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When I first encounter with the original Outer Worlds title, I was quickly hooked by its sarcastic, Fallout-like brand of humor. The game included lively conversations, individual logs, and propaganda materials that depicted a corporate dystopia that was simultaneously grim and entertaining. My primary concern heading into the follow-up was that this installment – not due to on its part – might not be as funny as its predecessor.

Admittedly, things weren't perfect. But the world certainly seemed a bit less broken in those days. This universe presented a dystopia that didn't hit too close to home, and nonetheless succeeded to be simultaneously heartwarming and uproarious. I started the sequel feeling quite confident that this release wouldn't be able to accomplish this again, but I'm happy to report that I was incorrect. This sequel is just as smile-generating as the game that came earlier, and additionally brings fresh concepts instead of simply reusing the same content comparable to an worn-out business tune.

Developing Personalities

Most of the NPCs gamers met in the first title had been defeated by the activities of corporate entities including Spacer's Choice, and were fully cognizant of the degree that their lives sucked. This sequel progresses matters in an alternative path, featuring characters who are brainwashed (occasionally metaphorically, often literally). A lot of these characters aren't conscious of how profoundly screwed up their conditions are, or that there might be choices to a lifetime passed under the domination of a large business or bound by the beliefs of a demanding cult.

This second installment examines forms of corporate control that are more insidious than merely maintaining the masses poor. Many NPCs have been brainwashed into the sort of overly enthusiastic "grindset mindset" rhetoric you can discover on online profiles that claim to disclose the secret of achievement should you purchase an expensive course, or put money into a dubious blockchain project. Even the game's company advertising has developed.

Contemporary Issues

There continue to be plenty of demotivating signs on the walls threatening to dock employee wages who so much as contemplate taking a day off, but furthermore exist references to multi-level marketing methods, including a staff guide that proudly declares, "Unknown people are merely customers YOU still need to meet!" Being a person who developed within a direct sales family, I immediately burst out with laughter when I saw this reference, because it's a saying I have regularly listened to repeated exactly by those at the bottom of those structures.

Luckily, this sequel is as comedic and sarcastic as the original title.

The Outer Worlds 2 additionally investigates the situation various individuals find ourselves in regarding employment, politics, and even consumer choices: Having to select the smaller of multiple bad options. During efforts to determine if to assist a risky company or a dangerous religious group throughout the experience, I found myself siding with the known negative: An established business organization that sucks (though just utilizes advertising to brainwash its subjects), as opposed to the religious group, which also sucks, but utilizes a horrible approach called "mental refreshment" to control its members in line.

Doubtful Authorities

Even the people you work for might not be trustworthy. In the role of an Earth Directorate agent, your assignment includes trying to reestablish control to this outpost subsequent to a forceful company buyout, and you'll soon discover that both the attackers and the residents subscribe to differing (though equally awful) beliefs. But a quick examination of the messages on your vessel's computer show that this agency isn't exactly the galaxy's most moral organization either, as evidenced by a reply to a distress call that informs the caller it will take "three to five corporate years" for an answer to their transmission. (That time frame is roughly the duration it takes for numerous individuals to get a hold of a real support representative via telephone currently.)

Familiar Situations

Many moments in this installment are extremely familiar, but it's a therapeutic type of familiarity, and this title succeeds in balancing its bleak societal vision with humor that's truly humorous without feeling out of place. One major theme is the rapid beginning of deterioration that happens to unfold in the wake of large company takeovers. Staff members from all factions of this installment's significant consolidation find their existence worsen therefore, while the CEOs in charge of the hierarchy are, expectedly, raking in money quickly.

Hey, at least I recognize my position.

Similar to the first game, this follow-up is inherently funny, but furthermore isn't afraid to become dramatic. During a moment, while traveling around the release's primary accessible planet, I discovered a corpse with a message close by. This message revealed that this individual (who was aligned with the indoctrinating cult) had been killed in an event during efforts to hunt down and eliminate her significant other. This loved one had seemingly abandoned from their faction, and the perished individual was enraged by her lover's {traitorous