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During my first playthrough of the original Outer Worlds title, I was instantly captivated by its irreverent, Fallout-esque brand of humor. The game boasted lively conversations, individual logs, and promotional posters that depicted a business-controlled nightmare that was simultaneously dark and entertaining. My biggest worry starting the follow-up was that this installment – not due to on its part – could fail to be as comedic as its predecessor.

Sure, conditions weren't ideal. However, life undoubtedly appeared somewhat less damaged at that time. This universe presented a dystopia that didn't strike extremely relatable, and yet accomplished to be at once heartwarming and uproarious. I commenced the follow-up feeling quite confident that this release wouldn't manage to accomplish this a second time, but I'm pleased to state that I was wrong. This sequel is as chuckle-inducing as the title that preceded it, and also introduces new themes instead of merely repeating the same content similar to a tired company slogan.

Developing Personalities

Most of the NPCs players encountered in the original game had been beaten down by the deeds of company organizations such as the fictional company, and were acutely conscious of how much their situation was terrible. The Outer Worlds 2 moves events in an alternative path, featuring characters who are indoctrinated (occasionally metaphorically, frequently actually). Numerous characters aren't even aware of how profoundly disordered their situations are, or that there could be choices to a lifetime passed under the domination of a huge company or bound by the doctrines of a demanding cult.

This follow-up investigates methods of company influence that are more subtle than merely maintaining the masses poor. Various personalities have been programmed with the kind of excessively zealous "hustle mentality" rhetoric you can discover on online profiles that promise to reveal the secret of achievement when you buy for an overpriced workshop, or participate in a dubious blockchain project. Additionally, the title's corporate propaganda has progressed.

Modern Themes

There remain plenty of discouraging displays on the walls indicating reductions in pay from workers who dare to think about requesting leave, but there are also mentions of network marketing methods, featuring a new hire handbook that proudly declares, "Strangers are just customers YOU still need to meet!" Being a person who developed within a direct sales environment, I instantly erupted with laughter upon viewing this mention, because it's a refrain I have often heard spoken verbatim by individuals in lower positions of these systems.

Luckily, The Outer Worlds 2 is just as funny and irreverent as the original title.

This installment furthermore explores the dilemma various individuals experience concerning employment, politics, and including buying decisions: Being forced to select the smaller of two or three evils. During efforts to choose whether to assist a dangerous corporate entity or a problematic faith organization within the title, I realized I became siding with the familiar evil: An established company structure that is terrible (yet merely employs promotion to indoctrinate its followers), as opposed to the religious group, which also sucks, but utilizes a terrible method called "cognitive reset" to keep its adherents obedient.

Questionable Employers

Additionally, the individuals you represent might not be trustworthy. Playing as an space operative, you're tasked with working to return control to the Arcadia colony following an aggressive business acquisition, and you'll soon discover that both the invaders and the residents subscribe to differing (yet equally horrific) ideologies. But a quick inspection of the transmissions on your spacecraft's system demonstrate that the Earth Directorate isn't exactly the galaxy's most moral organization as well, as evidenced by a reply to an emergency signal that notifies the contact it will take "three to five organizational cycles" for an answer to their message. (This period is approximately the time it takes for me to get a hold of a human help desk employee via telephone these days.)

Familiar Situations

Various situations in this sequel are painfully relatable, but it's a cathartic type of familiarity, and the game manages to balance its grim future world with comedy that's authentically amusing yet not seeming incongruous. A primary concept is the rapid beginning of deterioration that seems to take place after large company takeovers. Staff members from all factions of The Outer Worlds 2's significant consolidation see their quality of life decline consequently, while the leaders in charge of the hierarchy are, naturally, raking in the cash rapidly.

Hey, at least I understand where I stand.

Just like the original title, this sequel is intrinsically comedic, but additionally doesn't hesitate to turn solemn. At a certain time, while exploring around the title's initial discoverable location, I discovered a body with an audio log close by. This message disclosed that this individual (who was aligned with the brainwashing religious faction) had died in an accident while trying to locate and kill her significant other. This loved one had seemingly abandoned from their group, and the deceased character was angry about her significant other's {traitorous