Moving Out is a game that I first played at the Eurogamer EGX convention in London in 2019 and it truly grabbed my attention. In fact, it was my favourite game of the show and I spent several hours playing with friends and having a blast. Moving Out is a cooperative moving simulation game developed by Swedish studio DevM Games and also Australian developer SMG Studio. Published by Team17, you always know if you see their name on the face of a game that it will be a solid, playable title.
For this review I’ll be focusing on the new downloadable content Moving Out – Movers In Paradise. But for any newcomers to the title, let’s dip our toes a little bit into some information for the base game. Moving Out first launched on April 28th 2020 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch. If you have played the Overcooked! titles published by Team17 then you’ll be extremely interested in Moving Out.
The premise of Moving Out is very simple and players take on the role of house movers. Essentially you’ll be working as a removal person either alone or with your friends. Now we all know that moving house isn’t the most fun experience and can be very stressful, but here in Moving Out there is frustratingly addictive fun to be had by all!
The role of the mover is to move indicated furniture and appliances from the interior of a building to a removal truck as quickly and efficiently as possible. You’ll be racing against the clock to fill the vehicle with everything required as the aim is to gain the best possible finish time in an attempt to earn a gold ranking. Depending on your finish time you’ll have gold, silver and bronze tiers for each level to display how well you performed.
Sounds easy doesn’t it – moving objects from A to B – however there are obstacles and obstructions in your path to slow you down and halt your progress. Some items may require two people to carry them, or as a single person you’ll need to carry out precision maneuvers to squeeze through certain areas. For instance you may need to lift and take a corner sofa from a small room to the waiting truck outside. Sometimes you’ll have to move other items out of the way to achieve the movement required, such as pushing a piano aside to drag the dreaded heavy sofa across the room. Light items can be carried and thrown to speed up your run through, such as light boxes and objects like radios and golf clubs.
I’d highly recommend starting with the base game before you move onto the new Movers In Paradise DLC. You see, it is this which has you working through a variety of levels in a town setting before boarding a boat to a tropical island to work through the Movers In Paradise expansion. Now, whether you have played the base game or not there is a whole feast of new content to work though here, boasting 23 new levels, four new movers and a bunch of new features to absorb and explore. If you’re ready for a frustratingly fun adventure which is much more challenging than the base title on offer then you’re in for a treat.
I think it is important to state that this is absolutely a game you’ll want to put in the family fun treasure trove of titles. If you love playing video games with your partner, kids and friends in the vicinity of your own home, then this is a real blast. Up to four of you can pick up and play these levels together, adding a new layer of enjoyment if you have already ticked off the single player aspect. But be warned – this all-new downloadable content will introduce you to a new extreme of difficulty as you’ll have to contend with gaps to jump, moving platforms, ladders and even crabs unloading your removal truck as you work.
Moving platforms are simple enough to negotiate, especially solo, but when the rest of you are going full steam ahead carrying lamps, TVs or beach balls, it can easily become a cluster of mayhem. You’ll need communication and patience as you interact with these platforms to manage the movements efficiently and as quickly as possible. Now I’m quite a patient person in general, however you’ll soon find that the patience wears thin when you first encounter the pesky crabs. They will go at great lengths to scupper your removal process and obstruct you as you run across the beach, then when your back is turned they will start to drag items from the van and march away with them. Whilst this is humorous at first, it does become a real headache – in a fun way. Mix the crabs with jumping onto inflatables in order to cross a stream and you know you have a real mission on your hands.
I have enjoyed the way that the developers have not only introduced a whole new setting and theme with the island and the Movers In Paradise DLC, but also mixed in new elements and features to make it an enduring challenge. I would go as far to say that it feels like a bit of a sequel to the game rather than just an expansion as there is so much content for the financial outlay here. Of course, the art style is unchanged and blends in with the town experience from the base game; in fact you need to drive the in-game bus to a port in order to access the expansion.
The soundtrack also has a new aura here with a Caribbean vibe, which slots in nicely with the sound of calm rippling ocean water with birds quietly tweeting in the background.
Thankfully, you’ll be eased in gently to Packmore Island with a tutorial level titled “Welcome to Packmore Resort”. This will guide you through the basics such as how to jump, manoeuvre, how to carry, drop and throw items along with more. I’d advise any newcomers to play this level first especially if you’re inviting new local friends to the party. Within this learning process there is also a small taste of the new features such as pushing a raft into water and floating to another platform. This is as easy as it gets so be prepared for a steep learning curve from this point onwards.
I played the Moving Out – Movers In Paradise expansion with three of my family members and we had an absolutely fantastic time, so much so that I highly recommend getting at least someone else to join you for maximum enjoyment. Whilst this is accessible for all ages and abilities, there may be some raised voices as you try and converse with each other as not being organised usually results in absolute bedlam.
For such a small cost of £5.99 there is a huge amount of content on offer here, mirroring the main base game and adding so much more mindless enjoyment. The amount of times I have shelled out for DLC with other games and felt underwhelmed is quite frequent, but with Moving Out – Movers In Paradise I have been extremely impressed with 23 new levels across an entire island theme, with new movers and features.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that Moving Out is one of my favourite indie titles of all time. It is unique and can be played and experienced alone or with friends locally and with this new addition it adds so much longevity and replayability with endless hours of trying to beat the clock. The one feature I do feel is lacking is the ability to play online with friends, as this would be the cherry on the cake. Understandably Moving Out was probably created without online play in mind, but that isn’t to say it wouldn’t have worked well. This aside, Moving Out – Movers In Paradise on Xbox is a meaty, fun-packed adventure and one of the best pieces of downloadable content I’ve seen within a game.
