Outer Wilds

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.