Pivot, Pivot, Pivot! Seeing the frustration pour out of Ross, Chandler, and Rachels’s faces from the famous American sitcom, Friends, made it pretty obvious that moving furniture was never a happy place for anyone. What are the chances that you have dropped a bowl or two while helping a friend move into a new apartment? I’ll bet the chances are quite high. I’ll also put high stakes on the fact that the shifting phase would not have ended before either of you lashing out on each other every once in a while.
This troublesome and bittering idea of moving items has been turned into a positive and relaxing gameplay experience by the SMG Studios and DEVM Games in their recent game, Moving Out. Moving out is expected to make its release on 28th April 2020, and it will be available across all major platforms, that include, PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
In this Moving Out review we uncover some of the gameplay experiences we have had while Moving Out!
Honey! The Movers are Here
The developers have tried their best in making this gruesome task seem like a healthy weekend activity. The game begins by portraying you as one of the employees of a moving company, that goes by the name of Smooth Moves Company. you will not be the only one out there, busting your muscle with the heavy furniture, but you will be joined with three other friends of yours since it’s a co-op game. What follows next, will give you a roller coaster of emotions.
You will be charged with the task of moving items from a building, out into the truck. The task seems fairly simple, but the game comes with its own set of challenges. You will soon find yourselves running into each other if you do not coordinate your movements properly. Coordination is the basic key to the game; you will not be able to fit that table through that door if one of you keeps pushing it the wrong way around. You will also need to manage the movement of the furniture in a systematic way. Heavy furniture will require a combined effort to move, whereas, lighter furniture could be moved single-handedly.
Simplicity is the key aspect of the game, and the same could be said about the controls. There aren’t a lot of moves that you could perform with your characters; hence the controls are straightforward too. You will have a few sets of buttons to move the character, to pick up an object, get rid of it, and finally, jump. Not that you usually go jumping after you take hold of furniture, but there are times that you are controlling a plant-headed character, so who is to judge here? Anyways, the controls are simple, but the movement isn’t. you need to devise a complete path starting from where the object is located, all the way to the truck. In case you settle for a wrong path, you will be stuck in an alleyway that is too narrow to cross. You also have to be careful about your movement when you’re carrying something heavy. One quick turn and you are all over the floor. Other than that, not every piece of equipment comes with the grab and go policy. Keep on a lookout for electrical appliances that are plugged into the sockets.
Take care of the pile-up in the truck as well. Getting stuff out of the building and into the truck is not the only part of your job, you have to arrange it properly as well. If you keep bringing and throwing smaller stuff into the truck randomly, it will create a problem for you once you bring in a bed and stand there sweating as you didn’t leave a spot for it earlier.
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Progressing through levels
The house you have to move, will not always be a house at every level, and each level will bring in a set of new difficulties for you.
There will be a time you will find yourself in a haunted house, and things will not be easier there. The first thing that you will notice as you enter the place will be the moving furniture. Carrying furniture is a job itself, you will have to chase the furniture as well. Getting eaten by a possessed piano will be a very common sight to see, and this will restart the game for that player and put it on the front porch again. You will also spot a few ghosts running about, stay clear of them.
And just when you start getting the hang of moving furniture and build coordination with your other team players, you will be put on a farm. Believe me, loading sheep on to the truck is way difficult than moving a few lamps every once in a while. There will be all kinds of animals, including sheep, pigs, cows and you will be jabbing at your controller to run after them. however, it’s a relief that once the animals make it to the truck, they won’t be moving out, given that you place them inside properly. You can also push the animals into the truck without having to carry them. this is a more suitable option for the animals roaming around the truck, or if you have your handfuls with another one.
You will also find yourself moving office and factory furniture. As long as the offices are concerned, there are chances that they are not located on the ground floor and you will have to be at the mercy of an elevator. All the furniture will need to be loaded in the elevator before it could be moved. I found this a comparatively easier job since the elevator is located in the middle of the office as compared to the truck that is parked outside of the building. The elevator is also fairly large to fit in all the stuff, if it is placed sensibly. There will be times when the elevator won’t be present and you will find yourself cursing the furniture down a flight of stairs. Moving on towards the factories, be careful about the conveyor belts that will be linked to other rooms. Use this feature to your advantage.
What else you need to know about?
The game is not that easy when it comes to the tinkering timer on the top right. You will be rewarded with a bronze, silver, or a gold medal considering the time you completed the level in. there will also be a few other optional challenges, such as moving the furniture without breaking the windows. The challenges will not always be this simple. The challenge might point you in a direction of the furniture that is not initially visible. Well, its about high time you go play hide and seek!
Even though the game is best made for playing it with friends, it can be played alone. This, however, is not easy. Out of my experience of the game, you need at least one more helping hand in the game. Carrying a sofa using a pair of hands is not impossible, but it definitely is more time-consuming. What you can do is, come back to the old levels once you have completed them with friends, and play them solo for any additional challenges that you might have overseen in the first go.
Now comes the best part of the game, that I have saved for the last. You can go around throwing a few slaps at your fellow players. This has to be the most hilarious and realistic aspect of the game. Are your friends being an ass, throw them in a bit of a treat to cool off your frustration.
The Graphics and Sound Effects
The graphics of the game are not something I would regard as the selling point of the game. The graphics seem to be out of a 2000’s simulation game. Moving Out reminds me of the Dinner Dash, a restaurant managing game that came out somewhere in 2004. The game is 3D; however, the camera angles are fixed, giving the game a bit of an old touch
As long as the background soundtracks of the game are concerned, I did not find them fitting in with the theme of the game. It might fit in well with an old Mario game, but not this one. In my opinion, a more peaceful and smoother soundtrack will suit well to the game. A few beeps and boops are heard as the characters go bonkers in the game, this adds to the humor of the game.
Overall, the game has a fun strategic gameplay to it. From throwing stuff out of the window and praying the dummy down below catches it, to throwing small stuff over the walls to each other, is all there is to the game, and I have to say it, is not dull.
It’s a different game put out into the gaming community by the developers, and it has to be played with a different mindset. However, it would be even better if the upcoming updates would include a multiplayer option to the game, allowing us to move house with our friends while sitting remotely. since the game is scheduled to come out on 28th, but the fingers are crossed for the big release.