The longer we spend self-isolating in our homes, the more mundane activities in the past carry with them a tinge of nostalgia. Even chores like haggling with the gym manager for a lower monthly rate or picking a friend up from the airport at 4 AM seem fun. They’re certainly desirable to our current situation. It’s no surprise then that a game like Animal Crossing, with its rewarding and repetitive play pattern and lovable cast of characters has captured the hearts of so many trapped indoors.
If Animal Crossing takes outdoor work and makes it (relatively) low stakes and relaxing, then Team 17’s Moving Out is its high-octane counterpart. Players take on the role of a Furniture Arrangement & Relocation Technician (yes, FART) for a moving company in the colorful town of Packmore. Fans of Overcooked and Overcooked 2 will draw immediate comparison’s between those terrific multiplayer titles and the developer’s latest. The same fans (and newcomers) will be delighted to discover that Moving Out is just as successful as its contemporaries at making menial labor a ton of fun.
Moving Out is a top-down game where players control a single character tasked with moving items from inside a large house to the truck outdoors. The campaign consists of 30 levels that can all be played with up to three friends. And players will need the extra help. Though small items like toasters and boxes can be carried by one person, a lot of the larger items are near impossible to carry without two people. Teamwork and communication is necessary to navigate a L-couch through a door around a narrow hallway. But with all the chaos of a fully destructible house – and an ever-ticking clock – calm directions are unlikely.
When players aren’t yelling at each other to move to their right not my right, they’ll probably find themselves avoiding the levels’ various obstacles. They’ll have to dropped a picked-up item to slap a snapping turtle away, or throw their TV to a friend to catch across the room. In one level, an angry chicken will chase you as you try to move items from nearby its coop. Players must come up with creative ways to avoid these “enemies” all the while trying to find the most efficient way to move furniture.
The levels themselves get increasingly crazier, highlighting a wonderful sense of creativity. Players will go from nondescript houses that wouldn’t be out of place in The Sims to the far reaches of space. Even the “hub-world” where players control an ersatz moving van, crashing into cars and knocking over lawn flamingos like the best of em, is a burst of wacky energy. Moving Out’s zany sense of humor is ever present, creating a world where being a mover is the most dangerous – and exciting – job. Perhaps the game was a bit prescient. After all, touching a bunch of strangers’ belongings wouldn’t exactly be recommended in the real world.
Aside from trying to move a set amount of objects onto the truck in a time limit (players earn a higher rank based on a shorter time), the laborers also should pay attention to hidden objectives. After completing a level, it can be replayed again, to both increase one’s score, but also do things like “NOT breaking the vase” or “Breaking every window.” Completionists and casual players alike will find these challenges make the game’s relatively small lack of content last a lot longer.
More hours of fun games to fill our time is definitely what we all need right now. Unfortunately for those who live alone, Moving Out may not be that game. Without a built-in online mode for console players (Steam purchasers can use Remote-Play), there’s no way to enjoy the game as intended: with friendships on the edge of destruction at any moment. The game just doesn’t have the same shine solo, and is also significantly harder. With its built in Assist Mode (where options like increased timer and lighter objects for single players), the game is beatable, fun even, but not quite the same experience.
It’s a shame, because Moving Out really should be the game for right now. It’s brimming with inclusivity. Each of its many customizable characters is gender neutral and features the option to toggle a wheelchair as their mode of transport. Though the universe they live in is fantastical, the unicorns and plant people can celebrate by dancing the robot. They’re not so different from us. They just live in an idealized version of our reality. One where people can still join hands in helping other people and go move around outside without a care in the world. From house to house along its bustling city streets, Moving Out is a labor of love.
Moving Out is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam on April 28, 2020 for $24.99. Screen Rant was provided with a digital Switch copy for the purpose of this review.
