Rather than making space an endless task to explore, Mobius Digital has condensed its star-studded sandbox into a handful of little planets filled with secrets. Outer Wilds is a time-twisting mystery-open sci-fi title that manages to do a lot with a little. It might take some getting used to, but it's a game that lets you get lost in its universe with minimal meaning. You start on Timber Hearth, a peaceful planet made up of intelligent people obsessed with an ancient race known as the Nomai. From there, you are left to wander the solar system on your own.
At first, this freedom is disconcerting, but it doesn't take long before pieces of a complex puzzle begin to materialize. A Groundhog Day-style effect means you have a 20-minute timer before things reset, but that's enough window to find out more about the surrounding planets and what binds them together. After a few hours with the game, you'll likely be quite invested in a story that's ingeniously broken down and distributed throughout the system.
The gameplay is very basic. Navigating through space and landing on ever-moving planets can be difficult; the controls are quite simple, but the process is still tedious. You have access to a scanner that can pick up audio signals from very large distances, giving you clues to the whereabouts of other characters, as well as scouts you can launch into uncharted territory to take pictures and see what's going on. happens. It might not sound exciting, but we don't want to spoil such a story-rich experience. It's a game that uniquely presents itself and trusts you to piece together its compelling mystery without assistance.
- Refreshing sense of freedom
- Fascinating story
- Cool time loop structure
- Some tedious checks
- Inconsistent performance
Good 7/10
Scoring policy
Review copy provided by Annapurna Interactive
