gazisnotgoth
1 review liked by gazisnotgoth
Outer Wilds
2019
This game is unfortunately very frustrating.
Let's be clear, the game has a very fantastic design. I love the quirky aesthetic, I love the earnest recreation of spaceflight, I love how the entire game is built around exploration and discovery.
That last point being the most important. In an age where every game tries to hand-hold you, here is a game that refuses to. And more than that, it actively empowers you to figure this world out more. Your knowledge increases your ability to do more in this game, and every time you learn something new, you can do more things, progressing your way through this nonlinear story of intrigue and philosophy.
Too bad the story is bland as hell. I got really deep into this game, waiting to be wowed or surprised, to learn something new that gave me nice thoughts in my grey matter. And... nothing... Without spoiling anything, this is a bog standard sci-fi. If you've watched more than 10 sci-fi movies, you've seen this story before loads of times. There is this gravitas given to the story because of its nonlinear format, and lots of the music is set to play strictly when you make big discoveries of knowledge. But the actual knowledge you're discovering isn't actually that big of a deal. "As the explorer reads an ancient tome, they learn that people in the past did things." WOAH, I can't believe it, people did things in the past that affect me in the present! Mind blown!
See the issue? This game sells itself on its story, but its story is just kind of boring. Instead, the actual fun of this game comes from exploring. Seeing new planets, figuring out neat details, etc. But when the emphasis is on the story, and the story is not very good, the game mechanics have to take all the weight. And while the mechanics themselves are fun, they're not revelatory by any means.
If you like the idea of "so deep" stories, philosophical ideas of spacetime that are about as shallow as a kiddy pool, or you're just really invested in the characters peppered about this game, then you'll probably love this. If you really just want a nonlinear puzzle game, you'll probably love this. If you hate AAA games, and want a game to represent the antithesis of what AAA games represent; a game that is so unique, and weird, and interesting that it shines brighter than a sun, this might be you.
But if you like all those things, and you find yourself bouncing off this game, it's not you. It's the game. The game isn't that deep, it's not that complicated, and even though the game is unique in the its design, that's pretty much all it is. This is a game for hipsters, and that's okay. It's just not as big of a deal as most people scream from the mountaintops.
Let's be clear, the game has a very fantastic design. I love the quirky aesthetic, I love the earnest recreation of spaceflight, I love how the entire game is built around exploration and discovery.
That last point being the most important. In an age where every game tries to hand-hold you, here is a game that refuses to. And more than that, it actively empowers you to figure this world out more. Your knowledge increases your ability to do more in this game, and every time you learn something new, you can do more things, progressing your way through this nonlinear story of intrigue and philosophy.
Too bad the story is bland as hell. I got really deep into this game, waiting to be wowed or surprised, to learn something new that gave me nice thoughts in my grey matter. And... nothing... Without spoiling anything, this is a bog standard sci-fi. If you've watched more than 10 sci-fi movies, you've seen this story before loads of times. There is this gravitas given to the story because of its nonlinear format, and lots of the music is set to play strictly when you make big discoveries of knowledge. But the actual knowledge you're discovering isn't actually that big of a deal. "As the explorer reads an ancient tome, they learn that people in the past did things." WOAH, I can't believe it, people did things in the past that affect me in the present! Mind blown!
See the issue? This game sells itself on its story, but its story is just kind of boring. Instead, the actual fun of this game comes from exploring. Seeing new planets, figuring out neat details, etc. But when the emphasis is on the story, and the story is not very good, the game mechanics have to take all the weight. And while the mechanics themselves are fun, they're not revelatory by any means.
If you like the idea of "so deep" stories, philosophical ideas of spacetime that are about as shallow as a kiddy pool, or you're just really invested in the characters peppered about this game, then you'll probably love this. If you really just want a nonlinear puzzle game, you'll probably love this. If you hate AAA games, and want a game to represent the antithesis of what AAA games represent; a game that is so unique, and weird, and interesting that it shines brighter than a sun, this might be you.
But if you like all those things, and you find yourself bouncing off this game, it's not you. It's the game. The game isn't that deep, it's not that complicated, and even though the game is unique in the its design, that's pretty much all it is. This is a game for hipsters, and that's okay. It's just not as big of a deal as most people scream from the mountaintops.