Back in early 2020 publisher Team17 and developer SMG Studio released their own take on the Overcooked formula called Moving Out. The chaotic co-op game had you moving people out of their homes instead of cooking for them but it was just as much fun. Three years later the team has released a sequel that is bigger and better. Here is my review of the PlayStation 5 version of Moving Out 2.
Moving Out 2 doesn’t reinvent the formula but rather looks to build on what the first game did well. You will once again be playing as a worker for Smooth Moves known as a F.A.R.T. which stands for Furniture Arrangement & Relocation Technician. You won’t be moving out the people of Packmore this time however as portals have opened and send you on a multi-dimensional trip to other realms. These include candy land Snackmore, wizarding world Folkmore, and the futuristic landscape of Pactropolis. Setting the game across three dimensions this time helps to provide more visual variety and Moving Out 2 looks great throughout. The colorful presentation, items and details packed into each map, and the varied cast of characters all help to provide a breath of fresh air after the first game.
Moving Out 2 also offers plenty of choice in how to play. You can play solo or with up to four players locally but this time you also get online play which was missing the first time around. Not only that but it also supports cross-play letting you team up with F.A.R.T.s on whatever platform you want. You also get a ton of nice assist options you can toggle on and off making it so a much wider array of players can enjoy this regardless of their skill level. The gameplay remains pretty similar as when you jump into a level you’ll be having to pick up and move things out to the designated location while dealing with the crazy physics. There is some great level design throughout with all kinds of different situations to deal with. You may have portals in one level, conveyor belts in another, doors that operate on a timer, two-story buildings where you may have to throw things out of a window and so on. All of this chaos is made more fun if you are playing with others and laughing at each other when things don’t go as planned. You can still operate solo if you want but much like the first game it just isn’t as much fun that way.
Outside of just completing the levels you also are graded in stars based on whether you completed certain objectives. Earning more stars is the key to unlocking more levels and characters and so you’ll have to get them to make it through the game. The objectives can vary from having to beat a level under a certain time, not breaking things, to not interacting with certain things in a level. Some of these can be a little frustrating to complete and because progression is tied to it that led to be growing a little annoyed. I also found some of the late game levels to have some frustrating level design too. Using the assist mode can help make things easier but I don’t think you should have to do that to make up for some questionable design decisions.
Moving Out 2 provides more variety and adds some new features to improve on what the first game did so well. There is some fun level design across the different dimensions, the writing is funny once again, and there is plenty of ways to play with friends locally or online regardless of their skill level. Some late game level design frustration wasn’t enough to take my enjoyment away so I would say if you liked the first game or enjoy things like Overcooked then you should absolutely play Moving Out 2.
*Moving Out 2 is available now on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. PlayStation 5 version reviewed. Review copy provided by the publisher for this review.
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