Outer Wilds Review | Opium Pulses

Published 12.08.2024

Author: Nautilaa

Outer Wilds Review

Game Title: Outer Wilds

Developer: Mobius Digital

Publisher: Annapurna Interactive

Review Platform: PC (Steam)

Release Date: May 28, 2019

Outer Wilds has immediately become one of my favorite games upon completion. In this article, I will explain why I loved this game without really giving the reader any hints about major mechanics, because this is one of those beautifully designed games that you can jump into completely blind and still be able to figure everything out by yourself. However, if you need a little nudge and you're looking for a spoiler-free review of Outer Wilds to get an initial idea about the game, you’ve found it. Keep reading.

Wake up...

Wake up!

What a strange sight you see… Where are you? Who are you?! What should you do? You have no quest, no objective, no mission. So let's explore!

You're in a small village of Hearthians, a four-eyed long-eared marshmallow-loving race of aliens who live in close-knit communities. Explore around the village and try to gather as much information as you can. Get to know the community. They all seem to suggest that you're an astronaut and that today is the day of your first launch. Well, that's one tiny piece of information more than you had before, so follow it.

Once you feel like you’re done exploring, go find your ship. Now, it's time to take off. But where will you go? Do you want to visit your Hearthian friends who are stationed on other planets? Are you going to find out more about the Nomai, an ancient alien race who have mysteriously disappeared? Do you just want to fly around a bit and get the feel of your ship? Here’s the beauty of it: what you will do is entirely and utterly up to you!

Thus begins the amazing journey that is Outer Wilds…

Outer Wilds is a true open-world exploration game. Your planet, Timber Hearth, is part of a cute small star system in which each planet lies within just a few kilometers of the next. There is no shortcut to getting to the other planets or anywhere else in the system. You simply have to fly there with your ship and land. Don’t worry though. You’ll get the hang of it.

When you start off, you have next to no direction. Whether you want to start with something small like Timber Hearth’s moon or you want to be ambitious and go directly to Dark Bramble, the farthest planet in the star system, you’re free to do so. There is nothing barring your way from exploring anywhere in the star system. Make use of this freedom and go wild with your imagination!

Can I chill with you for a while?

Knowledge is bliss! Wait…

Alright, maybe it's not exactly bliss but in this game, knowledge is everything. Knowledge is your only lead. Lack of knowledge is your only barrier. There are no levels, no locked areas, and nothing gated behind game progression. In fact, game progression is solely based on the knowledge you gain and nothing else.

So here’s my advice to you: Read everything! Outer Wilds is one giant puzzle: a big mystery that you will uncover slowly and spend the rest of the game trying to solve. The pieces of this puzzle are the information you gather in your expeditions, which you will gain mostly by reading. The story unveils at a slow and steady pace and the pieces gradually start fitting together as you discover more and more.

Here’s my second advice to you: The ship log is your friend! Don’t worry if you can’t remember everything you’ve learned, because all important information is logged in your ship for you to review and ponder about at any time… that is, if you can remember where you left your ship! I'm kidding of course... Mostly.

Your trusty ship (for the most part)

What else?

Need more reasons to play? Let me give you some.

Outer Wilds is a truly unique game in the way it’s designed. It is a one-of-a-kind experience that you will only go through once. So take your time, immerse yourself in it, and enjoy it while it lasts. Explore to your heart’s content and build up your knowledge. You’ll have to solve many puzzles on your way to find the answer to the big mystery!

The game’s world is absolutely beautiful… in its own creepy kind of way. Every planet has a unique environment for you to explore which can be both alluring and terrifying. Each has its own mysteries and its own dangers. Watch out for gravity! It likes to behave differently on different planets.

One of the game’s most powerful assets is the music. I cannot stress how amazing some of the soundtracks are. What makes them even more impactful is that they are cued to start at specific times, e.g. when you enter a specific place. Eventually, you will come to know some of these tracks for what they represent, which can create an incredibly powerful emotional experience.

The characters can be really lovely. They are not the main focus of the game by any means, but if you get to know them and peel their layers, they all have unique personalities and their own stories to tell. Even the characters you don’t get to meet in the game, like the long-vanished Nomai, have personalities and stories that you can discover through ancient text. Your fellow Hearthians can have new dialogues as you discover new things, so make sure to talk to them every once in a while.

Wait, what is happening here?!