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When I first encounter with the initial Outer Worlds game, I was quickly hooked by its irreverent, Fallout-inspired brand of humor. This release included lively conversations, personal journals, and propaganda materials that depicted a corporate dystopia that was both dark and amusing. My biggest worry approaching the sequel was that this version – through no fault of its own – might not be as humorous compared to the first.

Sure, conditions weren't ideal. Yet society certainly seemed slightly less fractured back then. The Outer Worlds presented a dystopia that didn't hit extremely relatable, and yet accomplished to be both emotional and uproarious. I commenced The Outer Worlds 2 pretty sure that this release wouldn't manage to accomplish this a second time, but I'm delighted to report that I was wrong. This sequel is equally chuckle-inducing as the game that preceded it, and additionally brings original ideas instead of just recycling identical material similar to a worn-out business tune.

Evolving Characters

Most of the game characters players encountered in the original game had been defeated by the actions of corporate entities including the in-game corporation, and were acutely conscious of how much their existence was miserable. This sequel progresses matters in an alternative path, presenting individuals who are programmed (periodically symbolically, often literally). A lot of these NPCs aren't conscious of how extremely disordered their conditions are, or that there could be choices to a lifetime passed under the boot of a massive corporation or restricted by the doctrines of an intense faith.

This follow-up examines forms of company influence that are more deceptive than merely maintaining the masses poor. Numerous characters have been indoctrinated into the sort of extremely eager "hustle mentality" language you might encounter on social media accounts that vow to show the secret of achievement if you pay for an overpriced workshop, or invest in a questionable digital currency plan. Furthermore, the release's business promotion has evolved.

Current Topics

There are still many unmotivational posters throughout facilities warning about deducting employee wages who dare to think about having a break, but there are also allusions to multi-level marketing methods, such as an employee manual that confidently announces, "Strangers are just patrons you haven't met yet!" Being a person who grew up in a direct sales family, I immediately burst out laughing when I saw this mention, because it's a saying I have frequently encountered stated precisely by people at the base of these systems.

Fortunately, this follow-up is equally humorous and satirical as the initial release.

This installment furthermore explores the predicament various individuals find ourselves in concerning work, political matters, and including buying decisions: Having to select the lesser of several poor choices. While attempting to choose whether to back a dangerous corporate entity or a dangerous religious group in the game, I discovered I was supporting the known negative: An established business organization that is terrible (though just utilizes propaganda to brainwash its subjects), as opposed to the cult, which is similarly terrible, but utilizes an awful technique termed "psychological renewal" to maintain its followers compliant.

Unreliable Masters

Additionally, the individuals you serve might not be dependable. As an space operative, your mission involves trying to reestablish control to this outpost following a forceful company buyout, and you will quickly find that each of the invaders and the invadees follow separate (but similarly terrible) ideologies. Yet a speedy inspection of the messages on your spacecraft's system show that this organization isn't exactly the universe's most principled employer too, as shown by a reply to a distress call that informs the caller it will take "three to five business years" for an answer to their message. (This duration is approximately the time it takes for many people to contact a non-robot customer service agent over the phone currently.)

Relatable Moments

Various situations in this sequel are extremely familiar, but it's a cleansing type of familiarity, and the game succeeds in balancing its grim future world with wit that's genuinely funny without feeling out of place. One major theme is the quick commencement of deterioration that appears to occur in the wake of significant business mergers. Workers from each party of this sequel's significant consolidation experience their living standards decrease therefore, while the leaders at the top of the food chain are, naturally, accumulating the cash hand over fist.

Hey, at least I know my situation.

Similar to the first game, The Outer Worlds 2 is naturally humorous, but additionally doesn't shy away to get serious. At one point, while exploring around the game's first discoverable location, I stumbled across a body with an audio log nearby. This message revealed that this NPC (who was aligned with the programming faith group) had perished in an incident during efforts to track down and kill her significant other. This loved one had seemingly abandoned from their faction, and the deceased character was enraged by her significant other's {traitorous