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During my first playthrough of the first Outer Worlds game, I was quickly hooked by its sarcastic, Fallout-esque type of wit. The game included dynamic dialogues, personal journals, and propaganda materials that portrayed a corporate dystopia that was simultaneously bleak and amusing. My biggest worry heading into the follow-up was that this entry – through no fault from itself – might not be as funny as its predecessor.

Certainly, things weren't perfect. Yet society undoubtedly appeared slightly less fractured at that time. The Outer Worlds showed a bleak future that didn't feel overly familiar, and nonetheless succeeded to be both touching and uproarious. I began the sequel pretty sure that this installment wouldn't manage to accomplish this once more, but I'm delighted to announce that I was incorrect. This sequel is just as laughter-provoking as the release that came before it, and additionally brings new themes as opposed to merely repeating similar elements like an overused corporate jingle.

Changing NPCs

The majority of the non-player characters gamers met in the first title had been defeated by the deeds of business corporations such as Spacer's Choice, and were painfully aware of the degree that their situation was terrible. This installment moves events in a distinct route, including personalities who are programmed (occasionally metaphorically, frequently actually). A lot of these NPCs aren't conscious of how profoundly messed up their circumstances are, or that there could be alternatives to a life lived under the boot of a huge company or bound by the beliefs of a high-demand religion.

This follow-up examines forms of business domination that are more deceptive than only making the population impoverished. Various personalities have been programmed with the kind of overly enthusiastic "hustle mentality" discourse you'll find on social media accounts that promise to reveal the path to accomplishment should you purchase a costly program, or invest in a sketchy crypto scheme. Additionally, the title's corporate propaganda has developed.

Modern Themes

There remain numerous unmotivational posters on the walls indicating reductions in pay from workers who so much as contemplate requesting leave, but there are also references to multi-level marketing tactics, including an employee manual that confidently announces, "Unfamiliar individuals are simply patrons you haven't met yet!" Being a person who developed within a direct sales environment, I immediately burst out in amusement when I saw this allusion, because it's a refrain I have frequently encountered stated precisely by people at the base of those structures.

Fortunately, this follow-up is just as funny and sarcastic as the initial release.

The Outer Worlds 2 also examines the predicament many of us encounter regarding work, government, and even consumer choices: Having to select the lesser of multiple bad options. When trying to choose whether to assist a risky company or a concerning cult within the title, I realized I became aligning with the known negative: An established corporate entity that is terrible (but only uses advertising to program its members), rather than the religious group, which is similarly terrible, but utilizes a terrible method named "mental refreshment" to keep its adherents obedient.

Unreliable Masters

Furthermore, the characters you work for might not be reliable. Playing as an galactic official, your mission involves attempting to restore order to this settlement after a forceful company buyout, and you rapidly learn that both the aggressors and the residents subscribe to distinct (though equally awful) ideologies. However, a rapid inspection of the communications on your spacecraft's system reveal that this agency isn't exactly the universe's most principled authority too, as evidenced by a reply to an emergency signal that tells the sender it will take "3-5 corporate years" for a response to their message. (This period is approximately the time it takes for many people to contact a real support representative through calling currently.)

Relatable Moments

Numerous instances in The Outer Worlds 2 are highly recognizable, but it's a cleansing sort of relatability, and this title manages to balance its bleak societal vision with humor that's genuinely funny yet not seeming out of place. One major theme is the quick commencement of enshittification that seems to take place in the wake of large company takeovers. Workers from each party of The Outer Worlds 2's big merger see their quality of life worsen therefore, while the leaders at the top of the food chain are, expectedly, accumulating the cash rapidly.

Well, at minimum I recognize my situation.

Similar to the first game, The Outer Worlds 2 is inherently funny, but furthermore doesn't hesitate to turn solemn. At one point, while wandering around the game's first discoverable location, I came upon a deceased individual with an audio log close by. The audio log disclosed that this NPC (who was aligned with the indoctrinating cult) had been killed in an event while attempting to hunt down and kill her lover. This partner had reportedly deserted from their organization, and the now-dead NPC was incensed at her significant other's {traitorous