Outer Wilds

Probably the most compelling game I have played in a long time, my only issue is the fact that I cannot experience this game for the first time again.

This is one of the most creative games i have ever played, there is genuinely nothing like it and i don't think there ever will be again which is shame due to the fact i cant play it again, but my first and only play though is one of the most enjoyable experiences i have ever had with a video game, there is not a day that goes by where i don't think about this game at least once both due to its unique game play and incredible story that both moved me to tears and changed how i think about death and our role in the grand scheme of the universe.

It's an amazing game !
A wonderful journey in outer space, where you navigate with the sole goal of discovery.
It tickles my inner child's curiosity and fulfills my teenage fascination with space.
There is a before and an after playing Outer-Wild, leaving you rethinking life in your room after both ends (with the dlc too).
The only think i could say is thank you !

The way people talk about Outer Wilds after playing it has become kind of a running joke, like they'll say it's a life-changing experience and one of the best games ever and you'll wish you could play for the first time again and yada yada yada
So instead of indulging in that, I'll just say that all of those sorts comments are pretty much spot on, and I'll very be lucky if I ever get to play one single other game with exploration and a setting this well realized. Knowing that this powerful a game was made by a small indie team when many AAA studios wouldn't even think of half of the stuff this game offers is inspiring as fuck man. So much more to say but this is indeed an all-timer
10/10

the moral of the story is not even the end of all things can stop good friends from straight chillin

games aren't for everyone, but if i could pick one game that every person would play, it would be this one.

Outer Wilds is an undeniably ambitious and artistically stunning game, one that has earned a devoted following for its unique approach to exploration and storytelling. However, while I can appreciate its strengths, I found myself more frustrated than enthralled by its mechanics and structure. The handcrafted planets, each with their own distinct character and mysteries, showcase an art direction that is both whimsical and hauntingly beautiful. Whether drifting through space or stepping onto a crumbling planet, the aesthetic choices reinforce the sense of cosmic wonder and existential loneliness that the game thrives on. The music, too, is a standout feature, perfectly complementing the atmosphere with haunting melodies and quiet, reflective moments that elevate the game’s emotional weight.

Unfortunately, my appreciation for its world was constantly hindered by the controls. Navigating a spaceship and maneuvering in zero gravity should feel intuitive, but instead, I often found myself battling against unresponsive or floaty controls that refused to do what I intended. Whether landing on a planet or trying to make precise movements in space, I felt like I was fighting the game more than engaging with it. This added unnecessary frustration, especially in a game that demands repetition and precise execution. The narrative, while conceptually intriguing, didn’t land for me. I understand that many players found deep meaning in its existential themes and the mysteries of the universe, but I never fully connected with it. The story felt more like an overarching stage for the gameplay rather than something that pulled me in on an emotional level. It’s not that the game lacks depth—there are certainly big ideas at play—but the way they were presented didn’t resonate with me personally.

A major reason for my disconnect is my general dislike for time-loop mechanics. While I recognize that Outer Wilds uses the loop in a creative way, I’ve always found time loops to be a restriction rather than an engaging mechanic. There’s an opportunity cost when a game forces you to experience its world in bite-sized increments, constantly resetting progress and forcing repetition. Instead of being able to take in the game’s universe at my own pace, I was constantly racing against the clock, which only heightened my frustrations with the controls. I understand why Outer Wilds is beloved—it’s a deeply atmospheric, cleverly designed game that offers a unique experience in the gaming landscape. However, for me, its frustrations outweighed its brilliance. The art and sound design deserve all the praise they get, but the unrefined controls, underwhelming narrative delivery, and time-loop structure kept me from truly enjoying it. If you love open-ended exploration and don’t mind a bit of repetition, it might be a game worth experiencing. But if time loops feel like a burden rather than a thrill, it might leave you more exasperated than enlightened.

A long time ago, someone asked me: if I could replay a game for the first time again, what would it be? Originally, I answered Skyrim; eventually, this shifted more towards the original Dark Souls.

After beating this game, it has easily blown everything else out of the water. This game is an absolutely incredible experience from start to finish. I loved this game. Genuinely stellar. Can not recommend enough.

Excellent exploration and mystery game, great ambiance and interesting ideas and puzzles.

I just finished the game. Wow. And not in a good way.

(no spoilers)

I've never, ever felt so much like I wasted my time playing a game. It's genuinely not at all the developers' fault. The game is not awful, or broken, or anything like that. What went wrong is that the game is so overwhelmingly positively reviewed, that I felt like I had to try it and play it to the end. And... it's not for me. At various points throughout the game I felt bored, annoyed, and like I generally wasn't getting drawn in to the game as much as I would hope. But there is such a positive narrative around this game, people LITERALLY say that it changed their lives and they thought about it for months afterward. And, no one shares any details or spoilers to give you a better idea, because that would take away from the game. So, it seemed well worth playing it to the end and seeing what it was all about, but for me, it was not.

I like space, I like exploration, I like puzzles, I like lore. There were a lot of cool and unique elements in this game in those veins. My favorite parts were where you finally unraveled something that you had found dozens of loose threads for, and you could finally see how some part of the story fit together. Besides that, the physics, the mechanics of the planets, the writing, and the music are good.

But there were also significant negatives.

1) The game is SLOW. There are many parts of the game that literally require waiting. You can speed this up to various extents, but you still have to wait. If you die or mess something up, have fun waiting again. And again.

2) Without being too specific, there are a couple places where there are semi-random placements of entities that can kill you, and there's not much you can do about it if you get unlucky.

3) Most of the many little puzzles and things to figure out have good, clear hints. But there are probably around 5 critical things that do not have good hints at all, and it is possible to get stuck for hours. That is not fun puzzle time, either. It's just being completely stuck, wasting your time trying things that are never going to work. There are a lot of things you might try since they seem to make sense based on other elements of the game, but no. The solution is a completely different direction. Mostly very simple, but if you don't head in the right direction to solve it in the first place, good luck. Hopefully you look it up before you waste too much of your time.

4) Also, the ending. The ending sucks, in my opinion. Everything interesting in the game comes earlier, as you figure things out such as the history of the game and how things fit together. Then the ending is the biggest let down of the whole game, since you're expecting something interesting and great. And then there's nothing. It's slow, and boring, and if you die in the final sequence (which requires multiple steps after you've figured it all out) have fun repeating the whole process to get to it, as with everything else in the game.

If this game had not been hyped up so, so much, I would have probably played for ~5 hours before gradually losing hope that it was going to fully hook me, and moving on to something I liked better. But because it was hyped up so much, in combination with no detail sharing by anyone, I played on. If you're interested in this game, great. You'll probably like it. But if you're playing it and getting bored, or not sure if it's for you: consider this your permission to drop it. It's not life changing for everyone.

Despite the tone of this review, overall, the game is fine. Good, even. But bear in mind that it's a small indie game and it's not perfectly polished. If you go in with reasonable expectations, you're far more likely to enjoy it.

Many games present you with a mystery and challenge you to find the answers. Outer Wilds does something far more special: it doesn’t just make you search for answers, it makes you discover the very questions you need to ask. Instead of offering a single, central mystery, it provides a small, intricate solar system filled with fragments of history, unexplained phenomena, and hidden connections, all waiting for you to explore at your own pace.

What’s also truly unique is that the only progress you can make toward the end is through gaining knowledge. In other words the only thing standing between you and the ending of the game is your lack of knowledge on how to reach the ending. Given this design, it makes sense why so many recommend going in completely blind. Every discovery feels satisfying when you uncover it yourself. I also want to mention that the game’s physics simulation is impressive. Every planet in the solar system spins and orbits the sun in real time, so every object in the game including the player is constantly moving all the time which sounds like a nightmare to design/program.

The downside to this unique approach of Outer Wilds storytelling is the missing initial hook. Not everyone is intrinsically motivated to explore purely for exploration's sake. Additionally, some aspects of the game (especially in the DLC) can be pretty convoluted to figure out. I admit I didn’t have the patience to complete everything on my own, luckily there are some good resources that provide hints without spoiling too much.

While I genuinely appreciated the overall experience of Outer Wilds and mostly had a good time, there were also times when I was bored or frustrated. In the end, it’s not exactly my type of game, but it might be for you. If the premise sounds interesting, you should give it a try. But if you suspect that its slow-paced, discovery-driven nature might not be for you, there is a good chance you are right.

I heard a lot of mumbling about this game being one of the best of all time. I was sceptical.

This game is now my favourite game of all time and nothing else really even comes close.

Not sure what's left to say about this game. I don't think any game has stuck with me emotionally for as long as this one has. Play it. This is the best showcase of what video games as art can do. In cinema you have an audio-visual medium, in games you have an audio-visual medium that you are immersed in. What this game does with that extra dimension is most other games.

Quite possibly the greatest game I've ever played. I never write reviews, but after finishing Outer Wilds I just had to rush to recommend this game.

As most reviews here say, if you do decide to pick this up, go into it as blind as you possibly can. The atmosphere of a beautifully crafted solar system that you explore as you slowly uncover its mysteries offers an unique feeling of wonder and excitement. No game I've played before has made me feel the things Outer Wilds made me feel.

The world-building, characters, set-up and payoff are all, in my opinion, perfectly executed, not to mention the stunning visuals paired with an amazing score. I HIGHLY recommend this game to anyone who would enjoy a space-exploration game with a compelling mystery laying underneath.

One of a kind game that I don't think I'll play something like it it's engaging with the puzzles that keeps you engaged every mystery lead to other mystery and you always find yourself wanting to know more about the world you are in cause it sucks you in and interest you, you play as an alien in a galaxy and you have to discover the mysteries of the universe you are in. It's a masterpiece.

STNGTE:
Hello and welcome to the Gunpowder Game Shop, take this controller and press start if you want me to continue, otherwise you can also switch to creative mode and just look around.

Customer:
Does this controller also come in green?

STNGTE:
That would be cool but unfortunately you can only play our shop simulator with this pad, if you want to continue press X, you have pressed the button and the main story will start in a few seconds.
Please select: I want a new console, I need merch/looking for a gift for someone else, I need a new game, or select:
I am here to rob the store.

Customer:
I'm looking for a new game for myself but I don't know exactly which one or what exactly, I can only say it should be somehow special and captivating, I want to experience something remarkable.

STNGTE:
Can you give me a few tags in which direction it should go and optionally tell me which direction you wish not to pursue?

Customer:
A first person adventure would be nice but at this point I have no desire for a shooter and constantly fighting enemies.
It can be something with mystery, puzzles and a complex plot, and I really like science fiction and space stuff.
But most importantly, it should have a very good soundtrack.

STNGTE:
If you want to add anything to this press R3, thank you dear customer, you pressed the button, please continue.

Customer:
The game should simply amaze me and be different from most of what's on the market, it's almost always the same, there's hardly any innovation, well it just seems that way to me.
Than it should be a single player game that challenges me a little or even a little more and if possible has something philosophical about it - I like to think about the world and the meaning of life.
Graphics don't necessarily have to be hyper-realistic, it can look cuddly and comic-like, a clever and unusual level design would also be something I would like to see.

STNGTE:
Let me ask you this, have you ever heard of binary planets orbiting each other? What do think of when I say campfire and marshmallows and have you found the launch codes from Hornfels yet?

Customer:
Um no that sounds kind of crazy and no idea, what? I'm totally confused now.

STNGTE:
Don't worry I think we have just the right game for you, I recommend playing it with good headphones and if possible on a big screen and of course with a controller, ever heard of Outer Wilds?

Customer:
Yes, I think I've heard of The Outer Worlds before...

STNGTE:
(LOL) No, Outer Wilds not Worlds, this is also available with additional content and a downloadable soundtrack, and believe me you will most likely want to have that as well.
For many gamers Outer Wilds is one of if not the best indie game ever made, has changed their outlook on life and somehow grounded them.

Customer:
Oh okay I see.

STNGTE:
I firmly believe that this is exactly the game you were looking for and you are in for a unique adventure, that I am actually a little envious of.

Customer:
Why? You can play it again yourself.

STNGTE:
...

Customer:
Okay you've kinda convinced me, I'll take it and I hope I don't have to come back to refund it.
Thanks and have a nice day.

STNGTE:
I very much doubt that, we will see each other again in 14.3 billion years, have a good one!

Great space exploration game where you are trapped in a time loop where the sun explodes every 22 minutes and your job is to figure out why and what to do about the whole situation. You spend your time exploring the planets in the solar system for clues and information, all while constantly dying and starting over.

I absolutely love the mystery in this game. There are so many times where you have a rough idea about what you need to do next, but not exactly how to do it. Then, all of a sudden you find that one clue that ties it all together in a eureka moment and you progress forwards. For example, I figured out WHY I was stuck in the time loop relatively quickly, but for the longest time I didn't know what do about it and was kind of just putzing around trying to learn as much as possible. Then, I finally explored one critical place with what I knew, and I immediately knew exactly what I had to do to finish the game.

The puzzles are designed very well too. They are never too difficult that you get completely stuck. But, they are never too easy that you can figure them out without some thought/exploration.

The only sad part about this game is that there is basically no replayability, unless you are achievement hunting. Once you know everything, you know everything.

I've heard about how great this game is several times. There may be a great story somewhere, but the awful controls and game play is a strong deterrent. I'm going to continue and try to understand what so many others see in this game, but at the moment it's hard to want to play.

Do not look anything up. This is a knowledge based game, someone who has played it before can launch it on a brand new account and beat it in less than 10 minutes. You can only play this game once.

This game is a masterpiece. It is my favorite game of all time of any genre and the more you play the more you will understand what I'm saying. Take your time, if you get stuck ask someone who has played it before -- don't look anything up.

It's true that you can really only play this once. Game knowledge is in place of upgrades and statistical increases as it is mainly a puzzle experience in that what you know increases your chances at beating the game. Some of the puzzles were much more difficult than others which led me to look up one particular solution (you probably know which puzzle I'm talking about) but other than that, every single other piece of this game was really fun and cool. Had a lotta "oh shit" or "wow wtf" moments type shi

Stuck? Not finding the game fun yet? Don't know what to do next?

This spoiler-free guide will help you learn to love the game and help you progress when you may feel lost or frustrated.

This game is so incredibly unique that I didn't like it for the first half of my playthrough because I didn't understand HOW to enjoy the game. But once it clicks, you get hooked and you don't want to put the game down because you suddenly pieced something together and you know how to progress.

WARNING: Basic game mechanic spoilers ahead (i.e. mechanics you learn within the first couple hours of playing; the ship log, for example)

So for people who are stuck or confused on how to progress or aren't really hooked in your playthrough yet, here are some tips that will help you learn HOW to enjoy the game and may help you progress:

Tip 0: Use gamepad/controller, not KBM. It's much easier to control your ship and there's also one specific section in Dark Bramble where having a controller will be very convenient.

Tip 1: Your ship log (particularly Rumor Mode) is crucial to the overall experience in this game. It guides you towards what your next objective could be (you don't have to do most of it linearly). Locations marked with a "?" means you haven't fully discovered everything in that area, or you haven't actually been to/in that location. If you're stuck, look through those locations on your ship log and pick a place you want to try to get to.

The ship log notes key details that you should remember from the Nomai dialogue you translate. These will provide you with clues on where to go or what to do to progress. They give you multiple different hints and the fun part about the game is looking at all your clues and piecing the puzzle together on what to do next. This combined with the next tip makes you feel like the most intelligent person in the universe every time you figure out what to do.

Tip 2: Learn the time loop and embrace the time loop. Understand how your solar system works and the differences between the beginning, middle, and end of the time loop. Learn the characteristics of each planet. What is changing throughout the loop? Study them, analyze them. You can also "doze off" at any of the campfires in the solar system to pass time quickly.

Now that you understand the mechanics of each planet, think about how the hints provided to you via the ship log may interact with these mechanics. Be in certain places at certain times. It's a lot easier to do trial-and-error with the next tip.

Tip 3: There is a secret dialogue option that provides you with an extra quality-of-life feature. I will mark sections of this as spoilers rather than the whole thing, so you can reveal small hints one-by-one rather than the entire thing if you want.

The feature: In the pause menu, you'll unlock an option to "meditate until next loop", which is essentially just a "restart loop" button.

How to obtain this: You have to have talked to Gabbro (on Giant's Deep) in a previous time loop then come back to him on or after the 3rd loop. Ask him "How do you stay so calm in the face of repeated impending death?" to unlock this feature.

Tip 4: USE YOUR EQUIPMENT!!! This is the biggest thing I neglected but it's there for a reason. Your Scout Launcher and your Signal Scope are key features that you will need to progress. I got stuck once because I thought they were just "gimmick" features. No, you are required to use them to progress in some areas.

Tip 5: If you find an "unknown frequency" with your Signal Scope, make sure you get close to the source with your Signal Scope out and it will register it with a name on your Signal Scope. So if you ever need to go back to it in the future, it's labeled for you.

Tip 6: When in "landing mode" in your ship or when you're wearing your spacesuit on any planet, you can see a little globe on the left of your HUD. Red is the north pole and blue is the south pole. This will be helpful later in the game. Remember this by thinking of a compass and how the red arrow always points north.

Tip 7: If you're confused about a specific puzzle or you just don't really understand how to progress in one specific area on your ship log, don't be afraid to just save it for later and go try to solve something else. Many times, you're unable to progress without having specific knowledge from a different branch of the log.

Tip 8: If you're repeatedly trying something and it's still not working, you're doing something wrong.

Tip 9: If you're REALLY really stuck, take a step back and think about all the information you know about something. For example:

- This [planet] has a hidden area I cannot currently access
- This [same planet] has [this specific mechanic] that changes it throughout the time loop
- My ship log told me [these hints] about this planet

Now try to combine all that information and apply logic to the clues.

Tip 10: If you've done the above and still have no idea how to progress, r/OuterWilds on Reddit has a ton of spoiler-free hints on how to progress. Just look up where you're stuck followed by "reddit" and you'll find plenty of spoiler-free responses that will guide you in the right direction without outright telling you what to do. Obviously do this at your own risk though, but I never had a spoiler when I had to look things up.

I will say, it's so much more satisfying to figure it out on your own, but there are some puzzles that are extremely difficult and seemingly obscure (they're not obscure when you have all the clues). So try to spend some time figuring it out on your own before giving up. You really have to think outside of the box for some of the puzzles. Especially for the last puzzle of the game to get to the Ash Twin Project.

------------------

Overall, brilliant and incredible game that will test your detective skills and out-of-the box thinking. I have never played a game that was this unique in my life, so I'd highly recommend! The OST is peak also, so if anything, you have to play it for that.

After 15 hours, I finally beat it.
It's honestly truly a masterpiece of a game. If you know 0 about this game, play it with 0 knowledge, dont look at "before you play"'s or anything like that. Dont look at images, videos, clips. Truly just go into it blind. The start might be slow, might not be what you expected, but if you take the moment to adapt around that, and try to immerse yourself, and take in the game for what it is, it can be incredible to experience, and can truly only be experienced once as everything unravels.
Rare 10/10 game, Highly Recommend.

Lovely game, captures the joy of discovery like nothing else. Great music, great vibes, feels really good to play on a tactile level. Go play it as blind as possible!

A wonderful game about curiosity, figuring things out and acceptance.
Can't really compare this to any other game I have ever played. Going in blind is absolutely the correct the way to experience this game, to ensure that the "aha moments" with puzzles properly land.
This game has my warmest recommendation.

One of the greatest games of all time!

If you like solving puzzles, piecing together a narrative, exploration, and a pinch of mostly realistic physics...this might be the game for you!

Truly a stellar experience all around. In the beginning you may find yourself confused or lost...but keep going. Read what you can. Refer to your ships log. And in time...you too will become ONE OF US.

This is beautiful. Just finished it and I'm speechless.
This is the type of story that can only be told through a game, and Mobius Digital nailed it.
If you're reading this, stop and just get the game. Trust me.
You can only truly play it once, so please don't spoil yourself.
It's about the journey, not the destionation

It's worth it. There is such an interesting world and premise here. Sure, you may get frustrated and lost sometimes, but keep going. Discovering new ways to progress in this game is so satisfying and gives you that "I actually did it" feeling when you reach the end.

Go in without looking anything up, otherwise you will ruin a fascinating experience

Советую проходить игру в слепую, дабы не испортить впечатления от этой прекрасной игры

This is one of the most unique adventure and puzzle solving games I've ever seen. It clearly comes from a place of passion, and it's very well made. It's not the longest game in the world, but it doesn't need to be. When you finish, it'll stick with you.

Wow. From start to finish, this game is absolute perfection. I don’t think I’ve ever played anything like it. Venturing from planet to planet consistently blew me away with how seamless and immersive that experience was. It masterfully pushes the boundaries of exploration by solely relying on knowledge which completely takes away the fear of death. Pushing you to experiment and try new things as you unravel the mysteries shrouding this galaxy.

Slowly peeling back the layers of the story through ship logs, hidden dialogue, and remnants of the past made piecing together the narrative so engaging. Pair that with some of the most introspective and grandiose music tracks that both match and elevate the visuals, take this game to new levels. It hits you in a way that feels like Outer Wilds was made just for you.

Venture into the unknown knowing nothing and you will come out the other side a changed person. I cannot recommend this game enough.

This is an optimistic game about nihilism, an exploration of existentialism, an odyssey through chaos, and a journey into the great unknown. It's a hopeful and joyful look at everything that was, is, and will be.

My opinion is actually neutral, but I'm leaving a negative review since I wished I saw a review like this before going into the game.

The game is solidly ok. I really think the common advice to "go in blind" ruined the game for me because the reviews set the bar WAY too high for what the game actually delivered. Had I done a bit of reading up on the game first to know what to expect, I think I would have enjoyed the game much more.


It was a fine game. But the game didn't really make me care about any of the characters (I found them flat and very one-dimensional), and there were some plot holes that I found unsatisfying (I explored everything fully because I kept waiting for the game to blow my socks off like so many reviews had led me to expect).

The game didn't really surprise me at any point, the mystery that you unravel in the course of the game was predictable, but it was also fun. After fully exploring the world (which I did very much enjoy doing) and completing the game, I was really just left with a feeling of "that's it?". The reviews just led me to expect so much more than this game delivered.

That being said, it's not the game's fault that it has so many passionate fans that love it and want to share it with everyone. Just temper your expectations going in because I didn't and it did leave a bit of a sour taste in my mouth because of it.

Overall, I did enjoy the game. Flying your ship around is (mostly) good fun, and I very much enjoy games like this where you discover the story through exploring the world (like Obra Dinn, the Roottrees are Dead, Case of the Golden Idol etc.).

Overall, nothing to write home about in my books, but still an inoffensive, light and enjoyable game with a focus on story and easy-but-satisfying puzzles.

Play it once, think about it forever. Best case scenario to play, pick it up without knowing what it is, don't look up anything about it or watch any videos until after you finished, still listen to the music years later.

Like me, you probably fell for the "Go in blind, it's SUCH a good game" propaganda. While the game engine is well-made, the gameplay loop consists of: 1) Go to planet. 2) Read lore. 3) Run out of time and restart. That's basically it; the entire game is just based on reading hours and hours of lore with very little payoff. Some people might find that fun, but personally, I just couldn't find a reason to keep playing.

before this, games were starting to get boring for me and i missed that feeling of genuinley enjoying a game i have been very lucky to stumble upon this game and even if i havent finished the game yet while still i love the game.this game is a great story game but just one tip dont be going on youtube or anything to spoil the ending thats how good it is.the game has puzzles mysteries exploration and much more.just give it a chance and see what happens

"It's about the journey not the destination" is a phrase that perfectly encapsulates what the game is going for. The roughly 40 hours I've spent in this game have been filled with wonder, amazement, mystery, terror and probably a lot more adjectives that I'm not smart enough to know about.

The art and style of the game is timeless. It looks great and all the environments work really well with it. The games emphasis and usage of physics is really amazing, from landing on planets to light warping around black holes, you truly get the sense that you are a "space explorer", having to carefully traverse that planets dangerous environment and come up with ways to go around an obstacle.

I'm not really going to get into all the planets or any of the story as its really something someone playing the game should discover on their own, but it's really something to ponder over and realize how small you are in an astronomical scale, and how you should enjoy the time you have rather than get scared or terrified of the inevitable. It has big emphasis on the process rather than the overall goal, how you get there matters a lot more than the destination you're striving for.

This game has been on my list for a while and I'm really glad I took my timing playing it. Easily making it to the top 5 list for all time favourites.

Highly recommended.

This is a hard one for me. I enjoyed the game for the most part but by the end there were so many small disappointments and niggling doubts that I can't say I'd recommend it to friends.
TL;DR: mostly fun, well designed game has a very disappointing ending that leaves a bad taste in your mouth. To expand:
Let's get the good out of the way:
Sound design: music is great, the folksy sound helps complete the aesthetic mix between sci-fi and down-home backwoods folksiness. Some tracks were genuinely a joy to listen to, including the game menu. As for diegetic sound design, everything is great from the sound of your ship and jetpack to the signals that you pick up with your signal scope.
Gameplay: gameplay is, for the most part, pretty perfect. Controls are tight and well-designed, gravity on each planet/moon is different which impacts what you're capable of doing movement-wise. On more than one occasion I was speeding around a planet trying to get back to my ship to refill my jetpack/oxygen and I ended up going a little too fast due to lack of air resistance and gravity and ended up shooting off into space and a few seconds later burning to a crisp in the sun, which I found extremely funny. Small details like these are appreciated. Some minor issues were with controlling the little orbs that you need to move around on occasion to open doors or control other alien mechanisms, the controller was too finicky or the orbs didn't track well with the cursor.
The look: While it's not the most graphically impressive game, it utilizes a visual style that is just as if not more attractive than something more realistic. I enjoyed the look of pretty much every environment and character in the game and it's clear a lot of thought and effort were put into it.
The not-quite-bad but not-quite-good (Spoilers from here on out):
The "puzzles": I breezed through the majority of this game without much issue. The only reason I have 20 hours played is because I left it on pause as I left to do other things, I'm pretty sure my actual playtime in the game was about 15 hours, if that. The game isn't particularly challenging, which is fine I guess. There were exactly 2 points in the game where I was stumped and I had no idea how to progress after multiple cycles of trying. Both instances I looked up the solution and realized I had actually been right when I was trying to solve them but the mechanics of the game had made me believe I was wrong.
Specifically, the parts where you're trying to enter the Ash Twin Project and getting the tower to the north pole on the quantum moon. The first I thought getting sucked up by the sand made me wrong, the second I just didn't repeat the process enough. Both times I went back to their respective clue locations to see if I had missed anything and then went everywhere else to see if there were more clues.) This was highly annoying since I was trying to do a no-cheating run.
The bad
Story/Mystery progression: this is what really drove the "no" recommendation from me. For these types of games, the mystery you're trying to solve is what drives you to move forward, and if it isn't satisfying, then that leaves a bad taste in your mouth. This definitely left a bad taste in my mouth.
Things start well enough - as you visit each planet, it becomes more and more obvious that *something* has gone terribly wrong in this solar system and everything is starting to just break down or collapse in on itself. Planets are breaking apart, a strange cancerous space anomaly is spreading seeds, and cycles or processes that have been happening for millions of years are starting to become more destructive and dangerous. You can't wait to find out what's happening and figure out how to fix the mistakes that an ancient alien species made that clearly caused all this to happen to your solar system.
And then...the answers come. There were multiple points near the end of the game where I finally reached a "big" answer about the plot and it just left me saying "...oh. Ok." Rooms you've been trying to reach for hours to finally get some answers and the answer just ends of being a couple lines of text in an otherwise empty area. VERY deflating.
The worst thing about the mystery is that it seems to depend on the player knowing some very basic astronomical facts and then just ignoring them. Specifics in spoilers ahead:
Specifically, I was very excited to finally make it into the sun station near the end of the game. Surely there must be an explanation for why the system's sun (and seemingly every other sun nearby) is suddenly blowing up! As it turns out - nope, the sun apparently just reached the end of its natural lifecycle and then goes from normal to red giant to supernova in about 22 minutes, which doesn't make sense if you know anything about star life cycles.
This means that the ancient aliens never made the catastrophic mistakes you thought they did and there is nothing to fix, everything is coming to an end and there's nothing you can do about it. Your ultimate goal is to simply birth a new universe. While this is an interesting narrative twist, it doesn't exactly make for a satisfying gameplay experience.
The rest of the characters showing up at the end was also strange, and the game acts as if the player had a close relationship with any of them to highten the emotional impact of the ending. Unfortunately, most of the characters involved you only really speak to maybe once or twice (one of them I had consciously sought out in the final few minutes of gameplay for completionist sake), so you don't really care that much about them or their fate. This contributes to the general disappointment of the ending, as you don't really have an emotional connection to anything happening within the story.

please please PLEASE play this game
This game absolutely delivers in everything from game mechanics to story to visuals. It's stunningly beautiful, every single inch of this solar system has been designed with so much care and tells a magnificent story.

My only wish for this game is that I could forget all about it so that I can experience it for the first time again
This game will stick with me for a long, long time

When people say that games cannot be a form of art, that they can't express ideas or beliefs in a meaningful way.

Show them this game.

While it is true that not all games are deep with meaning, they can be made with that in mind. Games can allow beautiful ideas, experiences, and thoughts to be expressed in the most beautiful of ways.

Outer Wilds is both a game and a work of art, and one that you can only ever experience ONCE.

Do not spoil yourself, do not ask for guidance unless you are entirely and utterly stumped or stuck. This is a journey, an experience that you will savor every moment of once you have finished it.

May curiosity guide you onto one of the most emotional stories I have had the privilege of listening to, and may your marshmallows be toasted to perfection traveler!

One truly wishes to witness the last moments of this life surrounded by their loved ones, unfortunately, it's not always possible. I hope that we'll cross paths again in some way, if not… well, it was a good ride.

It's a newtonian/space/flight/exploration/quantum entangled/puzzle game with horror elements that is SUPER sad but also THE MOST wholesome game I have ever played. Its like if you crossed a space flight sim with Portal... only its genuinely a lot lot lot better then Portal. The music is genius.

Top 3 games I have ever played. I struggle to think of a better game, but I know it can't be the best so top 3.

I am sad it's over.

This game is a masterpiece. I wish I could forget it so I could play it again.
I got so emotionally invested in the lore that listening to some key songs can still tear me up.

I have played hundreds of games —without exaggerating— on multiple platforms, and across multiple genres.
And I think I will never be touched by a game the way this one has touched me.

Even if you're not emotionally invested, the game is masterfully crafted as an enigma from start to finish, where multiple paths cross so you're never quite lost.
My only regret was looking up a solution on a wiki —only once— and I regretted it.
A big part of the magic is going in blind, exploring, and discovering.

I wish so much I could play this all over again.
It hurts my soul knowing I will never be able to experience it the same way as I did the first time.

Definitely recommend. This is a must-buy for gamers.
The DLC is worth it too and should be played after finishing the main game.

Wow. Just wow.

I just finished my first blind play through of the game. I had heard good things about the game, only knew that it was a space game and that I should stay away from spoilers. It was on my wish list since it came out and I got it over the last winter sale. I would pay full price for this game. It is by far one of the best games I have ever played. Amazing adventure, brought me to tears. Fully recommend.

Mind-blowing. As you can see in my profile I play a lot of games and Outer Wilds just jumped into my Top-10 of all time. The overall game design, world design and immersion are as good as it gets. And I haven't even played the DLC yet. Do yourself a favor and give them your money. There's no better way to spend it (forget food, drinks, rent!).

10/10

Log 1 - An extremely short slow, boring beginning to a grand adventure

My first impressions weren’t positive. I love getting to the action real quick. So when I'm delegated to walking and reading early on. Doesn’t excite me to move on especially since I already want to progress past the atmosphere. And usually, there’s a clear prerogative of what to do. Here there’s not a hand-holding overarching narrative to follow consistently. You have to build your own goals and discover what lies in the vastness of the universe a bit. A central 'plot' does exist though, so don't worry if you think this is purely a sandbox. Moreover, upon finishing the basic tutorials, I wish I could march back in a hot instant to slap my past self silly for thinking ridiculous nitpicks. Because I’m so glad to be wrong.

Log 2 - Appreciating the fear of the unknown

Any interstellar film or game worth its salt needs to evoke the presence of horror, hopelessness, anxiety, and tension. We can use examples from earlier works like Alien(1979) by Ridley Scott or Mass Effect(2007) series. The former needs no introduction where we see struggling survivors encountering a deadly alien threat. Managing to keep our suspense intact and the ‘surprise’ of what occurs in the future moving. Among other elements of horror such as fear. The latter presents a decent spread of hostile and friendly species to converse. Yet the traits differ. You never know what to expect despite talking to them. The element of ‘surprise,’ is inherent in the above aspects. Thus I am treated to a host of emotions I find unsettling, but not off-putting.

Log 3 - Fleeting wonder and magically enraptured from beginning, middle, and end

You know the idiomatic expression the third time's the charm? Well let me tell you how it's true. I can’t dive into specifics of what I saw. In terms of relatability and vibes, I found it breathtaking. An animated film I still love today is called Treasure Planet(2002). A story about a young lad coming across stories of a cool wandering pirate with the ability to disappear with nary a trace. To the point he has amassed a great treasure. Enchanted by his tales, he resolves to follow in similar footsteps. I won’t discuss anymore, but if you splice the movie with Interstellar(2014)’s planetary discovery, with displayed awe in both protagonist's facial expressions. Then you can figure out what my face turned into.

Log 4 - For now a little step. Later, a giant leaps for lorebuilding

The genius of worldbuilding worth its salt is the ability to strongly capture an individual’s attention and let the user form their conclusions based on information given from religion, culture, laws, physics, and other info. There's merit in connecting. In video games, we discern this through dialogue given by NPCs and books we can read. What blows my mind further is the placement of lore exercised to the fullest limit. Knowledge is extremely instrumental in conducting further actions. Thereby the primary strengths result in the varied text. Ancients in humorous stories and hobbies full of quirks yet it doesn’t detract from their passion in their craft. Leans into the minimalistic design without being overbearing. There is enough to ride the fine line of not extracting over-complicated to the point of excess. And I 100% believe 99% of everything here is gold. Loan Verneau(Other designer) emphasizes the characteristics from a 2020 Noclip documentary. “Minimalism is actually advantageous.”

Log 5 - Secrets, have secrets. And the critical usage of tools

Navigation I found to my pleasant surprise isn’t tough. To me, I found the experience easy to get a sense of orientation to decide your ensuing travel destination. Helped by the fact you have your globe compass. Thankfully entire locations are not absurdly complex. Plenty of locations are developed with care. Distinct enough to stand on its own. Standing in the middle of nowhere, you undoubtedly easily find themselves lost on where to forge next!

Log 6 - It's okay to make mistakes. History is full of them

I believe one of the hardest and maybe underappreciated qualities is to capture the attention of an individual for a prolonged period depending on the fun factor. Overcoming obstacles, finding new treasures, discovering secrets, winning against an opponent completing an objective, and my favorite is learning supplementary erudition that can be used retroactively to encounter alternate paths and solutions to obstacles. A slice different from metroidvanias with required items/abilities to progress. Similar, but different from how a rogue-lite conducts after failure. Operates by handing you enough necessary devices, not ability-gating, but sending them off at their own pace is an immensely enjoyable endeavor. 'If you can go there, you can reach it.'

Log 7 - My Mixed Feelings is Zero, as I Expected

I’ll be frank. I have zero mixed feelings. No negative nitpicks, and frustrations were due to the fact of my inability to jump the gun and Rambo my way to the credits. A shameful bad habit I still have trouble deterring myself from. Although, I’m glad I played until I finished the final act. The lesson I gently reminded is exercising a lesson in patience. Breathing deeply and re-focusing on my priorities whilst undergoing a process of elimination. Determining what I haven’t explored and what I couldn’t pass before, but with extra information gained.

Log 8 - Stories & mysteries. A positive appraisal

I always love heavy stories. It's the primary reason I look for within the medium. Everything else 2nd. So I'm extremely shocked to play a title where the plot is [redacted] in a way I didn’t expect. I’m no stranger to storytelling methods of unreliable narrators, ludo narrative dissonance, and connecting essential literary elements to craft a compelling plot. A climax full of importance and gawking. Supposedly with a loveable cast as well. I received none of these yet achieved an indescribable experience using a non-traditional progression. Which I find enormously challenging to describe in minute details.

Log 9 - Tips, hints, and a single weird outlier- A confession and the choice

I will confess to using a FAQ and hint guide near the very last stretch of my playthrough. I won’t say specifics. I primarily missed two things but I already knew beforehand and the execution. I simply missed the diminutive connection. This isn’t advocating to check FAQ or a guide. Merely suggesting if you need help. Or contacting a close friend. A blind playthrough is still highly recommended.

Log 10 - The Final Log

“...Outer Wilds is more than the sum of its parts. It's the type of game that leaves you with a feeling that can’t be explained. It has to be experienced.”

I echo the same sentiment. The herculean effort the developers at Mobius Digital created is truly one of a kind. Infrequently have I played a science fiction type hitting utterly the things I love and fear from the cosmos yet contained in a moving revolving door of themes tiny and grand. I found the grand finish line of my expeditions.

I implore any curious souls looking for an excellent sci-fi space adventure such as this as a one hell of a wake up palette cleanser to try between games, game pass, or even if they had an experience a stark contrast to mine then that’s entirely fair and valid. What matters is how your journey started, during, and ended. What you find at the closing of the day is the sincerest conclusion you reached with both hands and mind. Literally and figuratively. For better or worse. The cosmos exists, but so do we. And thus we venture forth to the stars. Undeterred, unbowed, and unflinchingly in the face of its daunting expanse, striving past our normal means.

10/10

I just beat this masterpiece of a game and i think i might never play a game that is as good as this, the game perfectly encourages the player to do whatever they want while still providing gentle nudges to assist the player, the sound design is also top notch and sets the mood when discovering something. I wish i could experience this again for the first time 11/10 truly nothing else like it.

Probably more fun on reflection than when actually playing the game. Bit of a time-sink - good for those with lots of time to play games. Can be frustrating if you don't often have extended periods to play, as you need to really get stuck in and make the connections between different pieces of information.

Mechanically it's great, really fun flying around space. You'll remember it fondly even if you don't mesh with the style of puzzles.

The saddest part of this game is that you can only truly experience it once. But at the same time I think that it is one of the things that make it as great as it is.

This game wasn't for me. I ended up returning it a few hours in. I still recommend this game (especially the dlc!!) beyond a shadow of a doubt. It's an incredible, wonderful, sweet game with a rich story. However, the game play elements/puzzles and mechanics just don't work well with me personally. I recommend even if you don't buy it to watch a play through of it. There was a hell of a lot of thought, love and care put into this game and it deserves every bit of praise it gets.

The best game you can only finish once.
I promise once you finish you'll be begging all your friends to get it and play so you can live vicariously through them.