Echoes of the eye retains the magnificence of the base game, when I feared so, that MOBIUS couldn't capture lightning in a bottle twice. I even feared they might tarnish the tapestry of their perfect clockwork solar system by introducing too much new information onto its plane. This worry of over-saturation was unfounded. They’ve created a whole new place to explore, that is unconnected to the main moving parts of the base game. The instant you enter that new playground, that signature feeling of the unknown and mystery so akin to Outer Wilds envelops you once again. When you enter the newly crafted expanse for the first time you start to salivate from the feeling of possibility that hides behind every corner, nook and cranny. As is the tradition in the community, I can’t delve deeper. You must see it for yourself, but what I’ll add though, is that I'm still amazed at how any given space can change in this game. How a time comes when the solid structure of the playground changes permanently and you watch as what once was is forever altered. This time it’s the breakage that unleashes the torrents of water. Transfixed on the wave coming at me, I often sat in stillness watching nature do its thing, insignificant to its grandness.
The devs have even stepped more into genre territory with a greater emphasis on horror this time. And it’s genuine unnerve that they’ve crafted in the section with the lanterns.You’ll know what I’m talking about
Where it falters slightly, is the moment you get the general gist of The Strangers enigma. It depends on your ability to solve puzzles, but at a certain time the narrative momentum beckons you to reach its finish line and instead of doing that, you start hitting your head against every possible surface in order to force a development in your investigation. And given that you go to only this once place and not the whole solar system, analysis fatigue might settle in, because you feel like you’ve been doing the same thing over and over again for the past couple of hours. That one final puzzle was on the brink of damaging my enjoyment and I looked at it in order to keep my good attitude towards the game intact and I don’t think I would've figured it out.
When all the cards are laid on the table at the end a minute inkling of disappointment settled in. I fail to see how this reached any new conclusions. Echoes of the eye’s story is fine, but it’s emotional weight I inferred from the base game. Future, fear, birth, renewal, sacrifice, friendship… All of this I felt was already there and didn’t need that much more clarification. Story wise, this feels like a track from the Outer Wilds album B-side.
Despite that however, this remains one of the greatest DLC’s ever conceived. Don’t hesitate to try it as I did.