Video Game Review: Outer Wilds

Never in my life has a video game not only made me cry but also emotionally impacted my life. Until I played through the masterpiece that is “Outer Wilds”. 

“Outer Wilds” was released on May 28, 2019, and was developed by Mobius Digital. This game originally started as Alex Beachum’s thesis program for USC in 2012 and grew into a huge success.

The entire game is extremely animated and cartoony, but also breathtaking due to the animation style. Each planet has its own characteristics and unique qualities that are designed extremely well. Playing through this game will reveal some beautifully artistic and creative scenes.

You play as a small, blue alien that belongs to a race called Hearthians. The Hearthians inhabit a planet called Timber Hearth. A cozy campsite on Timber Hearth is the starting point for the game. Then you get to explore the surrounding area, speak to your fellow neighbors, explore the museum and obtain launch codes for your first space mission. 

The Hearthians have a space exploration program, Outer Wilds Venturers, which has led various expeditions and uncovered vast information about the solar system and those who came before. 

The Nomai is another alien race that existed long before the Hearthians. They were highly technologically advanced, and much of their influence is seen through the Hearthian’s technology. The Nomai leave behind various notes and ruins for you to explore. 

This is such a fun component of the game because at first, the information is interesting, but not that important to the player. As the story progresses and more information is uncovered, you grow an attachment to many of the characters.

The solar system Hearthians live in is composed of the Sun, The Hour Glass Twins, Timber Hearth, Brittle Hollow, Giant’s Deep and Dark Bramble. Each planet in the solar system is incredibly unique and vastly different from one another. Another great detail is that each planet has different gravity pulls, which affects how the character moves around.

This game also operates on a 22-minute time loop, which at first is incredibly frustrating. This gets to be irritating, especially when you are in the middle of finding out some important information and get plopped back onto your campsite. As you discover more, you find out why this is happening and also the importance of the time loop. Also as the game progresses, I found the time loop to be less irritating and more comforting. 

The fact that no matter what you do, you only have limited time makes each journey meaningful. It also makes the stakes of dying less scary and frustrating. 

Another wonderful component of this game is the breathtaking soundtrack. “Outer Wilds” is very music-based for various reasons. Each planet has a different soundtrack, which helps set the atmosphere. This music can be comforting and create a sense of feeling at home, sadness, or be extremely eerie. The soundtrack is done so well in this game and truly sets the atmosphere of each area you go to or specific information that is uncovered. 

The Hearthians keep track of other adventurers through the use of a signal scope. Your character is equipped with a signal scope, which pinpoints the exact location of various sounds. Each adventurer has an instrument that is specific to them, so most of them are easy to find.

This game tackles some huge concepts such as the meaning of death, time travel, black and white holes, the heat death of the universe, expansion of the universe, quantum theory and so much more.

Another unique component of this game is that everyone’s experience and play-through will be vastly different. From the very start, you can travel to any planet, any area of a planet and uncover any information. This puts you into the role of being the adventurer. You can move as fast or as slow as you want. From the moment you start the game, you can technically beat the entire thing in the first time loop. The only limitation is that you do not know how and that’s what this game takes you through. You have to adventure and discover. 

The ending of “Outer Wilds” is by far the best ending I have experienced in a game. It is vulnerable, emotional and bittersweet. I was left in tears by the end of this game, but filled with a sense of hope and understanding.

Overall, I would rate this game a 10/10. The game is incredibly unique, beautiful and heartfelt. 

“There is more to explore here”