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During my first encounter with the original Outer Worlds game, I was instantly captivated by its sarcastic, Fallout-like brand of humor. This release featured lively conversations, character diaries, and promotional posters that depicted a business-controlled nightmare that was at once bleak and amusing. My main fear starting The Outer Worlds 2 was that this entry – through no fault of its own – might not be as funny compared to the first.

Sure, situations weren't flawless. However, life definitely felt a bit less broken back then. This universe depicted a grim society that didn't feel overly familiar, and yet accomplished to be at once emotional and comical. I commenced the sequel feeling quite confident that the sequel wouldn't be able to achieve this again, but I'm happy to state that I was incorrect. This sequel is equally smile-generating as the release that came earlier, and additionally brings fresh concepts instead of simply reusing similar elements similar to a tired company slogan.

Evolving Characters

The majority of the NPCs gamers met in the initial release had been beaten down by the activities of company organizations like the fictional company, and were fully cognizant of the extent to which their existence was miserable. This sequel takes things in an alternative path, presenting individuals who are brainwashed (occasionally metaphorically, regularly truly). Many of these characters aren't conscious of how deeply screwed up their conditions are, or that there could be alternatives to a lifetime passed under the domination of a massive corporation or limited by the doctrines of an intense faith.

This follow-up investigates methods of business domination that are more insidious than only making the population impoverished. Various personalities have been indoctrinated into the kind of extremely eager "work ethic" language you'll find on online profiles that claim to disclose the secret of achievement should you purchase an expensive course, or invest in a sketchy crypto scheme. Even the game's business promotion has progressed.

Modern Themes

There continue to be numerous demotivating signs throughout facilities indicating reductions in employee wages who even think about requesting leave, but additionally there are references to network marketing strategies, featuring an employee manual that boldly states, "Unknown people are merely customers YOU have yet to encounter!" Being a person who grew up in a multi-level marketing family, I immediately burst out with laughter when encountering this reference, because it's a saying I have frequently encountered repeated exactly by those at the bottom of such schemes.

Luckily, this follow-up is just as funny and irreverent as the initial release.

This installment furthermore explores the predicament numerous people find ourselves in when it comes to occupation, political matters, and even personal purchases: Being forced to pick the reduced of multiple bad options. When trying to decide whether to support a harmful business or a dangerous religious group in the game, I realized I became siding with the known negative: A recognized business organization that is terrible (but only uses promotion to program its members), rather than the cult, which also sucks, but uses a terrible method named "psychological renewal" to control its members in line.

Questionable Employers

Even the people you serve may not be dependable. In the role of an Earth Directorate agent, your assignment includes attempting to restore stability to this settlement following an aggressive business acquisition, and you will quickly find that both the invaders and the defenders subscribe to distinct (though equally awful) ideologies. Yet a speedy inspection of the communications on your vessel's computer show that the Earth Directorate isn't precisely the galaxy's most moral organization too, as evidenced by a response to a distress call that tells the sender it will take "several business years" for an answer to their communication. (This period is approximately the time it takes for me to contact a human customer service agent over the phone these days.)

Recognizable Scenarios

Numerous instances in this sequel are extremely familiar, but it's a cleansing type of familiarity, and the game achieves equilibrium between its grim future world with wit that's truly humorous yet not seeming out of place. One major theme is the quick commencement of enshittification that happens to unfold following large company takeovers. Workers from each party of this installment's major acquisition experience their living standards decrease as a result, while the executives in control of the hierarchy are, expectedly, collecting the cash rapidly.

Well, at minimum I understand my position.

Comparable to the first game, this sequel is naturally humorous, but it also isn't afraid to turn solemn. At one point, while wandering around the title's initial explorable world, I discovered a deceased individual with a recording in the vicinity. This recording disclosed that this individual (who was aligned with the brainwashing religious faction) had been killed in an event while trying to track down and eliminate her lover. This romantic partner had reportedly deserted from their organization, and the deceased character was incensed at her lover's {traitorous