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Upon my initial encounter with the initial Outer Worlds title, I was immediately drawn by its irreverent, Fallout-like type of wit. This release included dynamic dialogues, personal journals, and propaganda materials that portrayed a business-controlled nightmare that was simultaneously dark and amusing. My main fear approaching The Outer Worlds 2 was that this installment – without blame on its part – might not be as comedic compared to the first.

Admittedly, situations weren't flawless. Yet society undoubtedly appeared a bit less broken back then. This universe showed a bleak future that didn't feel overly familiar, and still managed to be at once touching and uproarious. I started the sequel feeling quite confident that the sequel wouldn't be able to achieve this once more, but I'm delighted to state that I was incorrect. This follow-up is equally smile-generating as the game that came before it, and furthermore presents new themes as opposed to just recycling similar elements comparable to an worn-out business tune.

Evolving Characters

Most of the non-player characters users found in the initial release had been beaten down by the deeds of business corporations including Spacer's Choice, and were acutely conscious of the degree that their existence was miserable. This sequel takes things in an alternative path, including personalities who are brainwashed (periodically symbolically, often literally). Many of these NPCs aren't even aware of how extremely disordered their conditions are, or that there could be choices to a life lived under the boot of a huge company or limited by the beliefs of a high-demand religion.

The sequel explores types of business domination that are more deceptive than merely maintaining the masses poor. Many NPCs have been brainwashed into the type of overly enthusiastic "grindset mindset" discourse you'll find on online profiles that promise to reveal the path to accomplishment when you buy a costly program, or invest in a dubious blockchain project. Additionally, the title's company advertising has progressed.

Current Topics

There are still plenty of discouraging displays throughout facilities warning about deducting pay from workers who dare to contemplate having a break, but there are also mentions of pyramid scheme methods, including a staff guide that boldly states, "Strangers are just patrons you still need to meet!" Being a person who was raised in a network marketing environment, I immediately burst out in amusement when I saw this mention, because it's a saying I have frequently encountered spoken verbatim by people at the base of these systems.

Luckily, this follow-up is equally humorous and satirical as the first game.

This sequel additionally investigates the situation many of us find ourselves in when it comes to occupation, political matters, and even personal purchases: Being forced to choose the smaller of several poor choices. During efforts to decide whether to back a harmful business or a concerning cult in the game, I realized I became aligning with the devil I know: A familiar company structure that is terrible (though just utilizes advertising to brainwash its subjects), rather than the religious group, which is equally bad, but utilizes an awful technique called "mental refreshment" to maintain its followers in line.

Questionable Employers

Even the people you represent might not be trustworthy. As an galactic official, you're tasked with trying to reestablish control to this settlement following an aggressive business acquisition, and you'll soon discover that both the aggressors and the defenders subscribe to differing (yet equally horrific) ideologies. However, a rapid inspection of the messages on your ship's terminal demonstrate that this agency isn't precisely the galaxy's most moral organization too, as shown by a reply to a distress call that notifies the contact it will take "3-5 business years" for an answer to their transmission. (This period is roughly the duration it takes for me to reach a non-robot customer service agent through calling currently.)

Recognizable Scenarios

Many moments in this installment are extremely familiar, but it's a cathartic sort of relatability, and this release achieves equilibrium between its bleak societal vision with wit that's authentically amusing yet not seeming out of place. An important idea is the quick commencement of enshittification that seems to take place after any major corporate acquisition. Workers from each party of this sequel's major acquisition find their existence worsen consequently, while the leaders in charge of the food chain are, expectedly, collecting the cash hand over fist.

Okay, at the very least I know my position.

Just like the first game, this sequel is intrinsically comedic, but additionally isn't afraid to become dramatic. At one point, while exploring around the release's primary explorable world, I stumbled across a body with a recording nearby. The audio log revealed that this character (who was aligned with the indoctrinating cult) had been killed in an event while trying to hunt down and dispatch her significant other. This loved one had reportedly deserted from their faction, and the deceased character was enraged by her significant other's {traitorous