About 5 years ago, I'd heard of a game called Outer Wilds and thought it looked pretty neat. It then came out and I decided back then that it wasn't the right time to play this game, I was interested in it but it just wasn't quite the right time. Not the first time this has happened to me for a game before, there's a fair list of games where I want to play and know I'll probably like a lot, but it just doesn't feel like the right time. Outer Wilds was one of those games, just affected by some weird mental block that made me wanna wait until I felt I was ready to play it.
And during those years of waiting I'd heard countless times from content creators, media folk, and regular people about how incredible this game is but crucially, no one was ever able to explain why. That was such a mystery to me, there's so so many games people love with all their heart and you're able to understand why, so why not Outer Wilds? That was a question I'd had 5 years ago, and it only got louder during those 5 years as more and more people played the game and said it their favorite game ever, or at least top 5 ever and that you MUST play it.
I was driving home from work in early May 2024, and recently Outer Wilds was on my mind again and I thought to myself that maybe it was finally time to play it. Got home, searched it and conveniently it was on sale on PS5, so what the hell, now's the time.
Fast forward to May 15th 2024, and 24 hours of playtime later I rolled credits on Outer Wilds, solving the mysteries of the Hearthian Solar System and as incredible as they all are, just awe inspiring incomprehensible storytelling, the greatest mystery I got to solve was finally just what it is about Outer Wilds and why people love this game so much. Like everyone else, I cannot quite put it into words. It's impossible, a fool's errand. Even if I'd went and spoiled the entire thing for you, no amount of words could explain how this game does what it manages to do and makes you feel the things that you will feel. You simply just have to experience it for yourself.
And just know that if you've ever asked yourself, 'What is it about Outer Wilds that people love so much but can never properly explain why?' That mystery you will solve once you roll credits. And it's the greatest mystery of them all.
And during those years of waiting I'd heard countless times from content creators, media folk, and regular people about how incredible this game is but crucially, no one was ever able to explain why. That was such a mystery to me, there's so so many games people love with all their heart and you're able to understand why, so why not Outer Wilds? That was a question I'd had 5 years ago, and it only got louder during those 5 years as more and more people played the game and said it their favorite game ever, or at least top 5 ever and that you MUST play it.
I was driving home from work in early May 2024, and recently Outer Wilds was on my mind again and I thought to myself that maybe it was finally time to play it. Got home, searched it and conveniently it was on sale on PS5, so what the hell, now's the time.
Fast forward to May 15th 2024, and 24 hours of playtime later I rolled credits on Outer Wilds, solving the mysteries of the Hearthian Solar System and as incredible as they all are, just awe inspiring incomprehensible storytelling, the greatest mystery I got to solve was finally just what it is about Outer Wilds and why people love this game so much. Like everyone else, I cannot quite put it into words. It's impossible, a fool's errand. Even if I'd went and spoiled the entire thing for you, no amount of words could explain how this game does what it manages to do and makes you feel the things that you will feel. You simply just have to experience it for yourself.
And just know that if you've ever asked yourself, 'What is it about Outer Wilds that people love so much but can never properly explain why?' That mystery you will solve once you roll credits. And it's the greatest mystery of them all.