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During my first playthrough of the first Outer Worlds title, I was immediately drawn by its satirical, Fallout-esque brand of humor. The game boasted dynamic dialogues, individual logs, and promotional posters that illustrated a business-controlled nightmare that was at once dark and entertaining. My main fear approaching the sequel was that this installment – without blame on its part – might not be as humorous as its predecessor.

Certainly, situations weren't flawless. But the world certainly seemed slightly less fractured in those days. The Outer Worlds presented a dystopia that didn't strike too close to home, and still managed to be simultaneously heartwarming and hilarious. I commenced The Outer Worlds 2 feeling quite confident that this installment wouldn't be able to pull this off a second time, but I'm happy to announce that I was mistaken. This follow-up is just as laughter-provoking as the title that preceded it, and additionally brings new themes as opposed to just recycling similar elements like an tired company slogan.

Changing NPCs

The majority of the game characters players encountered in the initial release had been worn out by the activities of business corporations like the in-game corporation, and were fully cognizant of the degree that their situation was terrible. This sequel progresses matters in a different direction, presenting individuals who are indoctrinated (sometimes figuratively, frequently actually). Numerous personalities don't even realize of how deeply screwed up their conditions are, or that there could be options to a life lived beneath the control of a massive corporation or bound by the creeds of an intense faith.

This follow-up examines forms of business domination that are more subtle than only making the people destitute. Various personalities have been indoctrinated into the kind of overly enthusiastic "work ethic" language you might encounter on digital platforms that promise to reveal the key to success when you buy for an overpriced workshop, or invest in a dubious blockchain project. Furthermore, the release's company advertising has developed.

Modern Themes

There continue to be many unmotivational posters in various locations warning about deducting employee wages who even contemplate requesting leave, but furthermore exist allusions to network marketing tactics, such as a new hire handbook that boldly states, "Unfamiliar individuals are simply clients you still need to meet!" Being a person who grew up in a direct sales environment, I promptly exploded in amusement upon viewing this mention, because it's a phrase I have frequently encountered spoken verbatim by those at the bottom of these systems.

Luckily, this follow-up is equally humorous and irreverent as the first game.

This installment additionally investigates the situation various individuals experience when it comes to employment, politics, and even consumer choices: Being forced to choose the smaller of multiple bad options. While attempting to choose whether to back a harmful business or a dangerous religious group in the game, I found myself supporting the known negative: An established company structure that sucks (though just utilizes promotion to program its members), instead of the cult, which is equally bad, but utilizes an awful technique named "mental refreshment" to control its members in line.

Unreliable Masters

Even the people you represent could fail to be dependable. In the role of an space operative, your mission involves working to return order to this outpost after a forceful company buyout, and you rapidly learn that both the aggressors and the invadees follow distinct (yet equally horrific) ideologies. But a quick examination of the messages on your ship's terminal show that this agency is hardly the galaxy's most moral authority either, as evidenced by a reply to a distress call that notifies the contact it will take "three to five corporate years" for an answer to their transmission. (That time frame is approximately the time it takes for me to contact a human customer service agent over the phone currently.)

Familiar Situations

Many moments in this sequel are extremely familiar, but it's a cathartic kind of recognition, and the game succeeds in balancing its bleak societal vision with humor that's genuinely funny yet not seeming incongruous. An important idea is the near-instant onset of deterioration that happens to unfold following large company takeovers. Employees on both sides of this installment's significant consolidation experience their living standards decline therefore, while the leaders in charge of the hierarchy are, naturally, collecting money hand over fist.

Hey, at least I know my situation.

Comparable to the initial release, The Outer Worlds 2 is intrinsically comedic, but it also doesn't hesitate to turn solemn. At a certain time, while traveling around the game's first discoverable location, I stumbled across a body with a recording nearby. This message showed that this NPC (who was aligned with the indoctrinating cult) had been killed in an event while attempting to hunt down and eliminate her significant other. This romantic partner had reportedly deserted from their faction, and the now-dead NPC was incensed at her significant other's {traitorous