With its humble origins as a Master's thesis that eventually matured into the best possible iteration of the (arguably narrow but not inherently contemptible) Annapurna ideal of the Artistic Indie Title, Outer Wilds is a milestone in curiosity-driven game design and an utterly brilliant marriage between the sheer cosmic awe of 2001: A Space Odyssey and the warmth of a cozy campfire on a clear summer night. The heavily physics-inspired design of the game world and the way it incorporates these numerous interlocking mysteries that all point towards something much greater feels genuinely boundary-pushing and is something that no one with even a passing interest in the medium should miss out on.
While I don't want to evoke the impression that this game is only for physics buffs such as me (it is every bit as much for people into archeological exploration or simply great adventure game storytelling), I do want to emphasize that the game's fidelity towards its real-time orbital physics simulation is downright incredible. I highly recommend the excellent videos by Noclip and Super Bunnyhop to learn more about the game's scientific background once you've completed the game (it's best to go into it as blind as possible). This is genuinely fascinating stuff to me—it's safe to say that never before have I wanted to talk with a development team about the technical details of their work as much as in this case. I even respect the game's enthusiasm for the wilder side of modern physics, and while its portrayal of quantum mechanics quickly maxed out my Quantum Bullshit Detector, I didn't really mind that the game's use of artistic license was doing more heavy lifting in some cases than in others, thanks to its overall more than solid scientific foundation and highly creative use thereof. In fact, Outer Wilds's (somewhat misguided) conception of the uncertainty principle was incorporated so brilliantly into one of its many bizarre and exotic locations that it ended up as one of my favourite moments in the game.
With this physics preamble out of the way, there is another aspect that I quickly want to discuss here. Namely, people who have a low tolerance for frequent deaths should probably get a fair warning before trying this game. I've seen some players mistake Outer Wilds for a relaxing adventure game, only to then become frustrated when confronted with its harsh setting. Expecting this to be about relaxed exploration would be a vast disservice to what the game is actually going for, but this point requires some nuance and elaboration, so bear with me for a second.
Death comes quick in Outer Wilds. Many of these deaths I personally found to be very memorable and genuinely amusing, such as crashing into the sun while still learning how to properly fly my spaceship. The controls are a bit tricky, particularly because the game fully respects momentum conservation (meaning accelerating in any given direction for a certain period requires an equal amount of deceleration to come to a full stop again), but the game provides sufficient flying aids to make mastery of the ship well within reach of the early game. But having said that, of course a few of the deaths in Outer Wilds did nonetheless manage to frustrate me at times (and I say that as someone who considers FromSoftware their favourite developer). Particularly problematic are the handful of platforming sections in this game, which, due to the tricky movement controls, can lead to more setbacks than necessary. Moreover, there will also be players who will find the game's time loop mechanic to be an additional source of frustration, since the time limit it imposes might result in a stressful experience that clashes with their idea of a relaxing adventure game. Although I can somewhat sympathize with that perspective (I too had similar apprehensions at the very beginning of the game), overall I loved the time loop mechanic and consider it an essential ingredient in what makes this game so special.
I need to reiterate that Outer Wilds is not trying to be a relaxing adventure game, at least not exclusively. It presents a universe that is cold, bizarre, hostile, and uncaring. Its apocalyptic premise is very much intended to make you feel stressed out... at first. The point is, however, that amidst all that cosmic hostility and indifference, you can always discover these small niches to relax, to appreciate the majestic beauty before your eyes, to roast a marshmallow while one of your fellow space explorers is strumming a cozy tune on their banjo. The game wants you to let go of the idea of doing everything at once and instead realize that it's okay to take an occasional break and marvel at the wonders of the universe despite (or because of?) your limited time. And if you fail every once in a while by flying too close to the sun or comically crashing into a planet? It's not the end of the world! (Of course, in a delightful bit of irony, it sort of is.) The important thing is to keep at it. Persistent progress is key. Whether the resulting experience is stressful or relaxing depends in large part on your frame of mind.
I'd be lying if I said that I had reached a state of Zen-like harmony with the universe by the end of the game; of course I also had my little frustrations every now and then, even in the late game. But by and large, I was able to embrace the game's philosophy and adapt to its rhythm, which I don't expect will work out for everybody, and that's fair. For me, however, the end result was a truly awe-inspiring and unique video game experience that still lingers on my mind long after having reached the ending. And, oh boy, what an ending indeed!
While I don't want to evoke the impression that this game is only for physics buffs such as me (it is every bit as much for people into archeological exploration or simply great adventure game storytelling), I do want to emphasize that the game's fidelity towards its real-time orbital physics simulation is downright incredible. I highly recommend the excellent videos by Noclip and Super Bunnyhop to learn more about the game's scientific background once you've completed the game (it's best to go into it as blind as possible). This is genuinely fascinating stuff to me—it's safe to say that never before have I wanted to talk with a development team about the technical details of their work as much as in this case. I even respect the game's enthusiasm for the wilder side of modern physics, and while its portrayal of quantum mechanics quickly maxed out my Quantum Bullshit Detector, I didn't really mind that the game's use of artistic license was doing more heavy lifting in some cases than in others, thanks to its overall more than solid scientific foundation and highly creative use thereof. In fact, Outer Wilds's (somewhat misguided) conception of the uncertainty principle was incorporated so brilliantly into one of its many bizarre and exotic locations that it ended up as one of my favourite moments in the game.
With this physics preamble out of the way, there is another aspect that I quickly want to discuss here. Namely, people who have a low tolerance for frequent deaths should probably get a fair warning before trying this game. I've seen some players mistake Outer Wilds for a relaxing adventure game, only to then become frustrated when confronted with its harsh setting. Expecting this to be about relaxed exploration would be a vast disservice to what the game is actually going for, but this point requires some nuance and elaboration, so bear with me for a second.
Death comes quick in Outer Wilds. Many of these deaths I personally found to be very memorable and genuinely amusing, such as crashing into the sun while still learning how to properly fly my spaceship. The controls are a bit tricky, particularly because the game fully respects momentum conservation (meaning accelerating in any given direction for a certain period requires an equal amount of deceleration to come to a full stop again), but the game provides sufficient flying aids to make mastery of the ship well within reach of the early game. But having said that, of course a few of the deaths in Outer Wilds did nonetheless manage to frustrate me at times (and I say that as someone who considers FromSoftware their favourite developer). Particularly problematic are the handful of platforming sections in this game, which, due to the tricky movement controls, can lead to more setbacks than necessary. Moreover, there will also be players who will find the game's time loop mechanic to be an additional source of frustration, since the time limit it imposes might result in a stressful experience that clashes with their idea of a relaxing adventure game. Although I can somewhat sympathize with that perspective (I too had similar apprehensions at the very beginning of the game), overall I loved the time loop mechanic and consider it an essential ingredient in what makes this game so special.
I need to reiterate that Outer Wilds is not trying to be a relaxing adventure game, at least not exclusively. It presents a universe that is cold, bizarre, hostile, and uncaring. Its apocalyptic premise is very much intended to make you feel stressed out... at first. The point is, however, that amidst all that cosmic hostility and indifference, you can always discover these small niches to relax, to appreciate the majestic beauty before your eyes, to roast a marshmallow while one of your fellow space explorers is strumming a cozy tune on their banjo. The game wants you to let go of the idea of doing everything at once and instead realize that it's okay to take an occasional break and marvel at the wonders of the universe despite (or because of?) your limited time. And if you fail every once in a while by flying too close to the sun or comically crashing into a planet? It's not the end of the world! (Of course, in a delightful bit of irony, it sort of is.) The important thing is to keep at it. Persistent progress is key. Whether the resulting experience is stressful or relaxing depends in large part on your frame of mind.
I'd be lying if I said that I had reached a state of Zen-like harmony with the universe by the end of the game; of course I also had my little frustrations every now and then, even in the late game. But by and large, I was able to embrace the game's philosophy and adapt to its rhythm, which I don't expect will work out for everybody, and that's fair. For me, however, the end result was a truly awe-inspiring and unique video game experience that still lingers on my mind long after having reached the ending. And, oh boy, what an ending indeed!