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During my first experience with the first Outer Worlds title, I was quickly hooked by its satirical, Fallout-like style of comedy. The game featured dynamic dialogues, character diaries, and promotional posters that depicted a business-controlled nightmare that was both dark and humorous. My main fear heading into the sequel was that this installment – not due to on its part – could fail to be as humorous compared to the first.

Sure, situations weren't flawless. However, life definitely felt a bit less broken back then. This universe depicted a grim society that didn't hit overly familiar, and nonetheless succeeded to be simultaneously heartwarming and comical. I started The Outer Worlds 2 rather certain that this release couldn't succeed to accomplish this once more, but I'm pleased to report that I was mistaken. This follow-up is as chuckle-inducing as the release that came before it, and additionally brings original ideas instead of simply reusing identical material like an worn-out business tune.

Developing Personalities

Most of the non-player characters gamers met in the initial release had been beaten down by the deeds of corporate entities such as the in-game corporation, and were fully cognizant of how much their situation was terrible. This installment progresses matters in an alternative path, featuring characters who are indoctrinated (sometimes figuratively, often literally). A lot of these characters don't even realize of how extremely screwed up their situations are, or that there might be options to an existence spent under the boot of a massive corporation or bound by the beliefs of an intense faith.

This follow-up investigates methods of business domination that are more deceptive than simply keeping the people destitute. Numerous characters have been brainwashed into the sort of excessively zealous "work ethic" language you might encounter on digital platforms 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 developed.

Modern Themes

There continue to be plenty of discouraging displays in various locations threatening to dock employee wages who so much as consider having a break, but additionally there are allusions to pyramid scheme strategies, including an employee manual that boldly states, "Unknown people are merely customers YOU haven't met yet!" As an individual who grew up in a direct sales environment, I immediately burst out in amusement when encountering this reference, because it's a phrase I have often heard stated precisely by people at the base of those structures.

Luckily, The Outer Worlds 2 is as comedic and sarcastic as the original title.

This installment furthermore explores the predicament numerous people find ourselves in regarding work, politics, and even personal purchases: Having to select the lesser of several poor choices. When trying to choose whether to support a harmful business or a problematic faith organization within the title, I discovered I was supporting the known negative: An established corporate entity that is terrible (yet merely employs promotion to program its members), instead of the faith organization, which also sucks, but uses a terrible method called "mental refreshment" to keep its adherents obedient.

Unreliable Masters

Even the people you serve might not be reliable. In the role of an Earth Directorate agent, your assignment includes working to return order to this outpost after a forceful company buyout, and you rapidly learn that both the attackers and the defenders adhere to differing (though equally awful) beliefs. Yet a speedy review of the transmissions on your spacecraft's system demonstrate that this organization is hardly the universe's most principled organization either, as demonstrated by a reply to a help request that notifies the contact it will take "several business years" for a response to their message. (That time frame is approximately the time it takes for me to contact a real customer service agent over the phone currently.)

Familiar Situations

Many moments in The Outer Worlds 2 are painfully relatable, but it's a cleansing type of familiarity, and the game manages to balance its depressing dystopian setting with wit that's authentically amusing without feeling out of place. One major theme is the rapid beginning of deterioration that appears to occur in the wake of any major corporate acquisition. Workers from each party of The Outer Worlds 2's significant consolidation find their existence decline consequently, while the leaders at the top of the food chain are, naturally, collecting money quickly.

Okay, at the very least I recognize my position.

Comparable to the original title, The Outer Worlds 2 is intrinsically comedic, but it also isn't afraid to turn solemn. At a certain time, while exploring around the title's initial discoverable location, I discovered a deceased individual with a recording nearby. The audio log revealed that this individual (who was aligned with the programming faith group) had been killed in an event during efforts to track down and eliminate her romantic partner. This romantic partner had reportedly deserted from their faction, and the perished individual was enraged by her partner's {traitorous