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When I first encounter with the first Outer Worlds title, I was instantly captivated by its sarcastic, Fallout-like style of comedy. The game boasted lively conversations, personal journals, and advertising displays that portrayed a company-run society that was simultaneously grim and entertaining. My main fear starting the sequel was that this entry – not due to of its own – wouldn't be as comedic as its predecessor.

Sure, situations weren't flawless. Yet society undoubtedly appeared a bit less broken in those days. This game presented a dystopia that didn't strike extremely relatable, and yet accomplished to be simultaneously touching and comical. I began the follow-up rather certain that this release wouldn't be able to accomplish this once more, but I'm delighted to report that I was incorrect. The Outer Worlds 2 is equally smile-generating as the game that came earlier, and furthermore presents new themes rather than simply reusing similar elements similar to a tired company slogan.

Changing NPCs

A large portion of the non-player characters users found in the original game had been beaten down by the deeds of corporate entities like the fictional company, and were acutely conscious of the degree that their existence was miserable. This sequel takes things in a different direction, including personalities who are indoctrinated (periodically symbolically, often literally). Many of these NPCs aren't even aware of how deeply disordered their circumstances are, or that there could be choices to a lifetime passed under the domination of a huge company or limited by the beliefs of a demanding cult.

This follow-up examines forms of company influence that are more subtle than only making the people destitute. Many NPCs have been brainwashed into the sort of excessively zealous "hustle mentality" language you'll find on digital platforms that vow to show the secret of achievement should you purchase an expensive course, or put money into a sketchy crypto scheme. Even the game's corporate propaganda has developed.

Modern Themes

There remain plenty of discouraging displays in various locations indicating reductions in staff compensation who even consider taking a day off, but there are also allusions to multi-level marketing strategies, featuring a staff guide that proudly declares, "Strangers are just customers YOU have yet to encounter!" As an individual who was raised in a multi-level marketing family, I immediately burst out with laughter upon viewing this mention, because it's a refrain I have often heard repeated exactly by those at the bottom of these systems.

Thankfully, this sequel is just as funny and irreverent as the initial release.

This installment additionally investigates the dilemma numerous people find ourselves in concerning occupation, government, and even personal purchases: Needing to pick the reduced of multiple bad options. When trying to decide whether to support a risky company or a dangerous religious group throughout the experience, I discovered I was siding with the known negative: An established business organization that sucks (though just utilizes advertising to brainwash its subjects), instead of the cult, which is equally bad, but uses a terrible method named "cognitive reset" to maintain its followers compliant.

Questionable Employers

Even the people you represent may not be reliable. Playing as an Earth Directorate agent, your assignment includes working to return stability to this settlement subsequent to an aggressive business acquisition, and you'll soon discover that both the invaders and the invadees adhere to differing (yet equally horrific) ideologies. But a quick inspection of the messages on your spacecraft's system show that the Earth Directorate is hardly the galaxy's most moral employer as well, as evidenced by an answer to a distress call that notifies the contact it will take "several organizational cycles" for a reply to their communication. (That time frame is approximately the time it takes for me to get a hold of a real support representative through calling currently.)

Familiar Situations

Various situations in this sequel are highly recognizable, but it's a therapeutic sort of relatability, and this release succeeds in balancing its bleak societal vision with comedy that's genuinely funny without feeling out of place. One major theme is the near-instant onset of deterioration that happens to unfold following any major corporate acquisition. Workers from each party of this sequel's significant consolidation find their existence decrease consequently, while the CEOs in control of the structure are, of course, accumulating money quickly.

Well, at minimum I understand my situation.

Comparable to the initial release, this sequel is inherently funny, but furthermore isn't afraid to get serious. During a moment, while wandering around the title's initial explorable world, I discovered a deceased individual with a recording close by. This recording disclosed that this NPC (associated with the programming faith group) had died in an accident while attempting to track down and dispatch her romantic partner. This loved one had reportedly deserted from their group, and the now-dead NPC was enraged by her partner's {traitorous