Moving Out Vs Moving Out 2

SMG Studio is on the cusp of bringing yet another pack of fresh-faced F.A.R.T.S to its physics-based moving simulation series, Moving Out. Aptly titled Moving Out 2, the upcoming sequel will once again hurl its players into a multiplayer-driven world—a place in which the tasks are wacky and the win criteria is based entirely on the carnage you produce and the unruly shenanigans you and your team are able to conjure in a timely manner. Essentially, it’s Moving Out, only with a much thicker skin, and one or two graphical and technical enhancements to boot.

Introductory spiel out in the open, what more do you need to know about Moving Out 2 before picking it up? Will it be a better game mechanically, or will it serve only as additional content that never quite made the original cut? Well, here’s everything we can tell you about the IP, and whether or not you should take the dive and have the sequel signed, sealed, and delivered come August 15, 2023.

What Is Moving Out?

To give you a vague idea of what Moving Out is all about, we’ll go ahead and break it down. In a nutshell, it’s a single-player and multiplayer physics-based moving simulator—one that is highly reminiscent of party favourites including Overcooked and Rubber Bandits.

Its idea is simple: a team of moving experts (referred to as F.A.R.T.S) must shift furniture and other expensive items from the confines of a home to a moving truck. To pass a level, furniture must be moved in a timely fashion, and with as few damaged goods in the moving truck as possible. In a typical progression style, each level gradually increases in difficulty, size, and complexity.

Moving Out is set in the quaint town of Packmore, a world that houses a multitude of homes, businesses, and other run-down areas all in need of a good old-fashioned spring-clean. Armed with your trusty moving truck, it’s essentially your role, as the Furniture Arrangement & Relocation Technician, to move between locations and help needy citizens shift their household wears in the most professional manner conceivable.

It all sounds rather straightforward on paper, right? Well, in theory, yes. Although, it often boils down to who you partner up with, and how well you gel as a unit. Failure to latch onto the right companion can, as with any multiplayer party game, lead to a negative score, plainly speaking. And with less points behind your back, it also means less contracts and freedom to work your way to the lavish properties of Packmore.

What’s New in Moving Out 2?

While Moving Out 2 will retain all the same gameplay mechanics as its first chapter, the sequel will be taking players away from the confines of Packmore and towards brand new realms and dimensions, and as a result, introduce all-new characters and houses to excavate either alone or with a team. That’s where the newly formed four-player cross-play function comes into effect—a new feature that’ll let movers ship out with up to three other friends online or locally.

Of course, Moving Out 2 won’t be all that different from its first season, minus the exception that it’ll take us to new horizons and roll out the red carpet for a thread of new extraterrestrial characters. Other than that, though, Moving Out 2 will essentially be a bigger, bolder, and far more entertaining repackage of the debut entry that came out back in 2020.

Gameplay & Replay Value

Like the vast majority of party games, Moving Out is best played with friends. There are benefits for doing so, too, which include being able to lift heavier furniture, as well as complete objectives in less time. Playing solo doesn’t quite have the same effect, as it asks you to complete all the same tasks, but without the aid of another crew member. And I’ll be honest, attempting to shimmy through a broken window with a fish tank in your arms isn’t quite as entertaining as it is with a few F.A.R.T.S to keep you company.

Of course, there is a lot of replay value in Moving Out, but only when playing in its multiplayer mode and with a variation of teams. The same can’t be said for its single-player experience, though, as a lot of its levels can sadly wind up leaving you either underwhelmed, frustrated, or even a little bored. Good news there is, Moving Out 2 will make use of an online play feature, which will of course open the floodgates for even more PvE entertainment with strangers around the globe. Question is, is online multiplayer really worth buying into?

Verdict

Safe to say that if you enjoyed Moving Out—to the extent of wanting to unravel another thread of homes to dismantle and businesses to tear down, then Moving Out 2 will provide exactly that. Of course, it doesn’t boast an entirely different concept by any means, but it does provide a well-needed extension to an already booming party game with endless replay value. So, if it’s double the content you’re looking for, and not to mention a new series of wacky scenarios that go beyond the borders of Packmore, then there’s no doubt about it — Moving Out 2 is the most obvious step forward.

At the series’ heart, Moving Out is a larger-than-life party game with an eye for what makes co-operative play the gentle giant that it is. Moving Out 2, really, is SMG Studio’s way of flexing its creative muscles to maximise the idea’s potential. And honestly, so long as there’s genuine content to go with it, and not rehashed scenarios and templates, then we’re all for it.

To answer the question of whether or not Moving Out 2 is the all-round better choice of the two — yes, it is. It’s better simply because, well, it offers the option to immerse in four-player online play, as well as stretch the levels far beyond the grounds of Packmore. With more content, characters, and add-ons to boot, how could we discard the sequel and send it packing?

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Moving Out 2 when it releases later this year? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.