I'm not entirely sure who's living in these houses, but I want to know them. The mysterious Moving Out 2 clients are surprisingly AWOL as my F.A.R.T partner and I – that's Furniture Arrangement and Relocation Technicians, I'll have you know – fling their furniture around and maneuver it into our Smooth Moves van. Although to be honest, that's probably for the best. We're prioritizing speed here after all, rather than ensuring that there's no damage. With smashed windows, damaged ornaments, and sofas punted over swimming pools, I definitely wouldn't want to enlist my Moving Out 2 services.
If you've played the original Moving Out from Team17 and co-developers DevM Games and SMG Studio, then the basic premise of this sequel will be very familiar. You and up to three friends work to get a customer's furniture and other assorted items out of their house and into the moving van in the fastest time possible. Sometimes you're even moving things into the homes for a cute flip reversal of proceedings. There are other optional goals to tick off too if you so wish, like not breaking anything or, conversely, breaking everything. I will say, the more friends you have playing at once the better. There's a reason why you rarely get removal folks doing it on their own – obviously mostly for safety reasons but also it's so much less fun.
Moving Out 2's brilliance shines when there are little F.A.R.Ts stumbling all over each other, dragging boxes around, or slapping each other across gaps to get them to the next item faster. Some objects are too heavy for a solo lifter in multiplayer too, so you'll have to coordinate how to carry more awkward items too, which actually just adds another layer of hilarity to proceedings. Trying to get a curved sofa that's also a croissant through a narrow door is much funnier than you'd expect from watching the Chuckle Brothers. It's more of a strategic puzzle game solo, which isn't without its merits but is an entirely different vibe to the multiplayer antics. Plus, this time around it's got online co-op complete with crossplay between all platforms – something the original title was missing.
Sugar and magic
Even at a base level, each removal you do will come with its own obstacles whether that's one-way fire doors, far too many windows for a room with several large sofas to be moved, or a particularly thin bridge between the house and the moving van. Navigating them is part of the fun, particularly when you start working your way through to the later stages of Moving Out 2's 50+ levels.
Handily, to keep everything approachable, there's a new Assist Mode that adds modifiers to the game to make it easier, or remove some of the time constraints so you can focus on the fun. It'll no doubt be particularly handy for the younger players, as otherwise this is a very family-friendly game. There's just enough floppiness to the physics that it's challenging without being obtuse – it's very Fall Guys and Overcooked 2 in that way – and it's got the right balance in its writing to appeal to all ages.
To unearth more hidden gems in 2023, be sure to check out all of the excellent games that we have profiled as part of the 12DOVE indie spotlight series.
Because the real lure of Moving Out 2 is that it fully embraces just how silly it is. The game has always had brilliant dialogue, and now has even more ridiculous characters to pick from like aliens, clouds, fish in their fishbowls, and more, but it also has unique regions to explore. One is a futuristic eco-city where you'll have to navigate being high up in the sky on moving platforms, complete with gorgeous – and very immovable – planters.
Another is a candy and dessert-based realm where you must swing a wrecking ball of sorts to smash through cookie walls and crack open candy shells to reveal the goodies within. There's even a wizarding one where all sorts of magical hijinx are going to play out. It all helps keep the premise interesting and challenging. No-one likes moving in real life, but the developers make it compelling fun here.
For more like Moving Out 2, check out our recommendation of the best co-op games.
