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During my first experience with the original Outer Worlds game, I was immediately drawn by its sarcastic, Fallout-esque type of wit. The game boasted lively conversations, individual logs, and promotional posters that portrayed a company-run society that was simultaneously bleak and amusing. My biggest worry heading into the follow-up was that this entry – not due to of its own – might not be as comedic compared to the first.

Certainly, situations weren't flawless. However, life definitely felt slightly less fractured at that time. The Outer Worlds showed a bleak future that didn't strike extremely relatable, and still managed to be at once emotional and hilarious. I began the sequel feeling quite confident that this installment wouldn't manage to accomplish this a second time, but I'm happy to announce that I was incorrect. This follow-up is as smile-generating as the release that came before it, and also introduces original ideas rather than merely repeating the same content similar to a tired company slogan.

Changing NPCs

The majority of the non-player characters users found in the original game had been defeated by the actions of business corporations like Spacer's Choice, and were painfully aware of the extent to which their existence was miserable. This installment takes things in a distinct route, presenting individuals who are programmed (periodically symbolically, frequently actually). Many of these personalities aren't even aware of how profoundly messed up their conditions are, or that there may exist choices to a lifetime passed under the domination of a huge company or restricted by the beliefs of a demanding cult.

The sequel investigates methods of business domination that are more deceptive than only making the people destitute. Many NPCs have been brainwashed into the sort of extremely eager "hustle mentality" language you can discover on social media accounts that claim to disclose the path to accomplishment when you buy a costly program, or put money into a questionable digital currency plan. Furthermore, the release's company advertising has progressed.

Contemporary Issues

There are still numerous demotivating signs throughout facilities warning about deducting staff compensation who so much as contemplate taking a day off, but furthermore exist mentions of pyramid scheme methods, including a new hire handbook that proudly declares, "Unknown people are merely patrons you have yet to encounter!" As someone who grew up in a multi-level marketing family, I immediately burst out in amusement when encountering this allusion, because it's a phrase I have often heard spoken verbatim by individuals in lower positions of such schemes.

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

This sequel also examines the predicament many of us encounter when it comes to work, politics, and even personal purchases: Having to choose the lesser of multiple bad options. During efforts to determine if to assist a risky company or a problematic faith organization within the title, I discovered I was supporting the devil I know: A recognized corporate entity that is terrible (though just utilizes promotion to brainwash its subjects), as opposed to the faith organization, which also sucks, but utilizes an awful technique called "cognitive reset" to keep its adherents compliant.

Unreliable Masters

Furthermore, the characters you serve might not be trustworthy. In the role of an Earth Directorate agent, you're tasked with trying to reestablish stability to the Arcadia colony following a forceful company buyout, and you will quickly find that both the aggressors and the invadees subscribe to distinct (though equally awful) doctrines. However, a rapid review of the communications on your spacecraft's system reveal that this agency isn't exactly the galaxy's most moral organization as well, as evidenced by an answer to a distress call that notifies the contact it will take "three to five corporate years" for an answer to their message. (This period is approximately the time it takes for numerous individuals to contact a non-robot help desk employee via telephone these days.)

Familiar Situations

Numerous instances in this sequel are extremely familiar, but it's a therapeutic sort of relatability, and the game succeeds in balancing its bleak societal vision with comedy that's genuinely funny while avoiding out of place. One major theme is the near-instant onset of deterioration that appears to occur after any major corporate acquisition. Employees on both sides of this sequel's significant consolidation see their quality of life decline consequently, while the CEOs in control of the food chain are, of course, accumulating profits rapidly.

Hey, at least I know where I stand.

Comparable to the original title, this sequel is inherently funny, but it also doesn't shy away to become dramatic. At a certain time, while wandering around the release's primary accessible planet, I came upon a corpse with an audio log close by. This recording disclosed that this character (who was aligned with the programming faith group) had perished in an incident while trying to track down and dispatch her romantic partner. This partner had reportedly deserted from their organization, and the now-dead NPC was angry about her lover's {traitorous