When a game does so much right, is fun, chaotic and easy to pick up, it’s better not to reinvent the wheel too much for a sequel.

SMG Studios have got that balance just right with Moving Out 2. It’s not drastically different from what you may have played a few years back, but there’s enough meaningful changes and implementations to justify a whole new base game.

Think the difference between Overcooked 1 and 2, then. A bigger, bolder, more varied sequel with a core essence very much intact.

And, of course, it’s a game best played with in pairs or groups. Solo is just fine, but when you’re shouting across the room at your buddy to help pivot a sofa out of a door or swing it over a large gap so it lands in the back of a truck, the game takes on a whole different vibe.

In fact, one of my most satisfying moments was when I accidentally threw a chest of drawers, but it miracuously bounced off the top of a nearby parasol and neatly landed in my removal van. I audibly squealed and was desperately asking anyone around if they’d seen what I just did.

Moving Out 2 is full of wonderful little moments like that. Gaming keepsakes, if you will, that you’ll cherish, hold onto and smile when you think about them. That’s such a precious, even rare commodity these days.

And the way these levels are set up really helps broaden that appeal. Yes, you’re still driving a truck around a map, moving from one house to the next to pack up a checklist of items and deposit them in the back of a truck, all while trying not to damage the house you’re leaving behind. Too much.

But the way you can use the environment to make things easier for yourself, that you can throw things with two players to speed up the action, and the fact that it’s not as easy to find the items you need to take back as before means you’ll need to be paying closer attention and that not everything is just straight forward chaos.

One of the big changes, as mentioned, is being able to toss larger items like beds and arcade machines if you’re both holding either end. You press X to swing it and then you both need to press at the same time in order to send it soaring.

This doesn’t always work as intended. And can be a bit frustrating at times when one of you taps wrong at the slightest second or you mistime. It’s incredibly easy to do and does create some frustrations, so often I found I’d just do things the long and round about way.

But the thing I love most about Moving Out 2 is how much more varied the environments are, it’s not just household items you’re moving away from, like a candy land. And this, of course, provides new and unqiue objectives which really help seperate it from game one.

And there’s a ton of variety across the games huge amount of levels, there’s so much creativity and ingenuity in here that the game stays delightful, fresh and interesting.

The biggest implementation, of course, is online multiplayer. Before you either had to rely on AI or a local co-op buddy to support you, but now you can play with almost anyone, especially since it’s crossplay. While I’ve been playing pre-launch and haven’t really had as much opportunity to explore this as I’d like, this is a gamechanger. Especially since the game is also coming to PS+ at launch.

Moving Out 2’s core loop remains as satisfying than ever. More so. Pulling TV wires out of the wall. Flying drones. Smashing windows. Personally, I preferred this to Overcooked as it’s a bit more in my lane, easier to pick up and the kids had a blast with it whereas they found Overcooked a bit more stressful and got me to do the harder parts.

Anyone can pick up Moving Out 2, know exactly what they need to do, have some fun working together as a team, but also discovering the hidden gems scattered around each environment. True, the early stages felt a bit repetitive and more something you would see in Game 1. You might even start to feel like you’re playing the same game.

But as you progress, you’ll see much more originality, creativity, and potential for enjoyment. While some of the mechanics introduced at certain stages are a tad repetitive and some of the new features don’t quite work as well as you’d hope, Moving Out 2 is a much better sequel in every way while staying true and faithful to everything that’s come before.

Verdict

Moving Out 2 is delightful. It’s not a huge reinvention of what’s come before, but at the same time it adds enough to keep it fresh with newly styled levels and mechanics, new ways to work together to get bigger items around faster and full online crossplay. It’s smooth, stable, steady and an absolute blast to play together with friends and friends you’ve yet to meet. It’s my favourite party game this year!