A marvelously creative game.
Here’s the genius of it: At first, I hated flying the spaceship, but every loop I got a little bit better without even noticing— being so focused on the puzzle sleuthing part of the game— and by the end I was Chuck Fucking Yaeger in that thing. That sneaky, trial-and-error progression loop running underneath what is otherwise a very cerebral first-person puzzler is the secret sauce that makes Outer Wilds sing.
On the other hand, though, I also think it’s noteworthy that, despite my enjoyment of it, this was my third attempt to finish the damned thing, starting over from the beginning each time. The game’s initial rush of excitement, as you launch out into the wild unknown, is among the best ever. By the 50th time I did it, though, I started to lose my sense of wonder and the final puzzle and the ending felt less grandiose than I’d hoped.
Still, for an indie of this scale, it’s a huge swing and an undeniably massive home run of a game design.
Here’s the genius of it: At first, I hated flying the spaceship, but every loop I got a little bit better without even noticing— being so focused on the puzzle sleuthing part of the game— and by the end I was Chuck Fucking Yaeger in that thing. That sneaky, trial-and-error progression loop running underneath what is otherwise a very cerebral first-person puzzler is the secret sauce that makes Outer Wilds sing.
On the other hand, though, I also think it’s noteworthy that, despite my enjoyment of it, this was my third attempt to finish the damned thing, starting over from the beginning each time. The game’s initial rush of excitement, as you launch out into the wild unknown, is among the best ever. By the 50th time I did it, though, I started to lose my sense of wonder and the final puzzle and the ending felt less grandiose than I’d hoped.
Still, for an indie of this scale, it’s a huge swing and an undeniably massive home run of a game design.