REVIEW - Moving Out 2 is the best kind of organised chaos
Chuck it through the window.
By Jonathan Garrett
21/08/23
Reviewed on Xbox Series X.
Review copy provided by Team17.
Building on the water tight bedrock of the original, Moving Out 2 is as slapstick and Dad joke ridden as you’d expect. The first game was quite the surprise; what could initially have been dismissed as a riff on Overcooked ultimately does a disservice to Moving Out’s own madcap identity. While certain elements remain consistent (working under time pressure, the ease with which human error comes into play), the second game plays fast and loose with its own formula and seems more willing to push into wackier territory.
There’s even references to this idea within the dialogue, as your F.A.R.T. mentor (brilliant) acknowledges that the early levels have been deliberately designed to avoid the stranger challenges as a way to ease you in. It’s a smart play, and one that absolutely pays off once rotating rooms, dessert themed conveyor belts, and unhinged farmyards come into play. There’s an almost Nintendo platformer type escalation to each new area, with every level offering a subtle or at times extreme twist on the familiar.
Returning to previous levels to master cryptic optional objectives certainly enhances replayability, but this remains a co-op game through and through. Reviewing this alongside my wife and step daughter was a combination of furious barking of orders, and the Picard face palms of mistiming a two person item throw. The addition of online multiplayer alongside returning local play, and that all important cross play support to coincide with the multiplatform launch, is an extremely welcome and future proofing enhancement.
It’s also important to acknowledge the vastly expanded character customisation (including optional wheelchairs which is a lovely representational touch), with returning and expanded accessibility options that ensures the doors are wide open. It runs well, looks crisp, and even though the lack of full voice acting is a shame (given the sharp silliness of the dialogue), Moving Out 2 oozes charm.
There is no doubt that this is a better game in almost every respect; content rich, critical new multiplayer features, and a somewhat unhinged approach to level design. If you’re looking for a satisfying co-op game for your family or crew, this is a great all round package.
Remember: you can slap people and they’ll cover greater distances. Yeah! Morals!
WORTH IT?
At the bottom of every game review, we ask the question: Worth it? And the answer is either “Yeah!” or “Nah”, followed by a comment that sums up how we feel. In order to provide more information, we also have “And” or “But”, which follows up our rating with further clarification, additional context for a game we love, or perhaps a redeeming quality for a game we didn’t like.
YEAH!
Moving Out 2 is a better sequel in almost every measurable sense, and will leave you laughing and infuriated (in a good way).
AND
The addition of online multiplayer and cross play support ensures a healthy community that can access the fun with ease.
TARPS?
At the bottom of some of our articles, you’ll see a series of absurd looking images (with equally stupid, in joke laden names). These are the TARP badges, which represent our ‘Totally Accurate Rating Platform’. They allow us to identify specific things, recognise positive or negative aspects of a games design, and generally indulge our consistent silliness with some visual tomfoolery.
