This is one for the Aussies!
The Australian fan-favourite from SMG Studio, Moving Out 2, has officially gone up for pre-order and alongside the pre-order announcement, the team has launched a demo on the Nintendo Switch!
Moving Out 2 is a physics-based moving simulator where you can play with friends in couch-based local multiplayer or play solo as a removalist for the Smooth Moves removals company – better known as F.A.R.Ts (Furniture Arrangement and Relocation Technicians). Moving Out 2 will also be the first game in the series to also include online multiplayer which is great!
READ MORE: Future Games Show 2023 | Our top picks
As a lover of Moving Out and an honorary member of the F.A.R.Ts, I thought it was only fair I tried the *demo – and before you read on, just remember the word; Chaos.
The demo gives you access to the mandatory training level to familiarise yourself with the movements and controls, it also confirms it’s a direct sequel to Moving Out. Turns out the removalists lost their “F.A.R.T certification” from the last move they did, so they need to get it back.
Similarly to Moving Out, the loose control movement still applies, which I like. Moving your character feels fluid and smooth and still gives you the barriers of getting caught on and stuck behind walls and objects which I believe adds to the chaotic fun.
The controls support a jump, jump throw, catch, object lift and my personal favourite, a slap – you just never know when you may need to slap your colleagues into gear! After all, you’re on a time limit to pass the levels!
After the demo, you have 4 playable levels: Boxwood Farm (farm animal sorting), The Pool House (standard house/object removal), Honeycomb Hoops (a basketball shoot-out), and Wizzards Tower (standard house/object removal). Each level brings an element of disorganised fun, especially Boxwood Farm (more on that below). I like the variety they included in these levels, as each offers something different and unique.
READ MORE: Your PS Plus Essential games for July
I noted some frame rate issues when playing the “The Pool House” level which was a shame – hard to know if it’s the game, a hardware issue with the Nintendo Switch, or both.
Gameplay – Boxwood Farm
I’ve selected this level to talk about because the only way to describe it is chaos. You’re employed to organize this riotous farm and sort the animals into their pens. What you don’t know is that it’s one thing to get them sorted, but it’s another thing to keep them in the pens. I started sorting the farm and could not specifically get the chickens or pigs to stay in their pens – it required me to use other objects to barricade the gates and the shorter fences. It was an absolute nightmare to do as a single player, so this level is a must-play with a friend.
As nuts as it was, it was a lot of fun and I liked that they showed a different kind of assortment, rather than just furniture and moving boxes.
Graphics
Although not much has changed from the original design, the game looks bright, colourful and fun. You still get fun characters with different heads and can still toggle the option for them to be in a wheelchair or not which is a nice touch. There is also a roster of characters you can unlock with progress.
I love the characterisation in this game and the way objects and people have been designed. You take one look at the design and can appreciate that it’s a fun, family-friendly party game.
Here are some of my favourite characters from the demo:
Accessibility Options
I jumped into the settings to check out what was on offer and was pleasantly surprised with the detail of options there were, albeit small, but it makes for some ease to new players who may need assistance.
READ MORE: Review | OXENFREE II: Lost Signals (PS5)
There is the option to scale up the user interface which makes it super helpful to see and read easier. I personally used this setting as my eyesight can sometimes let me down. There is a dyslexic-friendly font that turns the font from bold to standard as well as the option to toggle subtitles on/off. Lastly, there is a screen shake sensitivity bar as well as a gameplay assist mode that gives you a bunch of other options to make gameplay easier for you. Seeing these options made me smile because these games can be quite fast-paced and any way to make a game easier and more enjoyable to all gamers is fantastic.
I’m really looking forward to playing the full game when it is released come August 15. If you haven’t played Moving Out but you are a lover of games like the Overcooked series, I strongly suggest downloading this demo and giving it a play. If you love it as much as I do, remember the first game already exists, so you can get your practice on in the lead-up to the full game’s release.
Moving Out 2 is available to pre-order on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series S/X.
