My intention was not to insult them. I want to promote them.
What would you call a game that has a rich environmental storytelling element, but not a lot of agency?
While I do believe your intent, saying Outer Worlds is a visual novel is like saying Warcraft is a tower defense game.
Take a look here, if you want to know what actual visual novels look like. We’re talking Disco Elysium and Phoenix Wright.
At worst, if you’re really dissatisfied with the RPG elements of OW, you would call it an FPS, which I would personally already feel is downgrading it.
How would you describe the outer worlds in terms of gameplay? What descriptive phrase would you use?
On rails FPS with sci-fi environmental elements?
Interactive narrative?
I simply do not see or agree with the diminutive characteristics you’re peppering your responses with. To me it’s as much of an RPG as Skyrim / Fallout / Starfield. Just with a tighter budget. And I’m pretty certain that’s what the devs had in mind.