GoKawiilFans of the sci-fi franchise The Expanse will get to try a slice of the upcoming game The Expanse: Osiris Reborn in a closed beta available now to those who preorder it. Though it's only a brief demo lasting around an hour, it gives a taste of what the full game has in store, and there's nothing stopping you from trying it multiple times to see what you missed -- that's what I did, and I heartily recommend it.
Access to the beta doesn't come cheap: Though the base game costs $50, players will need to head to Owlcat Studios' online store to buy either the $80 Miller's Pack edition or the $289 Collector's Edition to try out the same demo I got to play. The beta covers a short chunk of the game with some fighting, some investigating, some lore and a big cliffhanger. It's going to be a long wait to see what else happens, as the game won't come out until spring 2027.
And yes, Osiris Reborn feels a lot like Mass Effect -- a third-person shooter with role-playing elements and a lot of characters for players to get to know. The glimpse I saw in the demo, assuming it's representative of what players will experience in the final release, will feel like a coming home to fans of the Mass Effect franchise. Thankfully, it's unmistakably set in the universe of The Expanse, with the realistic science, interplanetary culture clashes and conspiracy twists like those found in the franchise's "hard" sci-fi books and show.
I'll admit, as a fan of the show, I was tickled by references I recognized, including a news report explaining the destruction of the merchant ship The Canterbury (the event that kicks off the series) and mention of a video by hero James Holden, though it doesn't show it. That aligns with the Owlcat developers' assurance that the game will take place at the same time, but not largely overlapping with, the events of the show and books.
Far and away the best part of the demo -- which you'll need to run through twice to see -- is how different decisions change outcomes of the story. What seems like a standard request from your character alters another's destiny and appears likely to have bigger payoffs later in the full game (I'll share what happens next in the following section).
News reports in the beta hint at events in The Expanse books and show. Screenshot by David Lumb/CNET
In the demo, you take on the role of an unnamed mercenary signed up alongside their twin with private firm Pinkwater Security. The demo lets you play as one of four pre-made builds, such as a hacker focused on gadget-based damage or an officer skilled with guns, with origin choices from Earth or the asteroid belt beyond Mars (known as Belters).
The main character and their twin return from a mission gone awry (presumably the one that opens the game) as the only survivors of their mercenary fireteam on Eros, the space station overrun by the plague-like extraterrestrial protomolecule in the books and show. Relieved after their ordeal, they're free to wander Pinkwater 4 Station, and I recommend you do so to chat with the wanderlust-filled vendor Luciana and the glum ship dispatcher Harry. Talk to enough people and poke around tablets and computer stations, and you'll uncover side quests. If your engineering skill is high enough, you can hack open a door.
Then your main character must go up to make their report, explaining to station master and Pinkwater boss O'Connell what happened to your squad on Eros. Unfortunately, something has tracked you back from that cursed place, and you'll have to shoot your way out of Pinkwater 4 to reach your stolen ship, piloted by your new squadmate Zafar.
Your sibling J, whose gender depeneds on what you choose for your main character, accompanies you in the beta. Screenshot by David Lumb/CNET
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