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When I first playthrough of the first Outer Worlds game, I was instantly captivated by its sarcastic, Fallout-inspired type of wit. This release boasted engaging exchanges, personal journals, and propaganda materials that portrayed a business-controlled nightmare that was both dark and humorous. My biggest worry heading into the sequel was that this entry – through no fault from itself – wouldn't be as funny like the original.

Certainly, conditions weren't ideal. However, life certainly seemed somewhat less damaged at that time. This game depicted a grim society that didn't hit too close to home, and still managed to be simultaneously touching and uproarious. I started the follow-up feeling quite confident that this installment couldn't succeed to achieve this again, but I'm delighted to report that I was mistaken. This sequel is as smile-generating as the game that came earlier, and furthermore presents new themes instead of just recycling similar elements similar to a tired company slogan.

Developing Personalities

A large portion of the NPCs players encountered in the first title had been worn out by the actions of company organizations like the fictional company, and were acutely conscious of how much their existence was miserable. This sequel moves events in a different direction, including personalities who are indoctrinated (periodically symbolically, frequently actually). Numerous NPCs don't even realize of how profoundly disordered their situations are, or that there may exist choices to a lifetime passed under the boot of a huge company or limited by the doctrines of a high-demand religion.

The sequel investigates methods of business domination that are more insidious than simply keeping the population impoverished. Various personalities have been programmed with the kind of overly enthusiastic "hustle mentality" language you can discover on digital platforms that claim to disclose the key to success should you purchase for an overpriced workshop, or invest in a sketchy crypto scheme. Furthermore, the release's corporate propaganda has progressed.

Contemporary Issues

There continue to be plenty of demotivating signs on the walls threatening to dock pay from workers who dare to contemplate having a break, but additionally there are mentions of network marketing strategies, including an employee manual that confidently announces, "Unknown people are merely patrons you still need to meet!" Being a person who developed within a network marketing household, I instantly erupted in amusement when I saw this allusion, because it's a saying I have regularly listened to repeated exactly by individuals in lower positions of these systems.

Luckily, The Outer Worlds 2 is just as funny and irreverent as the initial release.

This installment furthermore explores the predicament various individuals find ourselves in when it comes to employment, politics, and even personal purchases: Having to choose the smaller of several poor choices. While attempting to determine if to assist a dangerous corporate entity or a dangerous religious group within the title, I found myself aligning with the familiar evil: An established corporate entity that is terrible (but only uses propaganda to indoctrinate its followers), as opposed to the religious group, which is equally bad, but utilizes a horrible approach named "psychological renewal" to maintain its followers compliant.

Unreliable Masters

Additionally, the individuals you serve may not be dependable. As an Earth Directorate agent, your assignment includes working to return control to this settlement subsequent to a forceful company buyout, and you will quickly find that the two the attackers and the invadees adhere to separate (though equally awful) doctrines. But a quick examination of the messages on your vessel's computer reveal that this organization isn't exactly the world's most ethical organization either, as shown by an answer to a distress call that tells the sender it will take "three to five corporate years" for a response to their communication. (This duration is approximately the time it takes for me to reach a real customer service agent over the phone these days.)

Relatable Moments

Various situations in The Outer Worlds 2 are extremely familiar, but it's a cathartic sort of relatability, and this title succeeds in balancing its depressing dystopian setting with comedy that's truly humorous while avoiding incongruous. An important idea is the near-instant onset of deterioration that appears to occur after large company takeovers. Employees on both sides of The Outer Worlds 2's major acquisition experience their living standards decline therefore, while the CEOs in charge of the hierarchy are, expectedly, raking in money rapidly.

Hey, at least I recognize my situation.

Similar to the original title, The Outer Worlds 2 is intrinsically comedic, but additionally isn't afraid to turn solemn. During a moment, while wandering around the release's primary discoverable location, I came upon a corpse with an audio log in the vicinity. The audio log disclosed that this character (associated with the brainwashing religious faction) had died in an accident during efforts to track down and dispatch her significant other. This loved one had reportedly deserted from their organization, and the now-dead NPC was incensed at her significant other's {traitorous