Welcome back to The Backlog, where we review games based on a certain genre each month. Today’s edition is the last of November, so we are wrapping up the “cooperative” games with a favorite of mine: “Moving Out.”
“Moving Out” was released in 2020 and created by the Swedish studio DevM Games and the Australian developer SMG Studio. It was published by Team17, which is known for other notable co-op games like “Overcooked” and the single-player experience of “Dredge.” It can be played on the Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows and is available for purchase on Steam.
The game is very kid-friendly, aiming to be an experience that the whole family can enjoy. Both my siblings and my dad adored the endless amount of puns and fart jokes. The gameplay is simple yet effective, demonstrating that good games don’t need to have an intricate system in order to be enjoyable. Every player is an employee of a moving company named Smooth Moves, helping to move furniture into the moving truck. Whether or not the objects come out unscathed is up for debate, but the job gets done nonetheless.
This is the type of game where you need at least one other player involved, but generally, the more, the merrier. Some furniture is too heavy for one person and can be carried by two, allowing you to throw the objects together in a heave-ho fashion. Be warned that if you are not synchronized or agreeing on when to let go, it results in both laughs and frustration. You must also be wary of obstacles; as the levels progress, the difficulty increases, leading to moving platforms, ghosts and everyone’s favorite thing to step on, rakes.
Spoilers for the story of “Moving Out” beyond this point!
While the game starts as a simple exercise of breaking into clients’ homes and moving their furniture, players quickly begin to understand that there is more to the town of Packmore than meets the eye. The story is ridiculous, but so is the rest of the game. Pretty soon you are left to your own devices without the supervision of your boss (who is a stack of boxes with a face drawn on it) and begin moving furniture that should not be moved. Following the breadcrumbs leads you and your team to discover that Pack Rat has stolen the furniture, and you must use your skills and cooperation to steal back all the furniture you helped to steal in the first place.
The story is just as strange as I’ve described it, not to mention the DLC, “Movers In Paradise,” where you adventure to an island and must, once again, grab objects and put them in the truck with no concern for repercussions. Nevertheless, what matters is that you have fun along the way without any legallymandated 15-minute breaks. Overall, the game is a gem and should be played with your entire family or friends. It won’t destroy your bonds like “Pico Park,” but it will flesh out who is the dumbest among you.
The same developers and publisher recently released the sequel, “Moving Out 2,” earlier this year in August. While I haven’t played it to completion with my family yet (we’ve been busy finishing “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2”), I have had a chance to play a few levels. Hopefully, it will bring in new mechanics and puns that “Moving Out” is known for.
Rating: 4/5