Moving Out Switch Review

Team17 offered a Moving Out Switch demo a while ago, but it wasn’t until recently that I played it.

With only four playable levels, I still managed to accumulate a good deal of time playing through, and the title quickly climbed my list of most wanted.

In fear of being biased to an already positive preview, how does this Moving Out Switch review fair?

Let’s… find… out… in… this…

…Moving Out Switch Review

Moving home is a stressful experience for most, but not this guy: I’ve moved house about 12 times in my life, so you could say I’m a veteran, a glutton for punishment or on the run.

You’d be right about two of those.

Moving Out tells the story from the other side: the removal team.

Let’s assume that the removal people are the baddies; they don’t get stressed – they’re professionals and do this for a living.

But they’re the good guys. They just want to apply their F.A.R.T. expertise in the greatest light.

It just so happens that they’re a little heavy-handed.

And, judging by the faces on the characters of Moving Out, they’re having a lot of fun.

Get furniture from one place to another in the fastest time.

That’s the goal of the game; the systematic approach is thrown out the window – as are the items and even yourself.

Moving Out is a wacky game, and while not entirely ‘real-life’, it’s still a simulator as players join the dark side of removals.

Now to have some fun.

A Moving Experience

In each level is a set amount of objects to transfer to your removal truck.

It’s an open bed initially, but once you get your quota on board, the sides flip up and off you go.

If there were only one entry point, it would be an absolute pig.

By pressing the X button, you can highlight the objects required so you can dash to each one as if in a relay race.

The motivation of the game is the timer: complete the level in a set time, and you’ll receive the appropriate medal.

There are bonus objectives too!

A blatant reference to another multiplayer title, but have you read the Totally Reliable Delivery Service review? Just sayin’.

It goes without saying that Moving Out is quite deceptive when it comes to appearances.

The visuals are gorgeous, and as I’ve mentioned before, this looks like an in-house Nintendo game – the palettes are perfect and the character models on par with Pokémon or Animal Crossing.

But the gameplay isn’t always as user friendly as getting items on board when there are environmental hazards about, as well as third parties getting in your way causing you to respawn, can be frustrating.

Helping Hand

Other than using your fantastic skill, there is an assistance mode to help with deliveries.

I wasn’t sure how that would work, but some of the features allow you to carry two-person items by yourself, or have the objects on the truck disappear, allowing more room for other things.

This sounds like a game-breaker, and in the right circumstances, it is. 

However, this was vital in keeping my daughter engaged as she was getting understandably frustrated when she couldn’t fit any more items onto the truck, or her dad was too busy to help her drag a fridge.

On this account, the assistance mode was brilliant and made the game all that more manageable and custom for the people playing.

I’ll admit, I turned it off when I was playing solo because I’m just that good at games.

I’m not. If you’ve seen my opening gameplay videos on YouTube, you’ll know that I cave under pressure.

Two Heads, Etc.

Moving Out isn’t a stressful experience, but the gameplay doesn’t mirror the cute character designs or the environments they occupy.

When it came to multiplayer, I threw a couple of tantrums.

If you play solo, the game adapts, and you’re able to pick up larger items such as a sofa or double bed by yourself. In multiplayer, you need the other player.

The Chuckle Brothers really should have been on a higher pedestal; that ‘to me to you’ routine looks so easy – try applying that with a dog and a person with a ramen pot for a head and see what happens.

You can position yourself to weave around obstacles and fit through doors, but if you play with another person (there’s room for four), you have to communicate.

When you get a rhythm going, Moving Out with someone else is so much fun, though.

In the two-player mode, one of us would wait by the removal truck while the other was on the first floor throwing out fragile boxes. 

It worked, and man was it satisfying.

Slappers And Swingers

Another highlight was the swinging effecting. 

No, this is a family-friendly title, the swinging mechanic here is literal – grab an object either side then lob it together.

Our first encounter of this trick other than the tutorial was when we had to take a shortcut and throw items over a swimming pool. 

Drop them in the water, and they respawn, thus slowing down your speed.

This can be frustrating, and again, a couple of tantrums would materialise as would the odd backhand.

Fortunately/unfortunately, you’re able to hit other players with one of the most satisfying slaps in a videogame.

We abused this feature immediately in the training session; as soon as we knew we could hit each other, we would.

Then it came to gameplay, and we couldn’t let it go: the other player takes an item you were going to pick up or vice versa, and a slap occurs, immediately followed by chasing one another around the map, often forgetting the timer.

It’s a fun element, but I can see fallouts from both adults and children.

That won’t happen with picking a character, however, as there’s a fair amount of customisation available as you progress.

The Additional Care Package

In Moving Out, there’s a reasonable amount of available characters, but as the story develops, you get new employees.

Once the ramen character signed up, I was sorted.

There isn’t the biggest line-up or customisations available, but it’s just about right.

Change your avatar’s colour, whether they’re in a wheelchair, and add a silly hat or glasses. 

It’s all cosmetic, of course, as there aren’t any stats to pay attention to.

But it’s all effortlessly weaved together for a quick-fire game without messing around with 101 different hairstyles or configuring the settings so it’s fair for one another.

To summarise, Moving Out is a great solo or co-op effort – if opting for the latter, expect some arguments.

If you have little patience with that person(s) already, don’t expect this to be one of those ‘let’s play a game so we can bond together’ titles.

By the end of it, you’ll be reaching for the broadswords.