other games.
It certainly helps that I am a big fan of sci-fi, spaceships, and the universe, which Owlcat has implemented beautifully. It’s almost hard to say, but I was even totally fascinated by how my opponents drifted through space when they couldn’t survive the fight with me. The physics are great – even if they were just rags drifting through space, they would have looked very pretty.
For lore fans, there is also plenty to discover. I took my time and read various diary entries. The universe and the everyday life of the people there are highlighted. You can catch big and small stories everywhere, which I personally always find cool.
What I criticize the most is that the controls still feel somewhat wooden. Unfortunately, the faces of the characters also appear wooden – which is very unfortunate! You can sense that the game will feature strong emotions, but it’s hard to recognize them on the faces.
Overall, I think it’s a good decision by Owlcat to offer a beta before release to manage expectations accordingly.
Conclusion on the Beta: A Lot of Potential for SciFi and Expanse Fans
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn shows in the beta that it has great potential. If you like sci-fi stories, are perhaps a fan of The Expanse (the series/the books), or enjoy games like Mass Effect, you should definitely keep an eye on the new game from Owlcat Games.
The initial shootouts in zero gravity were enjoyable, and the game already hints that we will experience interesting stories within the “The Expanse” universe.
MeinMMO Editor-in-Chief Leya Jankowski interviewed Leonid Rastorguev, the Game Design Director of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, about the lore of the game and learned what characterizes the story. You can read the interview on MeinMMO: “You can try to be a political weasel” – We dive deep into the lore of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn with the Game Director in the interview
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