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When I first experience with the initial Outer Worlds, I was immediately drawn by its irreverent, Fallout-esque type of wit. This release included lively conversations, character diaries, and promotional posters that portrayed a company-run society that was simultaneously grim and humorous. My main fear starting The Outer Worlds 2 was that this version – without blame on its part – might not be as funny like the original.

Sure, conditions weren't ideal. Yet society definitely felt a bit less broken back then. This game showed a bleak future that didn't hit overly familiar, and still managed to be at once heartwarming and uproarious. I began the follow-up pretty sure that the sequel wouldn't manage to achieve this once more, but I'm delighted to state that I was incorrect. This follow-up is just as chuckle-inducing as the title that preceded it, and furthermore presents new themes rather than simply reusing the same content similar to a tired company slogan.

Changing NPCs

Most of the NPCs players encountered in the original game had been defeated by the actions of company organizations such as Spacer's Choice, and were fully cognizant of the extent to which their lives sucked. This installment moves events in a distinct route, presenting individuals who are indoctrinated (sometimes figuratively, frequently actually). Numerous characters don't even realize of how profoundly screwed up their circumstances are, or that there may exist options to an existence spent under the domination of a huge company or limited by the creeds of a demanding cult.

This second installment investigates methods of business domination that are more deceptive than simply keeping the masses poor. Various personalities have been indoctrinated into the type of overly enthusiastic "hustle mentality" language you can discover on online profiles that promise to reveal the key to success should you purchase a costly program, or participate in a dubious blockchain project. Additionally, the title's business promotion has developed.

Modern Themes

There remain numerous demotivating signs on the walls warning about deducting pay from workers who so much as contemplate taking a day off, but there are also references to network marketing strategies, including an employee manual that boldly states, "Unknown people are merely customers YOU haven't met yet!" As someone who grew up in a network marketing family, I immediately burst out in amusement when encountering this mention, because it's a saying I have regularly listened to spoken verbatim by individuals in lower positions of these systems.

Thankfully, this sequel is equally humorous and sarcastic as the original title.

This installment furthermore explores the predicament many of us find ourselves in regarding occupation, politics, and even personal purchases: Needing to select the lesser of several poor choices. During efforts to decide whether to back a harmful business or a dangerous religious group in the game, I found myself aligning with the devil I know: An established corporate entity that is terrible (though just utilizes promotion to indoctrinate its followers), as opposed to the cult, which is similarly terrible, but uses a horrible approach termed "mental refreshment" to keep its adherents in line.

Questionable Employers

Furthermore, the characters you represent may not be reliable. Playing as an galactic official, you're tasked with attempting to restore control to the Arcadia colony subsequent to an aggressive business acquisition, and you rapidly learn that the two the attackers and the residents adhere to separate (though equally awful) beliefs. However, a rapid review of the messages on your vessel's computer demonstrate that the Earth Directorate is hardly the universe's most principled organization as well, as demonstrated by an answer to a help request that informs the caller it will take "three to five corporate years" for a reply to their message. (This period is roughly the duration it takes for numerous individuals to reach a human help desk employee over the phone these days.)

Recognizable Scenarios

Various situations in this sequel are extremely familiar, but it's a therapeutic sort of relatability, and the game manages to balance its depressing dystopian setting with comedy that's genuinely funny without feeling inappropriate. An important idea is the rapid beginning of decline that happens to unfold after any major corporate acquisition. Employees on both sides of The Outer Worlds 2's major acquisition see their quality of life decline as a result, while the leaders at the top of the hierarchy are, expectedly, accumulating the cash hand over fist.

Well, at minimum I understand my position.

Comparable to the initial release, this follow-up is inherently funny, but furthermore doesn't shy away to get serious. During a moment, while traveling around the game's first explorable world, I came upon a deceased individual with a message in the vicinity. This recording disclosed that this individual (connected to the indoctrinating cult) had been killed in an event while attempting to track down and dispatch her romantic partner. This loved one had reportedly deserted from their faction, and the deceased character was angry about her significant other's {traitorous