The Outer Worlds developer Obsidian Entertainment has offered plenty of details about the game's combat this month. The studio has detailed the game's version of Fallout's VATS, teased no-kill playthroughs, and more. But Obsidian isn't stopping there, having also revealed one very cool weapon that players will be able to use.

In a new interview, Obsidian has confirmed that The Outer Worlds players will be able to get their virtual mitts on a shrink ray weapon. The game's co-director, Fallout creator Tim Cain, explained that The Outer Worlds features massive enemies called "mega-fauna" and that this same supersized science can be applied in the opposite direction. In screenshots of the shrink ray, fans can see how a normal-sized human enemy can be turned into a miniature version of themselves, no bigger than a garden gnome.

The weapon is pretty funny and shows off the same aptitude for comedy that fans saw in the game's announcement trailer. However, the shrink ray also has some practical uses. Cain said that when enemies become smaller, they become more vulnerable to damage.

As players increase their character's science skill, enemies will become even smaller and the smaller they get, the more vulnerable they are to damage. The shrink ray will deal some damage too, but the damage threshold feature appears to be its biggest benefit.

Interestingly, Cain teased that there are other, wacky weapons to be picked up in The Outer Worlds. Other weapons under the science weapon banner include melee weapon called "the Ugly Stick." The developer didn't detail what that weapon might offer fans but Obsidian seems quite committed to releasing combat gameplay videos, so fans may get to see it for themselves soon.

The Outer Worlds has been compared to Fallout a lot. This is because of the timing of the game's announcement (as Fallout 76 experienced issues), the involvement of Fallout's creators, and because it's being made by the studio behind Fallout: New Vegas. Fans have also made comparisons between The Outer Worlds dialogue system and that of New Vegas. The game is appealing to Fallout fans but such oddball combat gameplay could help the sci-fi RPG set itself apart. The Fallout franchise does have a nuke launcher but shrinking enemies can only be done with a mod.

The Outer Worlds is currently scheduled for release in 2019 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Source: Game Informer