''Moving Out'' is a 2020

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

moving

simulation game Simulation video games are a diverse super-category of video games, generally designed to closely simulate real world activities. A simulation game attempts to copy various activities from real life in the form of a game for various purposes such ...

developed by Swedish studio DevM Games and Australian developer

SMG Studio SMG Studio is an independent video game developer based in Sydney, Australia. They are best known for their video games '' Death Squared'' (2017), '' Moving Out'' (2020), and the ''One More'' series. Their first release, ''Over The Top Tower Defe ...

. In a local cooperative experience, players move objects from houses into a moving van while coping with exaggerated physics. The game was released for

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Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...

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, and

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on April 28, 2020, and for

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on January 28, 2021. A sequel, titled ''

Moving Out 2 ''Moving Out 2'' is a 2023 video game developed by SMG Studio and DevM Games, who also developed the previous game. Players attempt to move objects across various levels without hitting objections. It combines elements of strategy, puzzle, and p ...

'', was released on August 15, 2023.

Gameplay

Players in ''Moving Out'' take on the role of movers, moving marked furniture and appliances (such as couches, refrigerators, and microwaves) from a house to a moving truck under a time limit. Along the way, obstacles (such as rakes, fires, ice, and even ghosts) may be encountered. Some heavy objects require two people to move, while other objects are fragile and may be easily broken. Objects may be thrown. Players are ranked on a bronze, silver and gold scale, based on how quickly all of the objects are packed into the moving truck. The levels also have optional objectives, such as breaking all of the house's windows or packing an unmarked object. Additional bonus levels may also be unlocked. ''Moving Out'' features an "Assist Mode" feature, which helps reduce game difficulty. With this feature, the player can add extra time to the time limit, vanish objects on delivery, remove obstacles, make objects lighter or even skip levels.

Downloadable Content

The first DLC, The Employees of the Month Pack, contains four new playable characters: Professor Inkle, Bruce, Sprinkles and Dials. In February 2021, an expansion via DLC for all supported platforms was released under the name ''Movers in Paradise'', which added 14 new levels in a tropical environment as well as new characters and new types of items to be moved. New game mechanics include cranks, jetpacks, fans, breakable walls and rafts, which can add puzzle elements to levels. Reviewers agreed that if someone enjoyed the main game that they would also enjoy the expansion. They also commended its low price, but there was some criticism regarding its relatively short length. A free downloadable update introduced a new game mode for 12 of the original game levels which reverse the game play; asking players to remove items from a moving truck and place them in appropriate locations. The update also included new character costumes and dance moves.

Development

The idea came from developer Jan Rigerl helping a friend move. Rigerl noted he became fascinated with the process and the strategies involved in such things as "moving a couch around a hallway choke point or fitting multiple things into the elevator" and also noting that the concept would appeal to people because of the general poor reception most moving companies have. He started to develop such a game but as it grew in size he decided to team up with Ashley Ringrose, CEO of SMG Games. Ringrose had previously collaborated with Rigerl and had been trying unsuccessfully to get him join the studio. SMG's previous game ''

Death Squared ''Death Squared'' is a puzzle video game developed and published by SMG Studio. It was released in 2017 for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One, and in 2018 for iOS and Android. Reception ''Death Squared'' receive ...

'' helped inform the game development, as they wanted to avoid the mistakes made with that game with Ringrose stating that the lessons were "Focus on a strong, vibrant and visual identity. Have a name that's fun and doesn't mention Death! And have strong characters people can identify with." Upon the game's announcement comparisons began being made to ''

Overcooked ''Overcooked'' (stylised as ''Overcooked!'') is a 2016 cooking simulation video game developed by Ghost Town Games and published by Team17. In a local cooperative experience, players control a number of chefs in kitchens filled with various obs ...

'', a similar multiplayer game released a few years earlier. Ringrose has noted that prior to ''Moving Outs prototype being made he never played ''Overcooked'' and while embracing the comparison as a "shorthand reference", he also noted the various differences including ''Moving Out'' having a more focused single player experience. A sequel, titled ''Moving Out 2'', was released on August 15, 2023 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4,

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, Xbox One, and

Xbox Series X/S The Xbox Series X/S are home video game consoles developed by Microsoft. They were both released on November 10, 2020, as the fourth generation Xbox, succeeding the Xbox One. Along with Sony's PlayStation 5, also released in November 2020, t ...

Reception

''Moving Out'' has received generally positive reviews, with most reviewers commending its multiplayer game play. Comparisons to ''

'' were common.

References

External links