🔗 Share this article

When I first experience with the first Outer Worlds title, I was immediately drawn by its sarcastic, Fallout-esque style of comedy. This release boasted lively conversations, personal journals, and advertising displays that portrayed a corporate dystopia that was both bleak and humorous. My primary concern approaching the sequel was that this entry – through no fault of its own – might not be as humorous compared to the first.

Certainly, situations weren't flawless. Yet society definitely felt slightly less fractured at that time. This universe presented a dystopia that didn't feel too close to home, and yet accomplished to be both emotional and hilarious. I commenced the follow-up pretty sure that the sequel wouldn't manage to pull this off again, but I'm pleased to state that I was incorrect. The Outer Worlds 2 is as chuckle-inducing as the title that preceded it, and additionally brings original ideas as opposed to just recycling the same content comparable to an worn-out business tune.

Changing NPCs

A large portion of the game characters gamers met in the original game had been defeated by the actions of corporate entities such as the fictional company, and were painfully aware of the extent to which their lives sucked. The Outer Worlds 2 progresses matters in a different direction, presenting individuals who are indoctrinated (periodically symbolically, regularly truly). Many of these NPCs aren't conscious of how extremely disordered their situations are, or that there might be choices to an existence spent beneath the control of a large business or restricted by the beliefs of a demanding cult.

This follow-up investigates methods of corporate control that are more subtle than only making the population impoverished. Many NPCs have been programmed with the sort of overly enthusiastic "hustle mentality" discourse you can discover on social media accounts that vow to show the key to success when you buy an expensive course, or invest in a dubious blockchain project. Even the game's company advertising has progressed.

Current Topics

There remain numerous demotivating signs on the walls threatening to dock employee wages who dare to consider having a break, but additionally there are references to multi-level marketing strategies, featuring an employee manual that proudly declares, "Unfamiliar individuals are simply clients you still need to meet!" Being a person who grew up in a multi-level marketing household, I promptly exploded laughing when I saw this mention, because it's a phrase I have regularly listened to spoken verbatim by those at the bottom of those structures.

Luckily, The Outer Worlds 2 is just as funny and satirical as the original title.

This installment additionally investigates the situation various individuals experience regarding work, government, and even consumer choices: Being forced to pick the lesser of two or three evils. While attempting to determine if to assist a dangerous corporate entity or a problematic faith organization within the title, I discovered I was supporting the devil I know: A familiar company structure that is terrible (but only uses promotion to brainwash its subjects), as opposed to the cult, which is equally bad, but uses an awful technique termed "mental refreshment" to control its members compliant.

Unreliable Masters

Even the people you work for might not be dependable. Playing as an space operative, you're tasked with trying to reestablish order to this settlement subsequent to a hostile corporate takeover, and you rapidly learn that each of the aggressors and the invadees adhere to distinct (yet equally horrific) doctrines. Yet a speedy examination of the messages on your vessel's computer show that the Earth Directorate isn't exactly the world's most ethical organization either, as evidenced by a reply to a help request that notifies the contact it will take "3-5 corporate years" for a response to their message. (This period is roughly the duration it takes for me to contact a non-robot customer service agent through calling nowadays.)

Relatable Moments

Numerous instances in The Outer Worlds 2 are highly recognizable, but it's a cleansing sort of relatability, and the game succeeds in balancing its grim future world with comedy that's genuinely funny without feeling incongruous. An important idea is the near-instant onset of enshittification that seems to take place following large company takeovers. Workers from each party of The Outer Worlds 2's big merger find their existence decrease consequently, while the leaders in charge of the structure are, of course, raking in profits hand over fist.

Hey, at least I know where I stand.

Comparable to the first game, The Outer Worlds 2 is inherently funny, but it also isn't afraid to turn solemn. At a certain time, while wandering around the title's initial discoverable location, I came upon a body with a recording nearby. The audio log disclosed that this NPC (connected to the indoctrinating cult) had perished in an incident during efforts to hunt down and kill her romantic partner. This romantic partner had seemingly abandoned from their group, and the perished individual was enraged by her lover's {traitorous