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| I'm sure they didn't need that door, or flamingo, or fence... |
| Quick Info | |
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| Reviewed by: | Mark Goninon |
| Developer: | SMG Studio, DevM Games |
| Publisher: | Team17 |
| Release Date: | 28 Apr 2020 |
| Time played: | 6 hours (INCOMPLETE) |
The Overcooked! of Furniture Removal
Couch co-op games have had a bit of a resurgence in recent years with the likes of Overcooked! and games by Josef Fares like It Takes Two and Split Fiction becoming very popular. Moving Out, created by Australian developer SMG Studio and Swedish developer DevM Games, and released in 2020, is one such game which was built with co-op from the ground up. Moving Out emulates the bright colours and top-down cartoon graphics of Overcooked! (a game also published by Team17) but instead of scurrying around a kitchen preparing food, you're scurrying around picking up furniture to load into a moving truck (at least most of the time).
When you first play the game, you're given a tutorial showing you how to pick up and throw items. Light furniture is easy to handle but heavier and larger ones will require you to drag it around corners, which is hard to do with one person but (potentially) easier with two. I say "potentially" since while it's quicker to move around with the strength of two people, you'll have to coordinate with the second person on how to move that L-shaped couch through a door: not always an easy task! Also, having two people is the only way you're going to be able to throw heavier items as this isn't even possible for one person. You're also taught how to slap ghosts… since that's actually a thing in this game: getting caught by a ghost will result in you respawning and losing precious time.
Speaking of time, that's the goal of each level. You're either packing or unpacking furniture (or sometimes, even live animals) within a certain time limit. Barely scraping through will give you a bronze medal but if you're efficient you might get a silver or even a gold medal.
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| Not quite a Ghostbuster, more of a Ghost Slapper! |
Humour
Moving Out is set during the 1980s and you work for a dodgy moving company called Smooth Moves. After passing the tutorial, you're given the rather puerile title of "F.A.R.T." which stands for Furniture Arrangement & Relocation Technician. The game is filled with jokes about negligent, uncaring bosses, and naive, incompetent employees. It's also filled with several pop culture references to the 80s and 90s, including but not limited to the "Ninja Turtles", Frogger, Pac-Man, Atari and "Seinfeld". Add an 80s infomercial vibe to its music and presentation, and you've got a funny, light-hearted game where its humour and slapstick gameplay take the centre stage.
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| Yes, you read that right. You're now a certified F.A.R.T. |
Solo Keyboard is Hard Mode
When I originally played this game with my kids, I played it co-op on my TV using controllers and the Steam Link. It worked fine but I decided in order to really punish myself, I should try playing the game solo, and not with controllers, but with a keyboard! It's not the most ideal way to play but it is possible to get through a lot of the game solo. You're not going to be receiving any gold medals, but it can be done.This is because, as mentioned before, bulky, weird-shaped items will sometimes need rotating and this is harder to do quickly with one person.
As you progress through the game, you'll unlock new modes to try such as an arcade mode which is reminiscent of the Prime Empire season from "Lego Ninjago" or the movie "Tron", as well as Moving In Mode, which is the same as the base game except in reverse. While I dabbled a little bit with the Moving In Mode, I never ended up getting too far with the arcade mode as it was too challenging for my tastes: playing the game solo with a keyboard was hard enough.
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| Accessing new levels is performed by driving your moving truck to a new house |
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8
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A bright, colourful, funny couch co-op furniture moving game that'll be sure to bring a lot of laughs to your household. More challenging modes can be unlocked if simply packing furniture (or chickens) isn't your thing. |
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