Outer Wilds: a once in a lifetime experience

You have probably heard of this one, it is an award winning title that came out around 2019 and has been making the rounds as one of the best videogames of all time. I had heard of it when it came out, often confused with Outer Worlds which came out in the same year, but other than it being about exploring space, I didn’t know much about it. Last year, when I beat 1000xRESIST—another incredible game you should definitely play—my friend Jeremy kept pushing me to try this one next. I completed like six more games before I finally gave it a go early this year.

This review is spoiler-free, and even so, I’d rather you go play the game right now instead.

There is something to be said about a game that can go on without you, where you can spend countless hours without reading a single thing and explore every nook and cranny there is, while at the same time, there is not giving you a reason to do anything at all. There is no quest, there are no pop-ups, and there is no rush.

All you have is your own resolve and your own hunger for knowledge and understanding, that will be your only pursue and reward.

Outer Wilds puts you inside a toy-sized, fully simulated solar system, where each planet is completely different from each other and has unique behaviours and mysteries to discover. It will work without you, and you will work within it.

The only caveat about the game is this: It is played in first person perspective, and the physics and orientation in zero gravity can cause dizziness. If you get motion sickness, this game is not for you, and I am incredibly sorry.

You can take control of a spaceship that will absolutely kill you with its sketchy auto-pilot system, dozens of times, however, it will also provide you with a pretty awesome sense of control and simulated physics all around, you’ll have to learn how to land properly, how your velocity works and how each planet’s gravity affects you in the void of space! (The auto-pilot is actually pretty good—just make sure there’s no obstacles between you and your destination.)

With only a few tools at your disposal, you are pretty much on your own. The game doesn’t feature any upgrades or unlockables, there are no level ups, no collectibles, and no storage system either.

One of your tools will be your Scout Launcher, a probe you can aim and shoot at anything. It can take pictures, be a light source and detect hazards around you. Shoot it through a hole in the wall you can’t access and see what’s on the other side!

Another tool is the Signalscope, which let’s you detect signals from outer space (or things that are right next to you) and also zoom in to things far from you that might peak your interest. Keep a look out for any interesting signals and sounds around you.

The most important tool is the Translator. In the story you will learn that you are the first astronaut from the village’s space program—fittingly named “Outer Wilds Ventures”—you are going to able to translate all the ancient writings from an alien civilization whose remains are spread all over the solar system. The knowledge found in them are what is likely to hook you into figuring out more.

There’s also a computer with a ship log, which keeps track of the information you’ve gathered, and let’s you pin certain locations on a map of the whole solar system. You can also pin any celestial body from the map to auto-pilot to it.

And this is about as much as I can tell you of this game, without ruining every surprise it has for you.

I am not going to explain what each planet has to offer, I don’t want you to know even a slice of what the story is about, I also don’t want to describe the encounters or discoveries you will make, I won’t even quote a single line of text in the game. Every single one of those things is unique for your playthrough, and you deserve to cherish each moment.

Outer Wilds doesn’t force you to do anything, it doesn’t tell you in what order you should visit the planets, it doesn’t tell you the main objective or why you are there. It does give you a push, it does give you leads, but no more than that!

It is all about exploration, all about curiosity, about wonder, making your own journey, and connecting your own dots.

Come up with your own theories, try the craziest of stunts on your ship, and learn how to master and move on the environment around you.

It is the kind of game you can only play once, the solution is right in front of you the whole time.

The game has a story, the game will hook you, the game has a motive, everything happens for a reason, the whole system is like a puzzle, but at the same time, it doesn’t need you, it’s alive and well and beautiful and horrifying.

The artstyle of the game is great, it is cute, it is mesmerizing, it is also scary, and it will fill you with a sense of awe. The game adopts a very interesting design language, where the things that matter are incredibly obvious, and the places that don’t will look rather empty, this is to lead you into areas with things you can see or interact with, keeping everything at a small, cozy scale. Funnily enough, the game will somehow pull off incredible landscapes and perspectives that will, as I already said, fill you with a sense of wonder, as you see how beautiful the universe can be.

The music is a masterclass of environmental storytelling, it will make you feel every emotion, sadness, hope, peace. It is an incredible work of art on its own, and it compliments every moment in a wonderful manner. You will grow fond of it, you will also dread it. Every piece carries a lot of weight, and it just hits at the right time. That soundtrack is a must-buy. Andrew Prahlow is a genius.

Well, honestly, everyone who worked on this game clearly gave everything they had on it, the writing is absolutely incredible too. It is funny and sassy, it could also fill you with hope, it may as well make you cry and care about something beyond you. I have already said enough.

Am I hyping it up too much? Perhaps I am, perhaps you will try it and get lost and lose motivation, perhaps you will get hooked for a couple hours and then get stuck somewhere and lose all steam. I played this game in two big moments. From January 6 to 23, and from August 7 to 22. I understand why you may stop, why it may look like things are not clicking and why you may want to move on, perhaps you were there already, and abandoned the game.

I implore you to return, start over if you must but I have a feeling you will get by just with the clues at your disposal and the knowledge you have gained already. Soon something will happen that will finally make things fit inside your head, and it will be smooth sailing from there…

Technically speaking, the game is marvelous, the features and mechanics of its underworkings are miraculous. I played it on my Nintendo Switch and the performance was not ideal, however, it is not a game that requires perfomance or a stable framerate to be enjoyed. I do recommend getting it on a more powerful device though. I still put 32 hours into the Switch edition, and I will soon play the DLC there too, a whole game of its own, from what I’ve heard.

Normally I would plague this review with screenshots, but I just don’t want to show anything else now, just stop reading this and give it a go.

Please, play it, and tell me all about it when you do.

This is day 27 of #100DaysToOffload