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When I first playthrough of the first Outer Worlds, I was quickly hooked by its sarcastic, Fallout-like brand of humor. The game featured engaging exchanges, character diaries, and advertising displays that depicted a business-controlled nightmare that was at once bleak and entertaining. My primary concern approaching the follow-up was that this installment – through no fault on its part – could fail to be as comedic as its predecessor.

Certainly, things weren't perfect. But the world definitely felt somewhat less damaged back then. This universe depicted a grim society that didn't strike overly familiar, and nonetheless succeeded to be both touching and uproarious. I began The Outer Worlds 2 rather certain that this installment couldn't succeed to achieve this once more, but I'm happy to report that I was wrong. The Outer Worlds 2 is as smile-generating as the game that came earlier, and additionally brings original ideas as opposed to just recycling identical material like an worn-out business tune.

Changing NPCs

A large portion of the game characters players encountered in the initial release had been defeated by the activities of corporate entities such as the fictional company, and were painfully aware of the degree that their situation was terrible. This installment moves events in a different direction, including personalities who are indoctrinated (periodically symbolically, regularly truly). Many of these characters aren't even aware of how profoundly messed up their conditions are, or that there might be choices to an existence spent under the boot of a massive corporation or bound by the doctrines of an intense faith.

This follow-up investigates methods of company influence that are more subtle than merely maintaining the people destitute. Many NPCs have been brainwashed into the kind of excessively zealous "grindset mindset" language you might encounter on social media accounts that promise to reveal the path to accomplishment if you pay a costly program, or invest in a questionable digital currency plan. Even the game's corporate propaganda has progressed.

Modern Themes

There are still many unmotivational posters on the walls indicating reductions in pay from workers who dare to think about having a break, but furthermore exist mentions of pyramid scheme methods, including a new hire handbook that boldly states, "Unfamiliar individuals are simply customers YOU have yet to encounter!" As an individual who developed within a multi-level marketing household, I instantly erupted with laughter upon viewing this reference, because it's a phrase I have frequently encountered repeated exactly by individuals in lower positions of those structures.

Fortunately, this sequel is just as funny and irreverent as the initial release.

The Outer Worlds 2 also examines the dilemma many of us encounter concerning occupation, politics, and even consumer choices: Being forced to select the lesser of several poor choices. During efforts to choose whether to support a harmful business or a dangerous religious group in the game, I found myself supporting the familiar evil: An established corporate entity that is awful (though just utilizes promotion to brainwash its subjects), instead of the cult, which is similarly terrible, but uses a terrible method named "cognitive reset" to control its members obedient.

Questionable Employers

Even the people you work for could fail to be dependable. As an space operative, your mission involves trying to reestablish order to the Arcadia colony after an aggressive business acquisition, and you will quickly find that both the invaders and the invadees subscribe to distinct (yet equally horrific) beliefs. Yet a speedy inspection of the transmissions on your ship's terminal reveal that this agency isn't precisely the world's most ethical organization as well, as evidenced by a response to a distress call that informs the caller it will take "3-5 business years" for a reply to their communication. (This duration is approximately the time it takes for me to contact a human customer service agent over the phone these days.)

Familiar Situations

Many moments in this installment are painfully relatable, but it's a cathartic type of familiarity, and the game manages to balance its depressing dystopian setting with wit that's genuinely funny without feeling inappropriate. One major theme is the near-instant onset of enshittification that seems to take place after any major corporate acquisition. Employees on both sides of this sequel's major acquisition see their quality of life decline as a result, while the CEOs in control of the food chain are, naturally, accumulating the cash rapidly.

Well, at minimum I understand where I stand.

Comparable to the original title, this sequel is inherently funny, but additionally doesn't hesitate to become dramatic. At a certain time, while wandering around the release's primary explorable world, I discovered a body with a message close by. This recording showed that this character (associated with the indoctrinating cult) had perished in an incident while trying to track down and eliminate her romantic partner. This romantic partner had seemingly abandoned from their faction, and the perished individual was incensed at her significant other's {traitorous