The Expanse: Osiris Reborn Is What Fans of the Books and Show Have Been Waiting For

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is an upcoming PS5 RPG that I’ve been keeping an eye on for a while.

That’s mainly down to being a fan of The Expanse TV show – I’m even the owner of a dusty, unopened copy of the first book, Leviathan Wakes. I’m really keen to see how developer Owlcat Games brings this universe to life.

Well, thankfully, I managed to get some hands-on time with the game during Gamescom for a 90-minute session on PC. I was accompanied by Game Design Director Leonid Rastorguev, who talked me through the level as I played.

For anyone who doesn’t know, The Expanse series’ whole thing is grounded sci-fi based on actual science. So while we’re talking about a universe with interplanetary alliances and some spooky blue aliens, it’s all grounded in some form of reality.

That’s really delivered via the game’s visuals. Osiris Reborn is far from the nicest-looking game out there, but it is immersively detailed. I’m infiltrating an enemy base on Ganymede during my demo, and the surrounding details just make sense. It feels like a real place as I take in my environment and speak with NPCs.

The player character is one of a pair of twins, and both are on a mission to track down a suspicious package. This particular area features a semi-open design, letting me stick my nose in and around worker areas, cargo bays, and labs in search of the package. I even get into a conversation with some NPCs, convincing one to file for a transfer off of Ganymede. Who knows if I'll ever see him again.

Eventually, I find the storage area which houses the package I’m looking for. I approach the guard on duty, and the option to utilise charisma appears, but interestingly, it doesn’t confirm whether I have the stats to pull it off. Turns out on this occasion I don’t, and I’m sent looking for another way in.

Leonid then informs me that while you can level up character stats like your ability to talk yourself out of situations, the game will never tell you if you hit a numbered stat requirement. That’s because Owlcat wants each of these encounters to feel like a roll of the dice, and it’s down to whether you think you’ve got the skills based on what you’ve been levelling up.

Anyway, I’m making my way out of the station with the targeted package in hand when another faction attacks. That grounded science plays out in real time as the attack team rather humorously floats down to the floor at a snail’s pace.

It’s here that the demo switches gears, as the Protomolecule creature is released. Fans of the show and books will know the extensive lore of this creature, but for now all I’m concerned with is getting the hell out of dodge.

What follows is a very linear chase sequence, which mixes gameplay with cutscenes. It’s a super effective section of the demo that really highlights the danger of this creature, and the game's ability to mix open and linear sections.

Managing to escape, my twin and I find ourselves in the long-abandoned lower levels of Ganymede Station. Leonid is keen to point out that the team went to great lengths to make each location feel like it's layered with history. For any eagle-eyed lore-nuts out there, I suspect that there will be plenty to pick up, but even as an Expanse casual, I found this whole section really cool.

Things get interesting when I finally get a taste of combat. The Expanse is a third-person tactical shooter, and players have plenty of ways to customise their builds. By this point, I have my twin sister by my side, but we’ve also added a new character to my squad, who I can now command to single out targets or explode key points in the environment, which can instantly kill enemies.

Upon finding a weapons crate, Leonid lets me know that every weapon and gadget in the game has its own levelled, tiered system. In The Expanse, you won’t be flooded with an abundance of the same weapons and gadgets with slightly different specs. Instead, you can improve your arsenal by simply continuing to use it.

For a small portion of my demo, I’m rocking a sniper rifle, but it’s not really my style. I switch to an assault rifle along with an SMG, and get to work.

Combat in normal mode has a fair amount of challenge. Utilising your squad is key, along with keeping on the move, as enemies waste no time working around to flank you. It’s not the smartest AI, but it is aggressive.

For most of my demo, I’m actually playing on hard difficulty. On more than one occasion, I replay enemy encounters as I’m getting my ass handed to me. You have to be hyper-aware of enemy positioning and time your reloads perfectly. Eventually, I have to reduce the difficulty due to time constraints, but this is definitely how I’ll be playing the game on full release.

While I love how intense combat is, it definitely needs a bit of polishing. The cover-based system in particular is a little clunky, which makes moving around the combat areas awkward. Hopefully, this is improved when the game launches in Spring 2027.

My demo ends with a decision. The protomolecule is moments away after luring it to the iconic Ganymede dome — which looks exactly as shown in the TV show — however, there are civilians dotted around. We could warn them and undoubtedly save lives, but that would require one of my squad to leave for the ensuing battle while they usher people to safety.

I opt to keep my full squad with me, and it immediately results in a handful of civilians being torn to bits. Irritatingly, this is where my demo ends, so I don’t actually get to fight this boss, but I like that a narrative decision was, in theory, impacting a boss fight.

Ultimately, I enjoyed my time with The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. It’s detailed and stacked with the lore of a pre-established universe, so I’m excited to see how it brings other fan-favourite locations to life like Ceres, Mars, or maybe Tycho Station.

It’s not quite as flashy or polished as the other upcoming Mass Effect-inspired sci-fi RPG, Exodus, but from a lore perspective, it’s got a lot more meat on those bones, and I’m looking forward to digging into it.

But what about you? Are you interested in The Expanse: Osiris Reborn? Activate your grav boots and head down to the comments to let me know.