The Expanse: Osiris Reborn adds TV cast cameos — and a Purrfect Gift quest that may involve a cat

Owlcat Games’ The Expanse: Osiris Reborn will include appearances from actors who starred in the TV series, and the studio used the show for visuals of key characters and locations. Additionally, a closed-door preview at Gamescom showed the game is a party-based, choice-driven RPG set during the events of the first two books (and roughly the first two seasons) of The Expanse.

- Cast appearances and series visuals

Setting and main plot beats (Eros, Protogen, Pinkwater Station)
Core gameplay: twin protagonists, companions, environmental destruction, magboots
Customization, quests (including “A Purrfect Gift”), and a branching 20–30 hour story

Where the game sits in The Expanse timeline

The game takes place during the first two books of James S. A. Corey’s series, which maps to roughly the first two and a half seasons of the TV show. You play as identical twin mercenaries who work for Pinkwater Security. In the opening sequence the twins visit the asteroid Eros during a Protogen experiment, steal a Protogen shuttle, and bring trouble back to Pinkwater Station.

Cast, visuals, and a preview at Gamescom

Owlcat said it referenced the TV series for visual design, and some actors from the show will appear in the game. Moreover, a recent hour-long closed-door preview at Gamescom demonstrated that player choices can have major consequences for NPCs and locations.

Gameplay basics and customization

You can choose your twin’s gender and a preset build at the start, such as marksman (sniper) or officer (assault rifle-focused). These presets provide starting equipment and abilities rather than rigid classes. Also, your character’s origin influences appearance and parts of the story.

Companions, combat, and environment

Companions join the twins and each has a specialist ability. For example, one companion can hack terminals to trigger an EMP, while a sniper companion provides supporting fire. One sibling, named J in the demo, can exploit structural weaknesses to collapse ceilings or ignite parts of the environment. These interactions affect combat and pacing.

Combat includes environmental damage and debris. Health is signaled visually; for instance, the demo used a shift to grayscale to indicate low health. Outside the station, players can use magboots to walk on any surface and the camera adjusts based on orientation. Sound is reduced in vacuum, but vibrations underfoot still communicate movement.

Exploration, quests, and story length

Exploration rewards players with crafting materials, money, and equipment. Some areas and loot are gated by skills or companion abilities. After the opening sequence the game allows travel to Ceres, Mars, and Luna. Owlcat describes the campaign as a branching story that runs parallel to James Holden’s narrative and is expected to take about 20 to 30 hours to complete.

One early side quest mentioned in the preview is called “A Purrfect Gift.” In that quest an NPC named Larry asks you to deliver a package to his mother and insists you do not open it.

Decisions and consequences

During the Pinkwater Station encounter players can respond in multiple ways. For example, you can attempt to persuade the station commander to fight Protogen, if your persuasion score is high enough. In the preview, choices in that encounter directly changed what the player saw later on the station, including the presence of bodies and depleted supplies.