For several years I heard about how it's one of the best puzzle and exploration games to have come out. I wasn't too driven to try a puzzle game immediately, but it’s about outer space so it was in my "must play" list for a long time. And two of my friends recently started to praise the ever living hell out of it, which I have to thank them for because it got me to try it out too. I'm making a game that involves a ship and outer wilds gave me some "loneliness" vibes so I figured I’d draw some inspiration from it.
The game was everything I expected and I mean that in a nice way. I set a high bar, and it crossed that easily. Calling the progression of the game a "puzzle" feels like I'm underselling it. This game is basically its own genre. Every bit of text you read exists to not just colour the world, but guide you through it. The planets are beautiful, and each have their own personalities for you to figure out and explore. And the best part, you aren't told what to do at all. Just go. Fly, read, die, and let the ship logs help you make connections. I thought this game would be very ruthless but it's simple for you to make the connections while also being challenging enough to not make it feel like a breeze.
AND THE BEST PART!? Nothing is locked behind progression. It's all about knowledge. You don't know how things work, and the moment you do, the solution is right in front of you. Do you realise how ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ wild it is to design a whole game around that? If they made it too easy most people would beat the game without needing to explore anything else. If they made it too convoluted, players would give up. But it's *just* right.
The art and music shouldn’t be slept on either. If there’s two words I could use to describe it, it would be “honest” and “purposeful”. Every piece of music and every bit of detail is deliberate. The clues aren’t just in the texts, a lot of the puzzle segments requires you to just stand and look. Look deeply. The game doesn’t stop when you close it. I’ve solved puzzles when I wasn’t playing it, and I love a piece of media that lingers in my mind, takes over a space in the brain while also not filling me with anxiety.
But that’s not me saying the game didn’t stress me out. Oh it did. My friends on discord got to witness how often I was filled with dread exploring a part of space and not knowing what will pop up. This game can be scary. Tbf I’m easily spooked, but the fear makes it so exciting too. Space isn’t a cakewalk. And Outer Wilds is not ashamed to show you the dangers of the wild.
[spoiler] A big part of this game, despite having no humans, is about humanity. The story revolves around two species - one trying to find the the truth of the universe, and our people venturing into space learning what our solar system has to offer. Eventually we trace the footsteps of the former species, learning how they arrived here and what their fate was. And then the torch is passed on to us, as we continue to find this very truth of the universe for ourselves. That curiousity to explore, despite knowing the risks of it, is very deeply human to me and one of the most essential and definitive qualities our species has had. Science compels us to explode the sun!! [/spoiler]
Would I recommend this game? Well, do you want to know what makes video games the best form of medium for storytelling? Both those questions will always share the same answer.
