Space exploration games are usually a huge hit, or more often, a giant miss. Outer Wilds hit all of the terrifying aspects of space exploration out of the park.

Starting Outer Wilds feels a bit slow. You’re introduced with a few mini-games to learn the tools you’ll be using, and then you’re introduced to a concept that ought to make the game feel a lot like Majora’s Mask. Time is going to cycle and repeat until you figure out why your solar system’s sun is set to explode. It’s a huge task, and you have infinite lives to figure it out. The paradoxical gameplay feels freeing, as you explore various planets and areas of space to find the source of the end of everything.

It’s fun for a few rounds to just see what’s out there. You get to land your own spaceship on new planets, explore ancient texts with a translator tool, and try to figure out what’s happening. It becomes evident the answer is out there, but in space’s vast void, it seems impossible to solve. Nevertheless, as you become more and more tired of just dying in a supernova explosion, you’re driven to discover the secret to the explosion. The game resets every 20 minutes as the supernova wipes out the world as you know it.

Let’s walk through my first adventure. I made it to a nearby planet, destroying my cabin on impact as I landed on Giant’s Deep. After accidentally panicking because I didn’t understand the oxygen system, I got back in my ship, tried to leave, and then ejected myself from the craft. As I floated into the nothingness of space with my oxygen depleting, I truly felt horrified. It was a crazy experience that I haven’t had in a video game. True terror, and an existential crisis that transcended the game and made me feel small in real life.

As I learned the game better, I enjoyed the puzzle solving and exploration more than most space games. The world becomes known to you as you continue to play over and over again. The music and visuals are a fun juxtaposition of spacial soundscapes and cartoonish art styles. I don’t want to dive into the story much more, but just know, the game is a fun adventure into the scarier sides of space. For Xbox Game Pass subscribers, you can play Outer Wilds for free right now.

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Outer Wilds

$24.99

8.3

Score

8.3/10

Pros

• Great World to Explore
• Cool Time Loop Mechanic
• Great Space Experience

Cons

• Little to Do After First Few Rounds
• Simple Gameplay, Not for Those Looking for a Challenge

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