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During my first playthrough of the original Outer Worlds game, I was quickly hooked by its satirical, Fallout-esque brand of humor. This release featured engaging exchanges, individual logs, and advertising displays that illustrated a company-run society that was at once grim and entertaining. My primary concern approaching the follow-up was that this version – through no fault from itself – wouldn't be as funny compared to the first.

Certainly, conditions weren't ideal. Yet society undoubtedly appeared somewhat less damaged back then. This universe depicted a grim society that didn't feel too close to home, and still managed to be simultaneously heartwarming and uproarious. I started the sequel 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 equally smile-generating as the title that preceded it, and additionally brings new themes instead of simply reusing similar elements similar to a overused corporate jingle.

Evolving Characters

A large portion of the non-player characters users found in the original game had been defeated by the deeds of company organizations like the fictional company, and were painfully aware of the extent to which their situation was terrible. This installment progresses matters in a different direction, featuring characters who are indoctrinated (periodically symbolically, often literally). A lot of these NPCs aren't conscious of how profoundly disordered their circumstances are, or that there could be options to a lifetime passed under the domination of a large business or limited by the beliefs of a high-demand religion.

The sequel explores types of company influence that are more insidious than simply keeping the people destitute. Various personalities have been brainwashed into the kind of excessively zealous "work ethic" discourse you can discover on social media accounts that vow to show the key to success when you buy a costly program, or invest in a sketchy crypto scheme. Additionally, the title's company advertising has evolved.

Contemporary Issues

There remain plenty of unmotivational posters in various locations indicating reductions in staff compensation who dare to think about having a break, but furthermore exist references to network marketing strategies, including a staff guide that confidently announces, "Unfamiliar individuals are simply customers YOU still need to meet!" Being a person who grew up in a network marketing environment, I promptly exploded with laughter when I saw this allusion, because it's a phrase I have frequently encountered stated precisely by those at the bottom of these systems.

Fortunately, this follow-up is as comedic and irreverent as the first game.

The Outer Worlds 2 additionally investigates the dilemma various individuals encounter regarding work, government, and even personal purchases: Being forced to pick the lesser of multiple bad options. While attempting to determine if to back a dangerous corporate entity or a problematic faith organization in the game, I found myself supporting the familiar evil: A recognized company structure that sucks (but only uses promotion to brainwash its subjects), rather than the religious group, which is equally bad, but uses an awful technique called "psychological renewal" to keep its adherents in line.

Doubtful Authorities

Furthermore, the characters you represent could fail to be dependable. In the role of an galactic official, you're tasked with attempting to restore order to the Arcadia colony subsequent to a hostile corporate takeover, and you'll soon discover that the two the invaders and the invadees subscribe to differing (though equally awful) doctrines. However, a rapid examination of the communications on your ship's terminal show that this organization isn't precisely the galaxy's most moral employer either, as demonstrated by an answer to an emergency signal that tells the sender it will take "three to five business years" for a reply to their transmission. (This duration is approximately the time it takes for numerous individuals to get a hold of a real help desk employee via telephone currently.)

Familiar Situations

Many moments in this sequel are painfully relatable, but it's a therapeutic sort of relatability, and the game manages to balance its bleak societal vision with wit that's authentically amusing yet not seeming out of place. One major theme is the quick commencement of deterioration that seems to take place following significant business mergers. Workers from each party of this installment's major acquisition see their quality of life worsen as a result, while the leaders in charge of the hierarchy are, naturally, raking in the cash hand over fist.

Hey, at least I know where I stand.

Just like the original title, this sequel is inherently funny, but it also doesn't shy away to become dramatic. At a certain time, while traveling around the release's primary explorable world, I discovered a body with an audio log close by. The audio log showed that this individual (associated with the brainwashing religious faction) had perished in an incident while attempting to track down and eliminate her lover. This loved one had reportedly deserted from their faction, and the now-dead NPC was enraged by her partner's {traitorous