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During my first experience with the original Outer Worlds game, I was immediately drawn by its satirical, Fallout-like brand of humor. The game featured engaging exchanges, individual logs, and promotional posters that portrayed a company-run society that was simultaneously grim and humorous. My biggest worry approaching the sequel was that this entry – without blame from itself – might not be as humorous as its predecessor.

Admittedly, things weren't perfect. However, life certainly seemed slightly less fractured at that time. This universe presented a dystopia that didn't feel overly familiar, and nonetheless succeeded to be simultaneously touching and comical. I commenced the follow-up feeling quite confident that this installment couldn't succeed to accomplish this a second time, but I'm happy to state that I was incorrect. The Outer Worlds 2 is just as laughter-provoking as the game that preceded it, and furthermore presents original ideas instead of merely repeating the same content comparable to an overused corporate jingle.

Developing Personalities

Most of the game characters users found in the original game had been beaten down by the deeds of company organizations like the fictional company, and were fully cognizant of how much their lives sucked. This sequel takes things in a distinct route, including personalities who are indoctrinated (occasionally metaphorically, often literally). A lot of these characters don't even realize of how deeply disordered their conditions are, or that there may exist alternatives to an existence spent under the boot of a large business or bound by the creeds of a high-demand religion.

This follow-up examines forms of business domination that are more insidious than only making the people destitute. Numerous characters have been brainwashed into the sort of extremely eager "hustle mentality" discourse you can discover on social media accounts that promise to reveal the secret of achievement when you buy a costly program, or invest in a dubious blockchain project. Additionally, the title's corporate propaganda has progressed.

Contemporary Issues

There remain many demotivating signs throughout facilities indicating reductions in pay from workers who so much as consider taking a day off, but there are also allusions to pyramid scheme strategies, featuring a new hire handbook that boldly states, "Strangers are just customers YOU have yet to encounter!" Being a person who grew up in a multi-level marketing family, I instantly erupted laughing when encountering this reference, because it's a saying I have frequently encountered stated precisely by individuals in lower positions of these systems.

Fortunately, this follow-up is just as funny and satirical as the original title.

The Outer Worlds 2 also examines the predicament many of us encounter regarding work, politics, and including buying decisions: Being forced to pick the smaller of several poor choices. When trying to decide whether to support a dangerous corporate entity or a concerning cult in the game, I found myself supporting the familiar evil: A recognized corporate entity that is terrible (but only uses promotion to program its members), rather than the faith organization, which is equally bad, but employs a horrible approach called "cognitive reset" to maintain its followers compliant.

Unreliable Masters

Furthermore, the characters you work for could fail to be reliable. Playing as an space operative, you're tasked with trying to reestablish order to this settlement after a hostile corporate takeover, and you'll soon discover that both the attackers and the invadees adhere to differing (yet equally horrific) beliefs. Yet a speedy inspection of the communications on your vessel's computer demonstrate that this organization isn't exactly the galaxy's most moral authority as well, as evidenced by a reply to a help request that tells the sender it will take "three to five organizational cycles" for a reply to their communication. (This period is roughly the duration it takes for numerous individuals to get a hold of a real customer service agent via telephone these days.)

Relatable Moments

Various situations in The Outer Worlds 2 are highly recognizable, but it's a cleansing kind of recognition, and this title succeeds in balancing its bleak societal vision with wit that's truly humorous without feeling incongruous. A primary concept is the near-instant onset of decline that appears to occur in the wake of large company takeovers. Employees on both sides of this sequel's major acquisition find their existence decline as a result, while the executives in control of the structure are, expectedly, collecting the cash hand over fist.

Hey, at least I know my position.

Similar to the initial release, this follow-up is inherently funny, but it also doesn't hesitate to turn solemn. At one point, while exploring around the release's primary explorable world, I stumbled across a corpse with an audio log close by. This message revealed that this NPC (associated with the brainwashing religious faction) had been killed in an event while attempting to hunt down and kill her romantic partner. This romantic partner had seemingly abandoned from their organization, and the perished individual was incensed at her partner's {traitorous