Helping a friend move out of their apartment or house is a scary thing that most people hope they never have to do. That’s hardly a recipe for a good time, and yet the original Moving Out managed to turn the whole thing into a hilarious escapade full of slapstick comedy. I spent a lot of time playing it with my nieces and friends because it was a great all-around family game. Moving Out 2 aims to expand the co-op action by introducing entirely new universes and crazy mechanics, and it succeeds on almost every level.
However, for the first few levels it felt like I was still playing the first game. I have a familiar pattern in my head of throwing objects out the windows and yelling at my friend to turn the damn sofa. Mind you, it’s not that bad: the core mechanic of Moving Out 2 is pretty much about not fixing what isn’t broken, unlike the many doors, windows, and vases that now litter the apartment we just finished. The chaotic mess of two or more players trying to quickly pack everything into the truck is a lot of fun, especially when the timer runs out and there’s one more thing to grab. The thing is, the controls are clunky enough to be challenging and funny without making you want to smash your controller against the nearest wall.
That being said, it feels like the characters are throwing a lot more stuff this time around. In the first game it happened occasionally, but here it seems like my character will drop items a lot more – I didn’t appreciate the change because I couldn’t tell if it was intentional or a glitch. It is as if oil is wiped off the fingers before starting work.
Available on: Switch, PlayStation, Xbox
Reviewed on: Switch
Developers: SMG Studio, Devm Games
Posted by: Team 17Check the code provided by the publisher.
Fortunately, the game won’t make you wait too long for the novelty. Taking a leaf from Marvel’s bloated play, a bunch of multiverse portals open up that allow the hapless relocation team to explore whole new worlds full of people who want to move their stuff out, usually in a hurry and without regard for property damage. This premise allows the developers to introduce a lot of interesting new puzzle elements into the mix, such as massive rotating platforms or gingerbread houses with destructible walls. One level involved floating carts pulled by flying goldfish and had us throw gems across a chasm at a moving target.
Moving things around was something that was done in the first game as a fun way to extend their life, but in the sequel the developers took the concept and weaved it into the game properly. This makes for some really fun custom levels, including one where you shoot a house of lounge furniture with a giant slingshot. Such a sharp idea is where Moving Out 2 really shines.
![](https://wolfsgamingblog.files.wordpress.com/2023/08/moving-out-2-screenshot-2.jpg?w=1000)
One thing I’m not happy to see back are farm levels. Trying to corral a bunch of rabid beasts was a nightmare in the first game and even more infuriating in Moving Out 2. Seeing a group of chickens jump over the wall of their enclosure for the 6th or 7th time in a level is enough to make me seriously consider turning this place into an all-you-can-eat BBQ buffet.
A few new ideas don’t quite fit either, like having to constantly vacuum up clouds or levels made up entirely of one-way doors. Still, for the most part, the new mechanics are a success. It’s really impressive how developers find ways to spice up the simple concept of throwing around furniture and make it fun.
With so many new ideas and challenges on offer, it feels like the developers used to be much more generous with their time limits. Even beating the Pro time is quite likely on the first playthrough of the level, whereas in the first game the Pro time usually required another run or two. On the one hand, this makes Moving Out 2 less stressful, and on the other, it allows the fun to be more relaxed. The tight deadlines in the early games can cause real irritation among players, while these tighter restrictions keep the fun from turning into a craving for strangers. Well, more desire than usual, anyway.
However, I don’t like the new approach to optional objectives. Previously, extra objectives were listed in each level from the start, but now they only appear after you’ve completed the level. You can still complete them completely randomly, but you can no longer aim to catch them all in one playthrough of a level. It feels like it was done as a cheap way to increase the replay value. As before, there isn’t a huge amount of story, although there is an entertaining theme involving gnomes, but there are plenty of jokes that feel like they were written by a group of parents who had been holding back their parents’ jokes for years and needed an outlet. Some people might be immediately turned off by this, but to my mind and its love of tongue-in-cheek humor, it was completely appealing.
![](https://wolfsgamingblog.files.wordpress.com/2023/08/moving-out-2.jpg?w=1000)
Unsurprisingly, singleplayer is still the worst way to play. There are a ton of options for all of us johnny-no-friends, like making 2p items much easier to solo, increasing time limits, and more, but carefully navigating a curved hallway on a couch isn’t as much fun if it’s just you doing this.
The good news is that couch co-op is back, perfect for a few mates and beers and online gaming, so now you and your friend from halfway around the world can yell at each other in different languages while trying to move a huge pool table from a tiny room. Up to four people can be involved in moving things into the vans, which provides plenty of opportunities for mayhem, getting tangled up and trying to throw fragile boxes through huge gaps for your buddy to catch.
Moving Out 2 is a good sequel to an already great game. Not every new expansion is a hit, but most are, adding plenty of edgy ideas to an already manic game. A couple of friends, sitting on the sofa and laughing, throw a microwave oven out the window and knock it off an umbrella into a truck. Just be careful that the farm level doesn’t turn your group of friends into an angry mob out for blood.
![Official "Recommended" www.wolfsgamingblog.com logo](https://wolfsgamingblog.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/c0520-recommended2-copy-1024x753-1.png?w=1000)