🔗 Share this article

During my first playthrough of the initial Outer Worlds game, I was immediately drawn by its satirical, Fallout-esque brand of humor. This release boasted dynamic dialogues, individual logs, and promotional posters that depicted a corporate dystopia that was at once bleak and humorous. My biggest worry starting the sequel was that this version – through no fault of its own – could fail to be as comedic compared to the first.

Sure, things weren't perfect. Yet society definitely felt slightly less fractured at that time. The Outer Worlds depicted a grim society that didn't feel overly familiar, and yet accomplished to be simultaneously heartwarming and hilarious. I started The Outer Worlds 2 rather certain that the sequel wouldn't be able to accomplish this once more, but I'm happy to announce that I was incorrect. This sequel is as chuckle-inducing as the game that preceded it, and also introduces new themes rather than just recycling similar elements like an overused corporate jingle.

Changing NPCs

The majority of the NPCs users found in the original game had been worn out by the actions of company organizations including Spacer's Choice, and were fully cognizant of the extent to which their situation was terrible. The Outer Worlds 2 moves events in a distinct route, presenting individuals who are indoctrinated (periodically symbolically, frequently actually). A lot of these NPCs aren't even aware of how profoundly messed up their conditions are, or that there may exist alternatives to a life lived beneath the control of a huge company or restricted by the creeds of a demanding cult.

The sequel explores types of company influence that are more subtle than only making the population impoverished. Various personalities have been brainwashed into the kind of extremely eager "hustle mentality" language you can discover on online profiles that promise to reveal the key to success if you pay a costly program, or invest in a questionable digital currency plan. Additionally, the title's company advertising has developed.

Current Topics

There are still numerous demotivating signs throughout facilities threatening to dock employee wages who so much as contemplate requesting leave, but there are also allusions to multi-level marketing methods, featuring an employee manual that confidently announces, "Strangers are just patrons you haven't met yet!" As someone who developed within a direct sales family, I instantly erupted with laughter when encountering this mention, because it's a phrase I have often heard repeated exactly by those at the bottom of such schemes.

Fortunately, this sequel is equally humorous and satirical as the initial release.

The Outer Worlds 2 also examines the predicament numerous people find ourselves in regarding work, government, and even consumer choices: Being forced to select the reduced of multiple bad options. During efforts to choose whether to support a harmful business or a dangerous religious group in the game, I found myself aligning with the familiar evil: A recognized corporate entity that sucks (but only uses advertising to brainwash its subjects), rather than the cult, which also sucks, but utilizes a horrible approach called "psychological renewal" to maintain its followers compliant.

Unreliable Masters

Furthermore, the characters you work for might not be dependable. As an space operative, you're tasked with attempting to restore order to the Arcadia colony subsequent to an aggressive business acquisition, and you'll soon discover that both the invaders and the defenders follow distinct (though equally awful) doctrines. However, a rapid inspection of the communications on your ship's terminal reveal that this organization isn't exactly the world's most ethical employer either, as evidenced by a reply to an emergency signal that notifies the contact it will take "three to five organizational cycles" for a response to their message. (This period is about how long it takes for many people to contact a non-robot help desk employee via telephone nowadays.)

Recognizable Scenarios

Numerous instances in this installment are painfully relatable, but it's a cleansing sort of relatability, and the game manages to balance its depressing dystopian setting with wit that's authentically amusing without feeling out of place. One major theme is the quick commencement of deterioration that seems to take place following large company takeovers. Employees on both sides of The Outer Worlds 2's significant consolidation see their quality of life worsen as a result, while the executives at the top of the structure are, expectedly, raking in profits quickly.

Hey, at least I understand where I stand.

Similar to the first game, this sequel is intrinsically comedic, but it also doesn't shy away to become dramatic. At one point, while traveling around the release's primary discoverable location, I discovered a deceased individual with a recording nearby. The audio log revealed that this NPC (associated with the brainwashing religious faction) had perished in an incident while trying to locate and dispatch her romantic partner. This partner had seemingly abandoned from their organization, and the perished individual was angry about her lover's {traitorous