The Expanse RPG Falls Short for Devoted Fans of the Sci-Fi Series

April 27, 2026 - 18:39

After spending considerable time with the closed beta for Owlcat Games' The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, I'm beginning to suspect the developers fundamentally misunderstood what made the original book series and television show so compelling. As a longtime fan who has devoured every novel and rewatched the show multiple times, this realization is deeply disappointing.

The core issue lies in the game's tone and mechanical focus. The Expanse was never primarily about combat or power fantasies. It thrived on political intrigue, hard sci-fi realism, and the complex, often tragic relationships between characters navigating a fragile solar system. Yet Osiris Reborn leans heavily into action-heavy sequences, with clunky cover-based shooting mechanics that feel more like a generic third-person shooter than a thoughtful RPG. The weight of gravity, the danger of vacuum, and the delicate balance of shipboard politics are reduced to afterthoughts.

Character interactions, which should be the heart of any Expanse adaptation, feel shallow. Dialogue trees offer binary choices that lack the moral ambiguity that defined Holden, Miller, or Avasarala. Instead of navigating the grey areas of Belters versus Inners or the mysteries of the protomolecule, players are railroaded into predictable hero-versus-villain scenarios.

The visual design also misses the mark. The ships and stations lack the lived-in, grimy aesthetic that made the show's universe feel authentic. Everything looks too clean, too video-gamey. For a franchise built on realistic physics and gritty survival, this sanitized approach feels like a betrayal.

Perhaps most frustrating is the pacing. The Expanse excelled at slow-burn tension, but the beta throws players into constant action without building the necessary stakes. The result is a game that feels like it was designed by people who skimmed a plot summary rather than those who truly absorbed the source material's soul. For fans hoping to finally step into the Rocinante's world, this is a bitter disappointment.