Throughout the years, we have seen sequels to video games that have taken the core concept of the original and improved the overall quality of the game to deliver a truly wonderful experience. From time to time, such games have even been great enough to eclipse the original in the minds of their respective communities. Just recently, a game came out that I believe has done just that. The game in question is Moving Out 2. Let’s dive in!

Moving Out 2 is a wacky return to Packmore, the town that was the setting for the first Moving Out. In Packmore, citizens were both terrorized and moved out by the Furniture Arrangement & Relocation Technicians, otherwise known as F.A.R.Ts, at Smooth Moves. In Moving Out 2, the town of Packmore now has insurance and some residents still want to leave the town. However, not everything is as it seems when your boss is unwittingly whisked away. You will have to use all of your F.A.R.T. training in order to rescue him and return the town of Packmore to normal, or at least as best as you can.

The major improvement of Moving Out 2 that separates it from its predecessor is the addition of Online Co-op, something which seemed like a feature that should’ve been in the first game considering when it came out. Regardless, Online Co-op in Moving Out 2 works phenomenally well. However, those who enjoy participating in couch co-op should have no fear as all of the local co-op features that were present in the first game still work just as well.

Despite my experience, I should note that there are a few negative reviews on the Steam page of the game where players are having problems with the multiplayer. With the lack of information given in these reviews, it is difficult to say if these issues are stemming directly from the game or from the internet connections of those playing.

In terms of the gameplay, there isn’t much of a noticeable difference between Moving Out and Moving Out 2. You and up to three other players can go around to different homes in order to help the customers pack up their belongings. Between the two games, there definitely seems to be an improvement in the graphics as well as a refining of some gameplay elements. There also appear to be more obstacles to navigate in Moving Out 2 that can impede how quickly you hit the time goal, as well as any additional objectives. 

Many of the zany characters that exist in the original game make a return, as well as quite the collection of new oddities that you can play as. The customization of the characters that you can unlock appears to be around the same. However, the number of characters that you can unlock seems to have increased by quite a bit. I wasn’t able to find an exact number of characters for either the first or second game, so I can’t be entirely sure how much of a difference there is.

The Arcade makes a return as well, which offers more challenges for you to overcome. The various games that you can unlock in the Arcade can be found on the world map and within some of the 57 levels that exist within Moving Out 2. I personally only found myself going to the Arcade once at the beginning when it was unlocked and later on in the game once I had collected a good chunk of the games for it. There are a total of seven arcade carts that can be found, which is a small bit of the overall 51 collectibles that you can find.

Overall, I believe that Moving Out 2 is a phenomenal game to play with friends. While you can certainly play the game by yourself, it is my belief that this will only be enjoyable to the very young and the young at heart. For me, I found that the game truly reached its full potential when I was able to get a friend or two to join me in the weird shenanigans that the movers at Smooth Moves get up to. If you are looking for more games to enjoy after trying Moving Out 2, I suggest checking out Alexx Aplin’s review of Dave the Diver right here.

A PC review copy of Moving Out 2 was provided by Team 17 for this review.

Moving Out 2

29.99

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• Online Multiplayer
• Quirky Characters
• Interesting Level Designs
• Fun for Everyone

Cons

• Some Potential Connection Issues