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During my first encounter with the first Outer Worlds game, I was quickly hooked by its irreverent, Fallout-inspired type of wit. This release included dynamic dialogues, character diaries, and advertising displays that illustrated a business-controlled nightmare that was both bleak and amusing. My main fear starting The Outer Worlds 2 was that this entry – through no fault of its own – could fail to be as comedic compared to the first.

Sure, things weren't perfect. But the world definitely felt slightly less fractured back then. This game presented a dystopia that didn't hit too close to home, and still managed to be both touching and hilarious. I began the follow-up feeling quite confident that the sequel wouldn't be able to pull this off a second time, but I'm delighted to report that I was incorrect. This sequel is just as smile-generating as the title that came before it, and also introduces new themes instead of merely repeating similar elements comparable to an worn-out business tune.

Developing Personalities

A large portion of the game characters users found in the first title had been defeated by the actions of corporate entities such as the in-game corporation, and were acutely conscious of the degree that their situation was terrible. The Outer Worlds 2 takes things in an alternative path, including personalities who are programmed (occasionally metaphorically, frequently actually). Many of these NPCs aren't even aware of how deeply screwed up their conditions are, or that there could be choices to a lifetime passed under the boot of a massive corporation or limited by the beliefs of a high-demand religion.

This second installment explores types of corporate control that are more deceptive than simply keeping the population impoverished. Various personalities have been brainwashed into the kind of extremely eager "hustle mentality" discourse you can discover on social media accounts that vow to show the secret of achievement if you pay for an overpriced workshop, or invest in a dubious blockchain project. Even the game's company advertising has evolved.

Modern Themes

There remain plenty of unmotivational posters in various locations warning about deducting staff compensation who even consider taking a day off, but there are also references to network marketing tactics, including an employee manual that confidently announces, "Unknown people are merely patrons you still need to meet!" As an individual who grew up in a network marketing family, I immediately burst out with laughter upon viewing this allusion, because it's a saying I have regularly listened to repeated exactly by people at the base of those structures.

Luckily, this sequel is as comedic and irreverent as the first game.

The Outer Worlds 2 additionally investigates the situation various individuals find ourselves in when it comes to occupation, political matters, and even personal purchases: Having to choose the smaller of two or three evils. When trying to decide whether to back a harmful business or a dangerous religious group throughout the experience, I discovered I was aligning with the known negative: An established business organization that is awful (yet merely employs propaganda to program its members), as opposed to the cult, which also sucks, but uses an awful technique termed "cognitive reset" to keep its adherents obedient.

Unreliable Masters

Even the people you serve might not be reliable. As an Earth Directorate agent, you're tasked with trying to reestablish stability to the Arcadia colony after a hostile corporate takeover, and you rapidly learn that both the attackers and the invadees subscribe to differing (but similarly terrible) ideologies. But a quick examination of the communications on your vessel's computer reveal that this agency isn't exactly the world's most ethical employer either, as evidenced by an answer to a help request that tells the sender it will take "three to five corporate years" for an answer to their transmission. (This duration is about how long it takes for me to get a hold of a human help desk employee through calling nowadays.)

Relatable Moments

Numerous instances in The Outer Worlds 2 are painfully relatable, but it's a therapeutic type of familiarity, and this title manages to balance its depressing dystopian setting with comedy that's truly humorous yet not seeming inappropriate. One major theme is the quick commencement of enshittification that happens to unfold after large company takeovers. Employees on both sides of The Outer Worlds 2's major acquisition experience their living standards worsen therefore, while the CEOs at the top of the hierarchy are, expectedly, collecting money rapidly.

Hey, at least I understand my situation.

Comparable to the original title, this follow-up is naturally humorous, but it also doesn't hesitate to turn solemn. During a moment, while exploring around the release's primary discoverable location, I came upon a corpse with a message nearby. The audio log showed that this individual (associated with the brainwashing religious faction) had perished in an incident while trying to track down and dispatch her romantic partner. This romantic partner had reportedly deserted from their organization, and the deceased character was incensed at her partner's {traitorous