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When I first playthrough of the original Outer Worlds title, I was instantly captivated by its satirical, Fallout-inspired type of wit. The game included dynamic dialogues, character diaries, and propaganda materials that depicted a corporate dystopia that was at once bleak and entertaining. My main fear heading into the sequel was that this version – not due to from itself – wouldn't be as humorous as its predecessor.

Certainly, things weren't perfect. But the world certainly seemed slightly less fractured at that time. This universe depicted a grim society that didn't strike too close to home, and nonetheless succeeded to be both emotional and comical. I commenced the sequel rather certain that this installment wouldn't manage to pull this off once more, but I'm happy to state that I was wrong. This follow-up is as chuckle-inducing as the title that came before it, and furthermore presents fresh concepts as opposed to just recycling similar elements similar to a tired company slogan.

Evolving Characters

Most of the game characters gamers met in the initial release had been beaten down by the actions of company organizations including the fictional company, and were fully cognizant of the degree that 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 screwed up their circumstances are, or that there may exist choices to an existence spent beneath the control of a huge company or limited by the doctrines of a demanding cult.

This follow-up investigates methods of company influence that are more insidious than simply keeping the masses poor. Numerous characters have been programmed with the type of excessively zealous "hustle mentality" rhetoric you'll find on online profiles that claim to disclose the secret of achievement should you purchase for an overpriced workshop, or participate in a questionable digital currency plan. Additionally, the title's company advertising has evolved.

Modern Themes

There are still plenty of unmotivational posters throughout facilities warning about deducting employee wages who so much as think about requesting leave, but there are also references to network marketing strategies, featuring an employee manual that boldly states, "Unknown people are merely clients you still need to meet!" Being a person who grew up in a direct sales household, I immediately burst out in amusement when encountering this allusion, because it's a refrain I have frequently encountered stated precisely by individuals in lower positions of such schemes.

Luckily, this sequel is as comedic and irreverent as the initial release.

This installment also examines the dilemma many of us encounter when it comes to employment, politics, and even consumer choices: Needing to select the reduced of several poor choices. During efforts to decide whether to support a risky company or a dangerous religious group within the title, I found myself aligning with the known negative: A recognized business organization that is awful (yet merely employs promotion to brainwash its subjects), instead of the religious group, which is similarly terrible, but utilizes a terrible method termed "mental refreshment" to control its members in line.

Doubtful Authorities

Furthermore, the characters you serve could fail to be trustworthy. Playing as an space operative, you're tasked with attempting to restore stability to this settlement subsequent to an aggressive business acquisition, and you will quickly find that each of the invaders and the defenders follow distinct (though equally awful) doctrines. But a quick inspection of the communications on your ship's terminal show that the Earth Directorate isn't precisely the galaxy's most moral authority as well, as shown by a reply to a help request that notifies the contact it will take "three to five organizational cycles" for a reply to their transmission. (This duration is roughly the duration it takes for me to contact a human support representative over the phone currently.)

Familiar Situations

Many moments in The Outer Worlds 2 are highly recognizable, but it's a therapeutic sort of relatability, and the game manages to balance its grim future world with comedy that's genuinely funny while avoiding incongruous. A primary concept is the quick commencement of deterioration that seems to take place following significant business mergers. Staff members from all factions of this sequel's significant consolidation see their quality of life decline consequently, while the executives in control of the food chain are, expectedly, raking in money hand over fist.

Hey, at least I understand my situation.

Comparable to the initial release, this follow-up is inherently funny, but it also doesn't shy away to become dramatic. At a certain time, while wandering around the game's first discoverable location, I discovered a corpse with a message in the vicinity. This recording revealed that this NPC (connected to the indoctrinating cult) had died in an accident while attempting to track down and dispatch her romantic partner. This partner had reportedly deserted from their organization, and the perished individual was enraged by her lover's {traitorous