Outer Wilds

I'm a little confused and I'm not sure if it's in a good way or a bad way.

Outer Wilds is an okay game, don't get me wrong, but it definitely has a couple major flaws that can irk certain people including me. The main flaw that nearly ruins the game for me - SPOILER ALERT - is the death/timeloop system. It is very repetitive (in a bad way, I know it's a timeloop), and causes less exploration and more rushing. That same repetition is not helped by the fact that the planets barely change or have anything new (except for a couple).

Since there's a time limit on each expedition, you have to hurry your way over to whichever planet you are exploring and quickly rush to get the clues without taking in any of the atmosphere. See a switch that you want to pull? Well there's about a 50/50 chance that you'll be instantly killed and put back to the beginning, or you'll find something vital that you need for a clue. That whole "kaizo" mentality is something that I believe doesn't fit in an atmospheric simulator. The nonsensical dying sort of breaks the immersion and gets on my nerves.

The story is not very interesting, on top of the fact that I have to rush for clues.

As for the positives: the graphics, sound, music, atmosphere, and pretty much the first couple of hours of playtime are some of the best you can get within the space genre (if not for that time limit secretly ruining everything). I loved the first couple of hours before I realized what the timeloop mechanic was actually doing (gatekeeping exploration), then the next hours just felt repetitive. Especially when you aren't making progress, you really FEEL it in this game.

Weirdly enough, this game was TOO MUCH of a game instead of being more of an experience.

Despite the blatant negatives, it can be a decent game theoretically (I was just expecting something better than a concept).

Light 3/5 for Outer Milds, would rarely recommend.

Despite being frustrating and annoying at certain occasions, I absolutely adore its beautiful vast and deep world. I love its unique poetic take on the space and cosmology. Lore and plots aside, aesthetically it's one of the most gorgeous looking games I've ever played. I always find myself hooked and immersed when the sun goes supernova while that melancholic yet comfy electronic soundtrack is playing. Such a sublime moment in a video game.

Philosophically it reminds me of the Nietzschean concept "Eternal Return": The idea that everything repeats forever and ever. In a world where we may be thirst over a world of static beings, without becoming, without dying and re-birthing, we gradually learn that a world of becoming, as tragic it is, is what that makes the life worth living. Accepting such a world is hard but as Nietzsche said "only where there are graves are there resurrection". The protagonist learned that while accepting the fragility of the universe is gut-wrenching, only out of this acceptances, only out of an endless becoming, new universes (more profound and beautiful) would emerge.
The way the game executed this concept is amazing and brilliant. For that it has a special place in my heart.

Spoiler-Free Review

This is the only exploration-adventure game I've played that truly feels like an adventure. There is very little guidance in what to do next - you piece the clues together by what you find along the way, but not in a way that feels degrading by being too obvious or too obscure. Reading is kept to bite-sized chunks (not Elder Scrolls books) and the important parts are logged for recollection.

The world is charming and atmospheric. The game is a great length, even going for 100% completion didn't feel like a chore. I have to dock a half a point due to the tedium that is inevitable with the end-game in time-loops, but even for this Outer Wilds offers a solution more elegant than its contemporaries.

Simply one of the most captivating games I have ever played. I will never forget the feelings of so many different instances in this game. Love all of the eureka moments. Laughed, cried, and was always in awe.

Despite the tedium that can come with the genres that Outer Wilds has chosen be developed within, the sheer ambition and beauty of this title carries it out of that rut and far into the stars.

A beautifully unforgettable, inimitable experience. Outer Wilds places you in a wonderfully well-crafted solar system with charming inhabitants, and plenty of secrets to discover, in which each piece of knowledge can allow you to unearth more nooks and crannies of these wilds. It's hard to go into too many details as this is a game that is heavily undermined by getting into specifics, but the way each geographic element and puzzle complements each other despite being explored completely non-linearly is incredibly unique. The only thing guiding you anywhere is your own curiosity and past knowledge, which accumulates as you play more.

Coming from a decent Kerbal Space Program player, the ship's controls and powerful/nimble thrusters along with a nice autopilot do a great job of allowing beginners to get acquainted with orbital mechanics and space exploration, for me, it fit like a glove. Definitely make sure to play this on controller though, there's certain mechanics that benefit from the precise controls of a stick and analog triggers.

It's so singular in how both desolate and comforting it is to explore these miniature, yet dense celestial bodies. Adding onto this is the similarly contrasting and wonderful art style which is homely and foreign when appropriate. The game feels so alien and yet so human in its aesthetics, dialogue, and character, the homeliness of the wooden yet scifi designs of your ship and the Hearthians compared with the anomalies and Nomaian ruins/technology left to discover in the solar system. The technical achievement of making such a dynamic setting work almost completely seamlessly at the indie level, where every piece fits together like clockwork while being one of the most nonlinear games I've ever played makes it so special. Add onto that a post-rock/electronic/folk-inspired soundtrack that goes toe-to-toe with some of the best in the medium combined with some of my favorite set pieces (of which I dare not spoil, they truly can only be experienced for the first time once), and this is my favorite game of all time.

It's interesting how I first discovered this game all the way back in middle school as Scott Manley had visited it as a simple alpha release. At the time, I thought it was a cool concept despite the (at the time) simplistic appearance, dialogue, and the general lack of polish. Still, I thought it had lots of potential but I lamented the fact I would likely not be able to play it, as I didn't start PC gaming until I became an adult. So, I promptly and completely forgot about it for another 6 years until friends immediately recommended I buy it. Now I find myself here singing its praises along with pretty much everyone else here. I guess it's true: there's always more to explore here.