Spoilers for the game... The moment that really got me in my playthrough was when I had explored nearly the whole system, discovered the secrets of this ancient civilization and was nearly ready to make my journey to the eye of the universe when I decided to visit the Interloper. The wandering comet that had seemed unrelated to the entire mystery unfolding before me. I died many times before reaching its core. And I finally reached the center. I discovered a recording of a deadly material contained in the comet I was currently floating in amongst the corpses of dead nomai surrounding me. As I listened a slow realization overcame me. These nomai, this ancient civilization capable of near time travel, was not destroyed by their own technology or their own ambition, but simply a wandering comet. Their downfall was random chance, a volatile comet hurtling through space that happened to hit the nomai at the height of their achievements. And just as it was random chance that they were destroyed, it is random chance that the sun's death happened to coincide with your voyage, triggering the nomai's failed technology and allowing you to complete their journey thousands upon thousands of years later.
Same. Honestly, before then I was thinking to myself "the only things I really don't know yet are what happened to the Nomai and what the deal with ghost matter is. They never seem to mention it in their writings." I figured the comet would probably answer the second question. I... probably should have been able to put it together on my own.
I was in the exact same situation! You can totally figure out the game without ever visitng the Interloper, but this extra bit of knowledge hit me very deep for some reason. I felt sad at such a waste, such a great civilization gone just like that in an instant... then realized it was the message of the game: no matter how great we think we are, we are still tiny against the might of the universe.
Seeing those messages from all the Nomai working on the Sun Station and the Ash Twin Project after knowing their unfair and terrible fate was incredibly sad. All of them mention the countless discoveries still to be made and experiments to be performed and then give some offhand remarks about a curious comet that has entered their lives, and then the messages stop. I honestly felt honored to be able to finally complete the work of generations, but as you say, it was just because of chance. It makes me think of probably my favorite quote from the whole game, from Riebeck, at the end: “I learned a lot, by the end of everything. The past is past, now, but that’s… you know, that’s okay! It’s never really gone completely. The future is always built on the past, even if we won’t get to see it. Still, it’s um, time for something new, now.” We couldn't have found the Eye of the Universe without all of the Nomai's endless work and scientific knowledge, but they also couldn't have done it without us.
I think the interloper was one of the first places I went, I knew virtually nothing about it, all I knew was how to get around ghost matter. When I went there I ended up getting stuck on the comet because my ship floated off into space. I just wandered around on this comet slowly running out of oxygen until the ice melted away and with nothing else to do I jumped in. It was amazing that I found the inside of this comet, that it saved me but when I reached the center and learned of the fate of the Nomai I realised I was stuck in a death trap. One of the first places I went, no knowledge of the Nomai and now I knew how they died and I sat there knowing if it wasnt for the sun exploding I would have died in the same way.
For me, the moment I'll never forget was when I first made it inside the Ash Twin Project. I'd been many places in the solar system at this point. I'd figured out that the Ash Twin Project was related to my time loop. I'd figured out the sun exploding fueled it. I thought...I thought something was wrong. I thought the machine was wrong. I thought it was damaged, it needed to be fixed so it would do what it was supposed to, and then stop. The star would stop dying. And as I explored the Ash Twin Project, I saw many conversations I'd already read from the other side. I saw the now-familiar masks, wondering for the umpteenth time who the third lit mask was. I was happy to finally have reached the center of so many mysteries. And then I found the core of thing. The center of this great machine built by ancient scientists long dead, and opened it, still expecting to find a broken thing that needed fixing. And as it opened, and I stared at the perfectly-functioning core in the center of the machine, it finally dawned on me. I wasn't here to fix the Ash Twin Project. I was here to break it.
After watching the first 5 minutes of this video, I stopped it and went and got myself a copy of Outer Wilds. I just finished it and came back here to rewatch this video. What a ride.
"Inside is a quiet love note to someone I'll never meet" That got me, there's something in that which is so haunting yet peaceful and beautifully tranquil it gives off an emotion I can't describe. Like any relic from a time gone by in real life, past civilizations, ruins, even cave paintings, but that quote specifically is just so human and heart warming but equally sad.
The part that really struck me from near The White Hole Station was finding graffiti on a broken building drifting through space saying, "We shouldn't have come here". Haunting.
It hits even harder knowing that Nomai were so close to see the Eye just to be wiped out by the Ghost Mater from Interloper. Only three of then knew what Interlper had inside.
I did not want this video to end. Outer Wilds was not just a game, it was an experience of a lifetime. I doubt anything like this is can ever come into existence again. I don't want it to. I'll remember this game fondly all my life and the childlike joy and fear I had playing it. If this game was $60, I'd still buy it; again and again for every death I had. I never knew something as dark as death could make this game shine as bright as it does. There's something, or everything, in this game that changed my perspective on life, and on death. And that's just one aspect of it. The mysteries, details, control (or lack thereof) all come together to make a masterpiece the faults of which don't seem like bugs or glitches but the imperfections just this life has. I want to forget it and start all over again.
My beat precisely hermano. Majora's Mask is still my all-time favorite, next to Mass Effect, specifically because of the time looping construct. I really wish I could play this one.. 😔
its never about the game, its always about what YOU do/did in it. ive seen it played many times now, and each person’s story- just like in kaleidoscope; is WAY different than any other’s. tell your story!! id love to hear it. :)
You know, I really like 6:32 , it's super poetic. But it's *so* annoying, knowing that right below you there is a switch to turn the teleporter around, making it work.
@@arthurlion498once you activate the rotation it goes pretty quickly, just a few seconds. I think in his excitement to return, he overlooked the rest of the station.
@@Terratype I believe it always moves slowly along with normal planetary orbits, but activating the switch makes it go faster. i could be mistaken. it went slow for me the first time I played (I didn't notice the switches either) and my playthrough was just a couple months ago
Holy shit. You perfectly encapsulated how I felt playing Outer Wilds myself. Fortunately(?) for me, I discovered the way to enter the Ash Twin Project way after I'd already discovered the Nomai Mothership and the location of The Eye of the Universe, and thus, when I found that warp core at the center, I immediately knew what to do with it. Still, it was a mad, heart-pounding race against time as I tried to navigate the eldritch labyrinth of the Dark Bramble, knowing that for the first time in my journey, I'm truly mortal. What would happen if I died now? Would the game delete my save, wipe all my progress? I mean, technically, you never really have any progress to lose since you only have 22 minutes every time before you're sent back to the beginning, but the thought still scared me. Trying to sneak past those horrible anglerfish was the most terrifying thing I've ever done, becase this time, I was truly afraid of death. This time, I had no idea what would happen after. And I'm not ashamed to admit this - the first two or three tries, I accidentally alerted the anglerfish by trying to rush through too fast, and I just straight-up Alt+F4'd out of the game before they could get to me, that's how terrified I was of dying. In a VIDEOGAME. Where dying is usually just a mild inconvenience at best or a frustrating failure at worst, but never an existential nightmare. I don't think any other game has ever made me fear death so intensely, or so organically, and I think that's because it made me fear death for the same reason we fear death in real life - because we don't know what happens after, but we know there's no going back. And you'll never convince me that wasn't intentional. Outer Wilds really does revolve a lot around death, doesn't it? And yet, it's also so very beatiful and peaceful. I think that might just be the whole point of the game. Death is inevitable no matter what we do, both in Outer Wilds and in real life, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the beauty of everything else the world has to offer, and then face death calmly and contentedly. And you do just that at the end of the game, which also holds an important lesson - yes, the universe ends and everyone you ever knew dies, but a new universe comes right after, full of life just like yours was, only different. That's also, I think, a profound allegory for real life - you'll die one day, and that will be the end of everything for you, but the world will carry on, and countless other people will be born, live, and die, only to be replaced by other people still. Outer Wilds was the only game to make me fear death, but it also teaches you how to accept it in the end, and that's the most beautiful thing about it I think.
@@madma11 Nope. The game hypes it up, telling you you're dead for real now and all that, but in the end they let you reload your save like nothing happened and there's no actual consequences.
@@ashleycat4 SPOILERS You would lose the coordinates to the vessel making travelling there a bit harder + you would lose the coordinates to the eye of the universe. I drew the latter on a piece of paper and imagine many others did as well, but there would be a bunch of unlucky people.
what i love is that it just feels so beyond human comprehension, and yet it feels comforting as well as terrifying . we are literally witnessing the collapse of the universe
I have a very good friend who insists the ending is terrible because "there was no reward". I've tried, over and over, to understand what the hell they're talking about, but I have to just assume that some people will never understand.
I tried to escape that cursed world once. I jumped in my ship, hit the pedal and start to move towards the outer space. I flew like 15 minutes, faster and faster! I thought I cheated the system. It was horrifying when I saw that glitchy, stretched blue texture slowly crawling at me, despite the fact I gained insane amount of velocity and the game let me do that. It was horrifying, brutal.
Wanna know something spooky There is an in-game reason for that and you can remove it if you want to You can escape the death of your star but... Where the hell are you going to go... Every thing is so far out you'll never make it... *SPOILERS* ...Even if you do it is reveal that all stars are being destroyed through some sort of entropy so there is nothing left to do execpt to wait for the fate you foolishly tried to run from.
@@i-cweezy6064 So true. [Spoilers!!!] The reason the OP was thrown back in time was probably because the time travel device was still active and would throw him back in time every time the sun would go supernova. I haven't tried, but I wonder what exactly would happen if you ran while holding the device's power core.
@@ArcherAC3 spoilers.... ...if you mean what happens in game, after the explosion clears out the sun is left as a tiny speck and shortly after the game fades to text explaing that you drift through space until you run out of resources. It's pretty bleak stuff.
Technically, it's only your memories of your 22 minutes in the time loop that get sent back in time. So you're sort of creating timelines where your character continues living past the time loop for as long as they can.
The narrative Jacob weaved in this video is great, and the end, it's like he accepted the inevitability of the sun exploding again, he already accepted as a fact, he was going to die again. But, in that tiny moment he didn't want to.
@David Morris Damn, my big lesbian energy travels through the screen now? I've become too powerful for this world. The existential crisis continues on!
I only watched 3 minutes of the video so sorry for that.. but it's because those opening 3 minutes was enough to push this game from something I've been following with interest to something that I think I'm likely to play. I'll come back to this in a month or so haha
@@Agyrius Haven't even started! Was playing a lot of Hypnospace Outlaw for a review then lost access to my computer for a bit. Still on my list though!
To quote the best description of Outer Wilds that I've ever seen: "We start the game wanting to know everything. We finish the game wanting to forget everything and start again." - Some random Steam review
Fiction, fanfiction or otherwise, i have never read a story with a timeloop where the main character breaks the loop accidentally, and contemplates their own sudden and inevitable mortality. This was a beautiful video, and your own narrative was amazing.
I've been struggling with quitting my addiction and resulting worsened anxiety the past few days, and your videos genuinely make me want to cry because they calm my head for 20 minutes at a time. Keep doin what you do because it is beautiful.
This is over a year since your post, but I truly hope you're doing well and have gotten over your addiction and anxiety, and if you haven't yet, that you are still pushing and making progress on doing so.
I just watched a video about a game I've never even heard of and was captivated the whole time. You, sir, are one of the best content creators on TH-cam. Phenomenal.
I have not played the Outer Wilds but I saw the words "Ray Bradbury" and "Kaleidoscope", my favorite Bradbury story. So, I will not watch this video. Instead, I will go and play the game and only then I will come back to watch this.
An amazing game. First few times playing it I was full of awe and fear. Every new planet I landed on had something to fascinate me and mysteries to solve, but the ticking clock was always there. The entire time I played it I thought that once I solve this mystery I'll save the universe, the sun will live, and I'll go back home with my friends. I was gutted to find out there's no saving the universe. Or at least the universe as I know it. It was beautifully painful having to end the loop and watch as time passed on as usual; sun explodes destroying all in its path, but the universe is still alive full of life yet to come. Death is very much inevitable, but so is life.
SPOILER WARNING: The moment in "Outer Wilds" that really got me wasn't even a in-game moment. The Ash Twin project was one of the last things I got to; I had explored everything else first. As soon as I got in, I started reading, exploring and messing around. Then I opened the core and realized I could turn off gravity and grab it. I realized this core was what was causing the time loop, but wasn't sure what to do next. And then, all the pieces from everything else in the game fell into place-and my first reaction was "no. No. You don't expect me to grab the core and take it to the crashed ship. That...no, that can't be how you beat the game!" But it was. Nothing else lined up. Nothing else made sense. I waited until the supernova happened so I could see the Ash Twin work, quit once the game autosaved and didn't play it again for a few days. When I did, I immediately flew to the Ash Twin, and attempted the end game run. And as soon as I got back into my spaceship, the supernova song (what I call the Song of Panic) started, but it was different. It had a driving background beat that turned a peaceful song into an urgent song. And told me, in no uncertain terms, this was it. (I'd like to say I beat the game on this run, except the stupid anglerfish did me in. At least my fears that the game would delete my save were unfounded).
To be fair, losing save data in outer wilds does basically nothing. The only reward the game gives you is knowledge, there are no items retained across loops. This is why speedrunners are able to make it to the location of the eye just a minute or two quicker than a player who knows what they're doing, the only difference between a complete newbie and a seasoned pro is knowledge
Thank you for making this video. Death is constantly on my mind, and i only choke up in fear. But when i watched this video i cried grieving for your plyer character. Last time i had a panic attack about death it ended abruptly. The fear slipped away. The video was a tipping point, and now i have found peace with it. Thank you
Some future generation won't have to fear as we do. Or will it be us? It's up to us to decide. We've been working on the problem since the beginning. The solution could be just around the corner. So stay running and support sound solutions wherever you find them. If humanity survives long enough, humans will live forever.
I want to thank you for the crisis you caused, for the dread you brought upon me, and the joy you pulled forth out of my soul. This video was a terrifying masterpiece and by the end of it you left me more curious than scared. Thank you
After playing Breath of the Wilds I though what it was going to be the peak in exploration and discovery in games for years, but then this game came and obliterated me. It's just so good and organic and mysterious, the I don't think I'll ever forget the mind bending mechanics of the Quantum Moon, or the sheer terror of the Dark Bramble. And that black/white hole, it still make me really nervous when I look at the light distortion that they make, I just can't look at it for too long
Floating through the dark bramble whilst listening to that distress signal had me holding my breath as I would float past any anglerfish it was so unsettling 😂
This is the greatest video game of all time, and its not even close. Not only is it a master craft in game design, in puzzles unraveling before you, in mechanical challenges being frustrating but amazing when completed, but its also a hauntingly beautiful narrative about the certainty of death, and the importance of holding the connections you make close, because in the end, that's all that ever mattered anyway.
Lmao I was looking for this comment! I watched this video way before I even knew I might ever play the game, and when I got to the Station I was so worried before finding out immediately how to work it.
I think he knows that but decided on not doing this in this video for story purposes. Or he recreated the first time he was there before he knew he had to activate it.
Spoilers btw When I started this game 2 months ago I laughed at the home screen. I started it and talked to everyone. I launched and slammed into a tree like an idiot then my reactor blew up. Everyday I played trying to figure out the mysterys of this beautiful game. At some point I was so confused on what I was meant to do and I sat there on ash twin wondering why I laughed at this game when I saw the campfire in the dark forest. Everyday for a month I played the game for at least an hour and I was certain I had finally discovered everthing there was to discover. Then I got past the anglerfish in which I previously could not pass. I discovered the vessel and saw where I needed to put the warp core. I panicked. And got super excited at the same time. I loved this game. And as I entered into the center of the ash twin I felt different. I loved this game and I knew I had won once the music started playing when I started heading towards dark bramble. I made it to the vessel and activated the warp core. I saw the Universe die and be rebirthed. In that moment I cried because I knew I had no reason to play this game anymore. And I sat down at the campfire for the last time. And then deleted the game.
the true experience. I nearly cried too, the exact same emotions went through my head. I spent entire lifetimes in the game just listening to the music. Observing the stars, the planets, and the cosmosphere. The supernova. The beautiful wildlife hidden under the surface of a planet. And when I finally pieced together the whole story... I died on my way to victory. the slate was cleaned, everything I had accomplished was crushed when bold letters told me "You have Died." (which incidentally, if you die before you first see the statue, the same thing happens. and the story even explains how this happens later on, its amazing) when i first entered the Dark, twisting planet It was odd. nothing previously like its empty vile core. and then, after flying towards a light, I realize whats about to happen. It was the first time ive ever enjoyed being scared in a game. Terrified. The video reminded me of all this, and just how deeply this game delves. and all i wish now, is that players experience the full story. every aspect. the great *Pilgrimage* of playing this game, and experiencing it to the fullest extent.
I first watched this video about a month after it was released. I thought it was a well done demonstration of how the structure of a game, rather then the dialogue, has the most potential for emotional impact. But I didn't think much more of it then that. Having just watched it again, given current events both global and personal, it hit me a lot harder. The way you talk about death, facing it, embracing it, surviving it, and running from, I think I needed to hear that. Thanks Jacob, for making this. It helped a lot.
I doubt that I will ever play the game, but the video on it's own, having never heard of the game before, is absolutely beautiful, and I'm very thankful that you made it. The dialogue between Bradbury and the game narrative that you experienced worked extremely well. Do you have any plans to set up a patreon any time soon? I'd be first in line.
Thank you Viktor! No plans for a patreon as of yet- I worry that it would "become work" for me if I was being paid for it. Very much appreciated though
@@JacobGeller I have seen plenty of cases where the person's output quality lapsed after they started their Patreon, glad you are aware of that kind of dynamic.
the video shows a lot of the emotion you can get out of the game. but there is a story it tells, with a true end, and although the video shows parts of it, it doesnt show the ending. although i see the comment is a month old, take it from someone who also finished the story, its worth its price, its worth any price. its one of the best games of this year, and few people know it
@BubbleRoo Fuckaroo: Boogaloo Fuckyoutoo Not every game is for everyone and I also would say this is not a game I would play but it is still interesting to hear about it.
it’s incredible how you played the game in such a completely different order than I did, and yet we both lived that same experience. Outer Wilds truly is a masterpiece.
I love how you're talking from the mc's perspective, goes to show how much he suffered... Imagine having to repeat endless cycles of death while being all on your own trying to save your world.
Major Spoilers Ahead: Your video has inspired me to share my own experience with inevitability in Outer Wilds. After spending several hours exploring, I knew that the Sun Station was a core piece of the Ash Twin Project. I had learned that the Nomai built the station to destroy the sun so they could use the resulting energy to charge their time loop. I had been putting the pieces together and was convinced that disabling the Sun Station was going to be one of the major steps of my final voyage. I believed that my ultimate goal was to stop the time loop, keep the sun from exploding, and save the solar system. Upon reaching the Sun Station, I learned the truth. The Sun Station had been a failure. The sun was simply at the end of its life and there was nothing I could do to keep it from going supernova. I had to accept that I was not the hero of this story. Accepting the inevitable led me to an even greater appreciation of the game. Outer Wilds is cosmic poetry at its finest. It is existential, beautiful, and timeless. My only wish is for more people to experience this masterpiece.
Man that killed me when I read that. I thought "For sure, there's a way to stop this, to save the lives of all of those people on the planet". Realizing there really was no way to escape the death of the universe (Quantum mechanics excluded), that hurt. But it did give me a reason to at least see the Eye of the Universe for myself.
I even got past that part thinking it worked but was kind of delayed, but a conversation with one of the fellow astronauts freaking out cause all of the stars were exploding too, and then I looked up, zoomed in, and every star in the sky was starting to flicker out. That’s when it really hit me
@@thegrayowl1557 It was the moment I realized this was not just a good game. A good game would have you flip the switch, save the solar system, become a hero. And mind you, with all you have to learn to get there, it would be a fantastic game. But you don't, and then the ending is so much more powerful than that. This is one of the most impactful stories I've ever been told; within a game, by far the best.
*MAJOR SPOILERS* This was the turning point for me from when Outer Wilds went from a really cool Indy game about space and time loops to a philosophical and religious experience about entropy. I had been so confident that stopping the supernova was the ultimate goal, that the sun station would at least give me a vital clue in that goal. The outer wilds explorer on ember twin believed that we had made an error. This is something I dismissed as a hypothesis. Other nomai could’ve built more sun stations? Maybe this sun station caused some sort of chain reaction? But once I reached the station, not only was it a dead end in terms of clues, but it made clear that the sun’s death was no act of nomai, but of inevitability. “The sun station had no lasting affect on the sun, the sun station is a failure” those words carved into my head like talons. The sun was dying of old age. It was clear that this wasn’t a world capable of being saved. The stars are dying and there’s no technology I could assemble to stop it. This is it. All those people, all that history, gone in a matter of seconds.
I have found myself coming back to this video time and time again over the past year or so because it's just . a beautiful video. Just like this game has stuck with me every day for the past 2 years, I think about this video so frequently as well. It feels like a soft spoken poem just as beautiful as the game itself. It's so well put together
finding the vessel filled me with hope. i can pile all of my new friends in and we can find salvation together. but we don't. i am alone when i journey to the eye of the universe. the ancient civilisation that died thousands of years before i was born dreamt of this moment. the last remnant of said civilisation, trapped on an impossible moon dreamt of this moment. i am alone when i discover there is no salvation. death is inevitable in the outer wilds. i am not sad. the eye brings my friends together and we play one last song as the universe dies.
This is one of, if not my favorite video "essay" I have ever watched. It perfectly encapsulates my feelings toward Outer Wilds and it feels almost calming I guess (?) to put words towards these feelings I have towards the game. I have actually watched it like 6 times over the last 2 weeks. No matter how many times I watch, it always evokes those same feelings. I have actually shown this video to three other people and two of them actually played the game and thanked me for it. So thank you for this absolutely wonderful video for one of my favorite games of all time, it truly is amazing.
This video is what convinced me to buy Outer Wilds. Three weeks later, I beat the game for the first time this evening. Hearing the instruments join together one by one was so genuinely moving that I started tearing up. If you're reading this, please play Outer Wilds. It's well worth your time and money.
Since I can never really play it again for the first time myself, I've watched just about every video and stream vod of the game I can get my hands on, and I *ALWAYS* cry at the ending, often just blubbering and sobbing. What an incredible game.
@@veiledAutonym The universal experience of Outer Wilds players: Get your friends to play Outer Wilds, so you can watch. So you can just... try to grasp that feeling you had the first time playing one more time.
I’ve not heard of this game, but this video was meticulously executed and passionately narrated. I watched it once and was in awe, then I immediately watched it again and wept.
I'M CRYING, OK? I CRIED UNCOUNTABLE TIMES WHILE PLAYING THAT GAME... FOR ME, FOR MY FRIENDS, FOR MY PLANET, FOR THE LOST CIVILIZATIONS, FOR... the universe, for life itself. It was hurtful yet beautiful, it was... inevitable. I felt so lost, so desolated, so confused. I felt amazed, I felt free, I felt blessed. There were just so many feelings I couldn't understand... I just cried. And I still cry, everytime I think of it. A cry of sadness, of joy, of hope. That was nearly the best experience I've had in my life. And then my life continued to go on. I did everything I wanted and everything I could think of and then just left the game and moved on. But... it taught me so much and I almost forgot it. Never really did think about it again. ... And, here is this video, reminding me of everything. Everything I lived, everything I saw, everything I felt, everything I've learned so far. And it just made me cry again. So... thank you 😳💙
Definitely game of the year for me. How the game gives you hope for salvation only to snatch it away again just to teach you that all things end, and that the fact that it began and lived its life is all that really matters. How you learn how to control the seemingly uncontrollable only to throw you for a loop and make you realize there was no controlling it to begin with, how it was nothing more than a coexistence. How you learn to appreciate the quiet moments amongst friends the most.
I can't believe I missed this brilliant homage to one of my all-time favorite games. Outer Wilds is a once-in-a-lifetime game. Thank you for helping me feel those feelings again.
I haven't played the game, but this was such a beautiful video that I can't help but feel intrigued. Fantastic work Jacob! Not that I expected anything less ;)
I just recently finished this game and everything you talked about really resonated hard with me; I think you really hit the nail on the head with the exploration of its themes, also this video made me cry on the train home good job
After beating this game long ago upon release Loving it so much to call it my favorite game of all time, this video was so enjoyable to watch. The whole mystery to solve starting with no knowledge of anything. I didnt even finish the trailer to avoid any spoilers. It took me like 20 deaths to figure out the sun was even exploding because I was always indoors reading solving the puzzle. The worlds being so exotic with so many specialities of each making them so different blew my mind. I felt so excited to play the game I waited so long for. And it felt so good to solve ever secret and mystery and the story itself with no help. I couldn't get my hands off of the game from just being so amazed of it's beuatiful scenery and amazing story. After beating it, I couldn't do nothing but just want more. A game that amazing felt like I finished it so quickly wanting nothing but to listen to it's soundtrack and stare at it's Beuatiful universe. The game was so great that I left like a story for a review. I will never play something as relaxing and amazing as Outer Wilds. This video made me happy to watch bringing back the whole experience in an amazing TH-cam video.
i just fear for if he actually finished the story to completion or not. from what he shows in the video, theres no way to tell if he found the full *pilgrimage* of the game or not
The whole quote of "It's not about the destination, but the friends we make along the way" was never more true than in this game. The universe is dying and we'll die with it, we can't stop that, but enjoying the end surrounded by friends playing our favorite song around the campfire makes it feel alright.
after finishing this game i still catch myself from time to time humming the travelers tune to myself and think to the journey i completed and how great is was.
I had the same experience, of not understanding how to make it work the first time. I think that's part of the charm. Finding something, just to fail to understand it, only to come back later, thrilled at the feeling of *knowing*. Knowing exactly what to do.
This video has been in my Watch Later playlist for probably almost a year. I finished the game earlier today and finally watched it. It did not disappoint.
The whole game for hours teaching you that death is not THAT scary and terrible and it can be reversed It makes you to get used to the fact that death is nothing in there, that you have nothing to fear, you can start all over again, Its not a big deal But when you take out the power source and just walk around with it realisation strucks too late, you feel fear for the first time after getting used to dying, you know that this is the end and you are terrified
ray bradbury! i loved “the illustrated man”, a collection of short stories by him. it included kaleidoscope. amazing story. i’m surprised you didn’t mention the long rain as well. i think it compliments outer wilds well
Jacob, you are an absolute gem. Your videos have been such an inspiration to me and my wife. Not only have I been using your videos as solid recommendations for incredible games, but your takes on those same titles have also opened my eyes in a way. I have started looking for more meaning in the media that I consume. I have started thinking more and more about what a story really means. Thank you for asking me to be a more conscious person.
Brilliant! I'm a huge fan of Bradbury (and The Illustrated Man in particular), I have no doubt he would have absolutely loved this. Several years ago "Build, Fly, Dream" portrayed the exemplar KSP experience, us Outer Wilds fans now have this!
The fact that I watched this video before playing meant I had a pleasant surprised when the White Hole station... worked as intended. I think it's fascinating that you got this melancholy message from not realizing how to get to the on switch.
This is the only Jacob Geller video I never watched. Because I knew I wanted to experience this game myself truly blind (I didn't even know the core mechanic) I finished the Outer Wilds last week and it is the first game in... a long time... that I had dreams about afterward. It is indescribably impactful and amazing. Thank you for attempting to describe it though.
I just died myself the same way. I didn't know what the core did, though in retrospect I should have suspected it. I just heard the sun go supernova and took the thing. I don't know why, it wouldn't have mattered if I came back. But I didn't. The time machine was off, and so was the universe. Beautiful video, by the way. I wish I could show my friends, but I want them to play the game first.
I no joke cried when I took the warp core out the first time and I realized that the supernova I was about to experience would truly be the end. What an incredible game.
It will always be funny to me that the developers made well cooked (not burned) marshmallows heal you and even added an achievement called something like "Yum! Carcinogens!" for eating five burned marshmallows. And yet, so many people have no idea because they personally like their marshmallows burnt. Also, how the marshmallow's cycle of being put on a stick, eaten or burned, and then replaced is eerily similar to our own
This game was one of the few games to make me emotional. On my first completion I found the vessel and the coordinates to the eye of the universe. I grabbed the warp core and headed to dark bramble, even though I had been there before and I had experience with the anglerfish I was still super cautious and worried about being slow and so that they wouldn’t hear me. I was scared about dying in those moments because I didn’t know what would happen without the warp core powering the ash twin project. As I was about 2km away from the final threshold to the vessel and then... a screech. I had been heard, they knew where I was and the anglers were coming for me. I had mere moments to think before they would be on me, so I had a split second realization that it wouldn’t matter where I was 10 minutes from now. That the world would still turn and I would have to do it again if I failed, that no matter what happens the sun would implode. So I made a choice. I slammed in the acceleration. My ship picked up speed and I heard all the anglers in the area screech, more than just the one. I kept going. And then, I saw my goal, the entryway to the vessels locations was inches away. And I made it. Then, dead silence. I had made it. I had made it the vessel and I put the warp core into the tele-porter. I enter the coordinates for the eye of the universe and step into the black hole after the teleport. On the surface of the quantum plane I am haunted by it’s almost terrifying beauty. When I eventually fall into the forest, the forest that looks oh so similar to my home planet. And I am surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands of dying solar systems, dying universes. I am speechless as what I witness, these systems are being wiped out, civilizations are giving out their final cries. And then, a tree. A sapling. A mere leaf in the ground. A campfire. I see Esker and his chair next to my fire, he tells me to find the others. My friends. So I do, I seek out Riebeck and his Banjo, Gabbro and his flute, Chert and their drums. And then Feldspar and his harmonica, as I walk towards the signal I see the angler coming straight for me. This creature almost killed me before I got here but now, I am not afraid. I am defiant as I walk firmly forwards. I do not run, I do not turn back, for this time, I am the one with the power and it is just a skeleton, a husk of the beast it once was. It poses no threat to me. And finally, I am ready to go towards the piano, the song that was too beautiful for me to forget. I see skeletons gathered around a stump. I click my light 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 times. And before me stands a shuttle. A vehicle I have only ever flown once but something that carries great symbolism as it was built by the Nomai, the species that dared to reach for the stars. I launch forward and grab the mask of Solanum, the last of the Nomai, a story that’s quite heartbreaking. She was trapped on a moon lost in time, where time moved differently, and where she outlived her entire species. Finally, everyone was at the campfire, Riebeck said we could begin and I told him he could play. I told everyone else that hey could begin a song, even Solanum who had seen very few Hearthians in her life, was eager to bring music to everyone. The great blue bubble formed above us, and as I spoke with my companions I realized that none of them were scared. They weren’t afraid of the unknown. Feldspar, long called the fearless gave me a last quote of “Ahh, I hope there’ll be beasties in the next one.” Due to their bravery, I was not afraid, I faced the expanding portal in front of me with open arms. I jumped through and it seemed as though time had stopped completely. Then, there was no one, the forest expanded endlessly and then went dark. Was it over? Was everyone just, gone? But, that was not the case. An explosion of sound and light spread across my view and enveloped me. As I accepted Eternity, it accepted me. As the screen faded back to black I wondered what happened next, then I saw a forest in the corner, and other beings gathered around a campfire in joy. I had been the first to witness the fall of a civilization. How glorious that I was able to witness the rise of another,.
I was super late to this game, but I was so excited when I finally got around to listening to this video. I first read Kaleidoscope when I was maybe 13 or so and it left me with feelings that weren't necessarily unpleasant but I could tell my mind couldn't fully grasp what I was feeling in my chest and behind my eyes. I understand it better these days, though I don't know if I could put it in words, but it's absolutely the same feeling you get when you realize you need to take the core in this game.
Spoilers: So, there I was. I'd found my way through Dark Bramble to the ship, knew what I had to do to see the Eye. I'd made the trip dry once, timed myself literally, and made it to the ship from the core chamber without incident in less than 6 minutes. I was ready. I got to the core as soon as possible, my timing almost flawless, save for a jump in my landing. Taking off quickly, I made a course for Dark Bramble. I'd been through so much, seen the whole of the solar system at that point. This was it; the answer was ahead. As I initiated my autopilot and, for a moment, let a month's worth of playing sink in; all I'd been through, all I'd seen, all I'd FELT along the way... it was coming to a close, finally, and I'd know the truth of it all. Then I noticed my velocity; it wasn't decreasing. My autopilot, through a game glitch I've never encountered before or since, had failed. I was hurtling towards the solid core of my destination. Too late, I hit the reverse thrusters. Too late, I tried to evade. My piloting had becoming very good, but was not excellent. I slammed into Dark Bramble's outer cluster at high enough velocity that it proved lethal. That's how my Outer Wilds experience "truly" ended; a failed system and a failed attempt to correct made too late. I restarted, of course, without incident, but it wasn't the same. The drama of the mystery was dulled by the knowledge that I had "died" for good, the unbroken incarnation of the universe I'd come to interact with became unresolved and erased for good because I got distracted in the last moments. I love this game for that, in a lot of ways, but it'll always carry some sadness for me.
God, this video. It hits some sort of chords within me, but I cannot identify them, it just hits. Your moment around 12:00 is perfect, mixing the 14.3 billion years in was earth shattering. It's a good video, good job on it.
I am always so amazed and impressed at how you make connections from one piece of media to another the way you write seems effortless 😳 am in love with your work and the way it makes me think and feel literally every essay on this channel has really left an impact on me and the way I see the world and how I enjoy video games. Can’t thank you enough for that honestly much love to my favorite video essayist in the game ❤️
Man you really have a way with words. All of the videos of yours I've watched so far have been about games I've never played and by the end I have a nostalgic longing to feel the way they made you feel.
Man oh man! I wondered what I'd do if I found the ash twin project without knowing what to do with the core! The anxiety I felt watching you leave with that thing knowing what you just did to yourself was too much! Such a beautiful piece
I once crash landed my ship. I was being a bit careless because, while death is inevitable, so is the reset. I look at my ship that has fallen to pieces. It will be ok. But in the end, when I've explored everything, when I've learned the awful truth, the true inevitability of death. It won't be ok. Nothing I do will make it ok. I am merely delaying the final death. Then, I accept death. I make conscious efforts to make it final. No more reset. After this, it will never be ok again. I do what has to be done, I make the final perilous journey, and I choose to end everything. Everything and everyone I knew is now gone. And then I am gone too. But somehow, life continues. Even without me. In the end, everything will be ok.
I love how this was completed different to how i played and how you worked things out i worked out completely differently and at different times for anyone’s reading this comment before watching the video if you haven’t played this game yet don’t watch this video play it first it is a beautiful story that you must experience by yourself
ive watched lets palys but even then I may have felt a little tear then because this cured my fear of heat death of the universe truly *_10 O U T O F T E N_*
This is poetic and very well described. Having played the game I know those feelings well. You should do another one on the hope the actual ending has.
This transcended analysis and, with the help of great works, was as art to me. Go on, and as you found comfort in death, or the understanding of it, defy tribulation in your craft here. I will be watching your videos regularly, and though I am but one of billions, perhaps like the many deaths you faced, in summation you'll find meaning in it. Thank you.
The game is definitely art. It touches on important and awe-inspiring themes. I thought this analysis could've been condensed into as much as 6-7 minutes. Much of it was said poetically, but didn't actually convey anything philosophical, despite the tone in his voice that suggest depth.
Guys, I found it, the best and my favourite video on youtube. The world won't get any better than this. My life will though, partly thanks to it. Sincere thanks.
Spoilers for the game...
The moment that really got me in my playthrough was when I had explored nearly the whole system, discovered the secrets of this ancient civilization and was nearly ready to make my journey to the eye of the universe when I decided to visit the Interloper. The wandering comet that had seemed unrelated to the entire mystery unfolding before me. I died many times before reaching its core. And I finally reached the center. I discovered a recording of a deadly material contained in the comet I was currently floating in amongst the corpses of dead nomai surrounding me. As I listened a slow realization overcame me. These nomai, this ancient civilization capable of near time travel, was not destroyed by their own technology or their own ambition, but simply a wandering comet. Their downfall was random chance, a volatile comet hurtling through space that happened to hit the nomai at the height of their achievements. And just as it was random chance that they were destroyed, it is random chance that the sun's death happened to coincide with your voyage, triggering the nomai's failed technology and allowing you to complete their journey thousands upon thousands of years later.
Same. Honestly, before then I was thinking to myself "the only things I really don't know yet are what happened to the Nomai and what the deal with ghost matter is. They never seem to mention it in their writings." I figured the comet would probably answer the second question. I... probably should have been able to put it together on my own.
I was in the exact same situation! You can totally figure out the game without ever visitng the Interloper, but this extra bit of knowledge hit me very deep for some reason. I felt sad at such a waste, such a great civilization gone just like that in an instant... then realized it was the message of the game: no matter how great we think we are, we are still tiny against the might of the universe.
Seeing those messages from all the Nomai working on the Sun Station and the Ash Twin Project after knowing their unfair and terrible fate was incredibly sad. All of them mention the countless discoveries still to be made and experiments to be performed and then give some offhand remarks about a curious comet that has entered their lives, and then the messages stop. I honestly felt honored to be able to finally complete the work of generations, but as you say, it was just because of chance.
It makes me think of probably my favorite quote from the whole game, from Riebeck, at the end: “I learned a lot, by the end of everything. The past is past, now, but that’s… you know, that’s okay! It’s never really gone completely. The future is always built on the past, even if we won’t get to see it. Still, it’s um, time for something new, now.” We couldn't have found the Eye of the Universe without all of the Nomai's endless work and scientific knowledge, but they also couldn't have done it without us.
I think the interloper was one of the first places I went, I knew virtually nothing about it, all I knew was how to get around ghost matter. When I went there I ended up getting stuck on the comet because my ship floated off into space. I just wandered around on this comet slowly running out of oxygen until the ice melted away and with nothing else to do I jumped in. It was amazing that I found the inside of this comet, that it saved me but when I reached the center and learned of the fate of the Nomai I realised I was stuck in a death trap. One of the first places I went, no knowledge of the Nomai and now I knew how they died and I sat there knowing if it wasnt for the sun exploding I would have died in the same way.
For me, the moment I'll never forget was when I first made it inside the Ash Twin Project.
I'd been many places in the solar system at this point. I'd figured out that the Ash Twin Project was related to my time loop. I'd figured out the sun exploding fueled it. I thought...I thought something was wrong. I thought the machine was wrong. I thought it was damaged, it needed to be fixed so it would do what it was supposed to, and then stop. The star would stop dying.
And as I explored the Ash Twin Project, I saw many conversations I'd already read from the other side. I saw the now-familiar masks, wondering for the umpteenth time who the third lit mask was. I was happy to finally have reached the center of so many mysteries. And then I found the core of thing. The center of this great machine built by ancient scientists long dead, and opened it, still expecting to find a broken thing that needed fixing.
And as it opened, and I stared at the perfectly-functioning core in the center of the machine, it finally dawned on me. I wasn't here to fix the Ash Twin Project.
I was here to break it.
"Come, sit with me and watch the stars die."
Where is this from?
"It's the kind of thing that makes you glad you stopped and smelled the pine trees along the way."
this was one of the sadest moments
Sure, I got time.
"You say "the whole world's ending?" Honey, it already did."
After watching the first 5 minutes of this video, I stopped it and went and got myself a copy of Outer Wilds. I just finished it and came back here to rewatch this video. What a ride.
This is the way
This is the way
Way is the this
The way is this
This is the way
"i look at the supernova, like i have many times before, and begin to run."
@Baby Nagger probably
@@ButlerOfChaos "definitly"
- their mom probably
that really got me.
It took me much too long to realise this was my old account
@@anhilo9716 Which one?
"Inside is a quiet love note to someone I'll never meet" That got me, there's something in that which is so haunting yet peaceful and beautifully tranquil it gives off an emotion I can't describe. Like any relic from a time gone by in real life, past civilizations, ruins, even cave paintings, but that quote specifically is just so human and heart warming but equally sad.
Krystian, agreed. That's a heavy hitter!
"Sonder"
The part that really struck me from near The White Hole Station was finding graffiti on a broken building drifting through space saying, "We shouldn't have come here". Haunting.
It hits even harder knowing that Nomai were so close to see the Eye just to be wiped out by the Ghost Mater from Interloper. Only three of then knew what Interlper had inside.
@@masterzoroark6664 only 2 actually. They lost communication with clary under the surface
I did not want this video to end. Outer Wilds was not just a game, it was an experience of a lifetime. I doubt anything like this is can ever come into existence again. I don't want it to. I'll remember this game fondly all my life and the childlike joy and fear I had playing it. If this game was $60, I'd still buy it; again and again for every death I had. I never knew something as dark as death could make this game shine as bright as it does. There's something, or everything, in this game that changed my perspective on life, and on death. And that's just one aspect of it. The mysteries, details, control (or lack thereof) all come together to make a masterpiece the faults of which don't seem like bugs or glitches but the imperfections just this life has. I want to forget it and start all over again.
While not as condensed and philosophical, Subnautica instills a similar sense of wonder and discovery, you may enjoy it!
@@zanchito thank you for the suggestion kind stranger. I'll try it.
Because it's saying life may end but you can't fight change but everything you have done will stay the same
*Smiles* Because change is a good thing
Because it's saying life may end but you can't fight change but everything you have done will stay the same
*Smiles* Because change is a good thing
@@zanchito and fear of ocean AHHH REAPER!
This game feels like the premise concept of Majora's Mask elevated to a new, higher level. It's incredible.
My beat precisely hermano. Majora's Mask is still my all-time favorite, next to Mass Effect, specifically because of the time looping construct. I really wish I could play this one.. 😔
@@soulmechanics7946 Why can't you play it?
If you watch the developer documentary they talk about how they were inspired by Zelda a bit
They actually wanted the game to be loosely inspired by those games believe it or not.
I feel like Majora has a different approach/narrative all around, but the inspiration is clear
Sir, you have a flair for the melancholy.
Can't wait to see more.
God I'd love to analyse this game, but I know I couldn't top this video
Do it anyway, it would be hard to top the video but it is impossible if you do not try.
God damnit, you’re the reason I have this video recommended, Aren’t you?
Love your channel, I'd like to see your take on this game!
its never about the game, its always about what YOU do/did in it. ive seen it played many times now, and each person’s story- just like in kaleidoscope; is WAY different than any other’s. tell your story!! id love to hear it. :)
oh, i saw you did!! well done~ ✨
You know, I really like 6:32 , it's super poetic.
But it's *so* annoying, knowing that right below you there is a switch to turn the teleporter around, making it work.
Hey, it's what happened to me. I didn't know that it could move. Then I learned later on that it could.
Isn't it moving in the video? I think he says that its over for him because he'll die before the transporter rotates enough to activate
@@arthurlion498once you activate the rotation it goes pretty quickly, just a few seconds. I think in his excitement to return, he overlooked the rest of the station.
@@woxenss its 100% moving in the video but its way slower for some reason, it probably got patched to move faster cause it took so long
@@Terratype I believe it always moves slowly along with normal planetary orbits, but activating the switch makes it go faster. i could be mistaken. it went slow for me the first time I played (I didn't notice the switches either) and my playthrough was just a couple months ago
Holy shit. You perfectly encapsulated how I felt playing Outer Wilds myself.
Fortunately(?) for me, I discovered the way to enter the Ash Twin Project way after I'd already discovered the Nomai Mothership and the location of The Eye of the Universe, and thus, when I found that warp core at the center, I immediately knew what to do with it. Still, it was a mad, heart-pounding race against time as I tried to navigate the eldritch labyrinth of the Dark Bramble, knowing that for the first time in my journey, I'm truly mortal. What would happen if I died now? Would the game delete my save, wipe all my progress? I mean, technically, you never really have any progress to lose since you only have 22 minutes every time before you're sent back to the beginning, but the thought still scared me.
Trying to sneak past those horrible anglerfish was the most terrifying thing I've ever done, becase this time, I was truly afraid of death. This time, I had no idea what would happen after. And I'm not ashamed to admit this - the first two or three tries, I accidentally alerted the anglerfish by trying to rush through too fast, and I just straight-up Alt+F4'd out of the game before they could get to me, that's how terrified I was of dying. In a VIDEOGAME. Where dying is usually just a mild inconvenience at best or a frustrating failure at worst, but never an existential nightmare. I don't think any other game has ever made me fear death so intensely, or so organically, and I think that's because it made me fear death for the same reason we fear death in real life - because we don't know what happens after, but we know there's no going back. And you'll never convince me that wasn't intentional.
Outer Wilds really does revolve a lot around death, doesn't it? And yet, it's also so very beatiful and peaceful. I think that might just be the whole point of the game. Death is inevitable no matter what we do, both in Outer Wilds and in real life, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the beauty of everything else the world has to offer, and then face death calmly and contentedly. And you do just that at the end of the game, which also holds an important lesson - yes, the universe ends and everyone you ever knew dies, but a new universe comes right after, full of life just like yours was, only different. That's also, I think, a profound allegory for real life - you'll die one day, and that will be the end of everything for you, but the world will carry on, and countless other people will be born, live, and die, only to be replaced by other people still.
Outer Wilds was the only game to make me fear death, but it also teaches you how to accept it in the end, and that's the most beautiful thing about it I think.
Is it final if you remove the warp core and not manage to insert it into the dark bramble place.?
@@madma11 Nope. The game hypes it up, telling you you're dead for real now and all that, but in the end they let you reload your save like nothing happened and there's no actual consequences.
@@generalrubbish9513 Well, not much would change anyway if they did reset it.
Well said my man
@@ashleycat4 SPOILERS
You would lose the coordinates to the vessel making travelling there a bit harder + you would lose the coordinates to the eye of the universe. I drew the latter on a piece of paper and imagine many others did as well, but there would be a bunch of unlucky people.
You captured this masterpiece perfectly.
Best part is: even the 'good' ending of outer wilds isn't a happy one. Its a bittersweet one.
It's an incredible ending.
Everyone gets to play their own song before reaching the end of their lives. But it's always better if we play together.
what i love is that it just feels so beyond human comprehension, and yet it feels comforting as well as terrifying . we are literally witnessing the collapse of the universe
I have a very good friend who insists the ending is terrible because "there was no reward". I've tried, over and over, to understand what the hell they're talking about, but I have to just assume that some people will never understand.
@@TheRedstonian There was a reward, it just wasn't for you
I tried to escape that cursed world once. I jumped in my ship, hit the pedal and start to move towards the outer space. I flew like 15 minutes, faster and faster! I thought I cheated the system. It was horrifying when I saw that glitchy, stretched blue texture slowly crawling at me, despite the fact I gained insane amount of velocity and the game let me do that. It was horrifying, brutal.
Wanna know something spooky
There is an in-game reason for that
and you can remove it if you want to
You can escape the death of your star but...
Where the hell are you going to go...
Every thing is so far out you'll never make it...
*SPOILERS*
...Even if you do it is reveal that all stars are being destroyed through some sort of entropy so there is nothing left to do execpt to wait for the fate you foolishly tried to run from.
@@i-cweezy6064 So true.
[Spoilers!!!]
The reason the OP was thrown back in time was probably because the time travel device was still active and would throw him back in time every time the sun would go supernova.
I haven't tried, but I wonder what exactly would happen if you ran while holding the device's power core.
@@ArcherAC3 spoilers....
...if you mean what happens in game, after the explosion clears out the sun is left as a tiny speck and shortly after the game fades to text explaing that you drift through space until you run out of resources. It's pretty bleak stuff.
@@i-cweezy6064 yeah its like so cool how they let you and then let you know
you perished
Technically, it's only your memories of your 22 minutes in the time loop that get sent back in time. So you're sort of creating timelines where your character continues living past the time loop for as long as they can.
“And I start to run” why does this mess me up so much?
I fucking cried my dude
This is one of the few "game over" scenarios that triggers the end credits (accompanied by night crickets) and boots you to the title screen
@@emmaGisMe same I cried
The narrative Jacob weaved in this video is great, and the end, it's like he accepted the inevitability of the sun exploding again, he already accepted as a fact, he was going to die again. But, in that tiny moment he didn't want to.
Yeah, got me too. :
Beautiful and horrifying all at once, thank you for a gorgeous existential crisis
@David Morris Damn, my big lesbian energy travels through the screen now? I've become too powerful for this world. The existential crisis continues on!
@David Morris *nice recovery!*
@@MoondustManwise Not for me a "God" of this multiverse but hey we are human right? Just some lest than others
I only watched 3 minutes of the video so sorry for that.. but it's because those opening 3 minutes was enough to push this game from something I've been following with interest to something that I think I'm likely to play.
I'll come back to this in a month or so haha
So still at it?
@@Agyrius Haven't even started! Was playing a lot of Hypnospace Outlaw for a review then lost access to my computer for a bit. Still on my list though!
Hows it going?
@@Table53 The secrets of quantum entanglement are waiting...
They haven't responded yet because they were too busy playing the game for the past month.
To quote the best description of Outer Wilds that I've ever seen:
"We start the game wanting to know everything. We finish the game wanting to forget everything and start again."
- Some random Steam review
“I will not say do not weep, for not all tears are an evil.”
Gandalf the White
Fiction, fanfiction or otherwise, i have never read a story with a timeloop where the main character breaks the loop accidentally, and contemplates their own sudden and inevitable mortality. This was a beautiful video, and your own narrative was amazing.
Edge of Tomorrow came close. There wasn't much time for contemplating though because... reasons.
I've been struggling with quitting my addiction and resulting worsened anxiety the past few days, and your videos genuinely make me want to cry because they calm my head for 20 minutes at a time. Keep doin what you do because it is beautiful.
greetings, fellow nicole. go kick addiction and anxiety in the ass. you can do it.
This is over a year since your post, but I truly hope you're doing well and have gotten over your addiction and anxiety, and if you haven't yet, that you are still pushing and making progress on doing so.
Two years and counting. I hope you’re healthy and happy. I hope you’ve found some serenity. Wishing you well, friend.
I just watched a video about a game I've never even heard of and was captivated the whole time. You, sir, are one of the best content creators on TH-cam. Phenomenal.
If you like gaming in general, GIVE THIS ONE a try, even if lots of things have been spoiled for you, it's more than worth the play.
Just found this channel and I’m loving it, you should check out Ragnarox though. They are both pretty similar
Same😎
why did this make me feel so many things
thank you
I have not played the Outer Wilds but I saw the words "Ray Bradbury" and "Kaleidoscope", my favorite Bradbury story. So, I will not watch this video. Instead, I will go and play the game and only then I will come back to watch this.
im excited for you to come back to this masterpiece
it worths, thats what I have to say,
caz the feelings and experiences will be different if you aren't spoiled anything.
It really worths : )
So how'd you like it?
@@pyton1d752 The quotes come from the short story "Kaleidoscope" from the book "The Illustrated Man"
Have you played it yet?
An amazing game. First few times playing it I was full of awe and fear. Every new planet I landed on had something to fascinate me and mysteries to solve, but the ticking clock was always there. The entire time I played it I thought that once I solve this mystery I'll save the universe, the sun will live, and I'll go back home with my friends. I was gutted to find out there's no saving the universe. Or at least the universe as I know it. It was beautifully painful having to end the loop and watch as time passed on as usual; sun explodes destroying all in its path, but the universe is still alive full of life yet to come. Death is very much inevitable, but so is life.
yeah life and death go hand in hand
SPOILER WARNING:
The moment in "Outer Wilds" that really got me wasn't even a in-game moment. The Ash Twin project was one of the last things I got to; I had explored everything else first. As soon as I got in, I started reading, exploring and messing around. Then I opened the core and realized I could turn off gravity and grab it. I realized this core was what was causing the time loop, but wasn't sure what to do next.
And then, all the pieces from everything else in the game fell into place-and my first reaction was "no. No. You don't expect me to grab the core and take it to the crashed ship. That...no, that can't be how you beat the game!" But it was. Nothing else lined up. Nothing else made sense.
I waited until the supernova happened so I could see the Ash Twin work, quit once the game autosaved and didn't play it again for a few days. When I did, I immediately flew to the Ash Twin, and attempted the end game run.
And as soon as I got back into my spaceship, the supernova song (what I call the Song of Panic) started, but it was different. It had a driving background beat that turned a peaceful song into an urgent song. And told me, in no uncertain terms, this was it.
(I'd like to say I beat the game on this run, except the stupid anglerfish did me in. At least my fears that the game would delete my save were unfounded).
To be fair, losing save data in outer wilds does basically nothing. The only reward the game gives you is knowledge, there are no items retained across loops. This is why speedrunners are able to make it to the location of the eye just a minute or two quicker than a player who knows what they're doing, the only difference between a complete newbie and a seasoned pro is knowledge
Thank you for making this video. Death is constantly on my mind, and i only choke up in fear. But when i watched this video i cried grieving for your plyer character. Last time i had a panic attack about death it ended abruptly. The fear slipped away. The video was a tipping point, and now i have found peace with it. Thank you
Same I push off universe ending and stuff but now I feel like at peace
Some future generation won't have to fear as we do. Or will it be us? It's up to us to decide. We've been working on the problem since the beginning. The solution could be just around the corner. So stay running and support sound solutions wherever you find them. If humanity survives long enough, humans will live forever.
ever since I have been able to freely talk about death because
we all die but life goes on
@@WarlordM death is not a problem.
@@spitgorge2021 death is a serious problem, what are you talking about?
I want to thank you for the crisis you caused, for the dread you brought upon me, and the joy you pulled forth out of my soul. This video was a terrifying masterpiece and by the end of it you left me more curious than scared. Thank you
After playing Breath of the Wilds I though what it was going to be the peak in exploration and discovery in games for years, but then this game came and obliterated me. It's just so good and organic and mysterious, the I don't think I'll ever forget the mind bending mechanics of the Quantum Moon, or the sheer terror of the Dark Bramble.
And that black/white hole, it still make me really nervous when I look at the light distortion that they make, I just can't look at it for too long
Floating through the dark bramble whilst listening to that distress signal had me holding my breath as I would float past any anglerfish it was so unsettling 😂
This is the greatest video game of all time, and its not even close.
Not only is it a master craft in game design, in puzzles unraveling before you, in mechanical challenges being frustrating but amazing when completed,
but its also a hauntingly beautiful narrative about the certainty of death, and the importance of holding the connections you make close, because in the end, that's all that ever mattered anyway.
6:24 you should know that you could have just taken the elevator to the level below and been able to rotate the station to speed up the alignment :)
Lmao I was looking for this comment! I watched this video way before I even knew I might ever play the game, and when I got to the Station I was so worried before finding out immediately how to work it.
I think he knows that but decided on not doing this in this video for story purposes. Or he recreated the first time he was there before he knew he had to activate it.
Glad someone else noticed haha
Spoilers btw
When I started this game 2 months ago I laughed at the home screen. I started it and talked to everyone. I launched and slammed into a tree like an idiot then my reactor blew up. Everyday I played trying to figure out the mysterys of this beautiful game. At some point I was so confused on what I was meant to do and I sat there on ash twin wondering why I laughed at this game when I saw the campfire in the dark forest. Everyday for a month I played the game for at least an hour and I was certain I had finally discovered everthing there was to discover. Then I got past the anglerfish in which I previously could not pass. I discovered the vessel and saw where I needed to put the warp core. I panicked. And got super excited at the same time. I loved this game. And as I entered into the center of the ash twin I felt different. I loved this game and I knew I had won once the music started playing when I started heading towards dark bramble. I made it to the vessel and activated the warp core. I saw the Universe die and be rebirthed.
In that moment I cried because I knew I had no reason to play this game anymore. And I sat down at the campfire for the last time. And then deleted the game.
the true experience. I nearly cried too, the exact same emotions went through my head. I spent entire lifetimes in the game just listening to the music. Observing the stars, the planets, and the cosmosphere. The supernova. The beautiful wildlife hidden under the surface of a planet. And when I finally pieced together the whole story... I died on my way to victory. the slate was cleaned, everything I had accomplished was crushed when bold letters told me "You have Died." (which incidentally, if you die before you first see the statue, the same thing happens. and the story even explains how this happens later on, its amazing) when i first entered the Dark, twisting planet It was odd. nothing previously like its empty vile core. and then, after flying towards a light, I realize whats about to happen. It was the first time ive ever enjoyed being scared in a game. Terrified. The video reminded me of all this, and just how deeply this game delves. and all i wish now, is that players experience the full story. every aspect. the great *Pilgrimage* of playing this game, and experiencing it to the fullest extent.
This game is a teacher that you may die but one day life may be restored again
@@seantaggart7382 well, not your own life though. the player still dies in the end, its a new life that forms to the newborn universe
Oh I didnt realize anybody saw this comment
@@stuchris well true
I first watched this video about a month after it was released. I thought it was a well done demonstration of how the structure of a game, rather then the dialogue, has the most potential for emotional impact. But I didn't think much more of it then that.
Having just watched it again, given current events both global and personal, it hit me a lot harder. The way you talk about death, facing it, embracing it, surviving it, and running from, I think I needed to hear that.
Thanks Jacob, for making this. It helped a lot.
I doubt that I will ever play the game, but the video on it's own, having never heard of the game before, is absolutely beautiful, and I'm very thankful that you made it. The dialogue between Bradbury and the game narrative that you experienced worked extremely well. Do you have any plans to set up a patreon any time soon? I'd be first in line.
Thank you Viktor! No plans for a patreon as of yet- I worry that it would "become work" for me if I was being paid for it. Very much appreciated though
@@JacobGeller I have seen plenty of cases where the person's output quality lapsed after they started their Patreon, glad you are aware of that kind of dynamic.
the video shows a lot of the emotion you can get out of the game. but there is a story it tells, with a true end, and although the video shows parts of it, it doesnt show the ending. although i see the comment is a month old, take it from someone who also finished the story, its worth its price, its worth any price. its one of the best games of this year, and few people know it
@BubbleRoo Fuckaroo: Boogaloo Fuckyoutoo
Not every game is for everyone and I also would say this is not a game I would play but it is still interesting to hear about it.
If there is one game ever made that I recommend every plays, this is it. Please play this game.
it’s incredible how you played the game in such a completely different order than I did, and yet we both lived that same experience. Outer Wilds truly is a masterpiece.
I love how you're talking from the mc's perspective, goes to show how much he suffered... Imagine having to repeat endless cycles of death while being all on your own trying to save your world.
Major Spoilers Ahead:
Your video has inspired me to share my own experience with inevitability in Outer Wilds. After spending several hours exploring, I knew that the Sun Station was a core piece of the Ash Twin Project. I had learned that the Nomai built the station to destroy the sun so they could use the resulting energy to charge their time loop. I had been putting the pieces together and was convinced that disabling the Sun Station was going to be one of the major steps of my final voyage. I believed that my ultimate goal was to stop the time loop, keep the sun from exploding, and save the solar system. Upon reaching the Sun Station, I learned the truth. The Sun Station had been a failure. The sun was simply at the end of its life and there was nothing I could do to keep it from going supernova. I had to accept that I was not the hero of this story.
Accepting the inevitable led me to an even greater appreciation of the game. Outer Wilds is cosmic poetry at its finest. It is existential, beautiful, and timeless. My only wish is for more people to experience this masterpiece.
Man that killed me when I read that. I thought "For sure, there's a way to stop this, to save the lives of all of those people on the planet". Realizing there really was no way to escape the death of the universe (Quantum mechanics excluded), that hurt. But it did give me a reason to at least see the Eye of the Universe for myself.
I even got past that part thinking it worked but was kind of delayed, but a conversation with one of the fellow astronauts freaking out cause all of the stars were exploding too, and then I looked up, zoomed in, and every star in the sky was starting to flicker out. That’s when it really hit me
@@thegrayowl1557 It was the moment I realized this was not just a good game. A good game would have you flip the switch, save the solar system, become a hero. And mind you, with all you have to learn to get there, it would be a fantastic game.
But you don't, and then the ending is so much more powerful than that. This is one of the most impactful stories I've ever been told; within a game, by far the best.
*MAJOR SPOILERS*
This was the turning point for me from when Outer Wilds went from a really cool Indy game about space and time loops to a philosophical and religious experience about entropy. I had been so confident that stopping the supernova was the ultimate goal, that the sun station would at least give me a vital clue in that goal. The outer wilds explorer on ember twin believed that we had made an error. This is something I dismissed as a hypothesis. Other nomai could’ve built more sun stations? Maybe this sun station caused some sort of chain reaction? But once I reached the station, not only was it a dead end in terms of clues, but it made clear that the sun’s death was no act of nomai, but of inevitability. “The sun station had no lasting affect on the sun, the sun station is a failure” those words carved into my head like talons. The sun was dying of old age. It was clear that this wasn’t a world capable of being saved. The stars are dying and there’s no technology I could assemble to stop it. This is it. All those people, all that history, gone in a matter of seconds.
I have found myself coming back to this video time and time again over the past year or so because it's just . a beautiful video. Just like this game has stuck with me every day for the past 2 years, I think about this video so frequently as well. It feels like a soft spoken poem just as beautiful as the game itself. It's so well put together
finding the vessel filled me with hope. i can pile all of my new friends in and we can find salvation together. but we don't. i am alone when i journey to the eye of the universe. the ancient civilisation that died thousands of years before i was born dreamt of this moment. the last remnant of said civilisation, trapped on an impossible moon dreamt of this moment. i am alone when i discover there is no salvation. death is inevitable in the outer wilds. i am not sad. the eye brings my friends together and we play one last song as the universe dies.
This is one of, if not my favorite video "essay" I have ever watched. It perfectly encapsulates my feelings toward Outer Wilds and it feels almost calming I guess (?) to put words towards these feelings I have towards the game. I have actually watched it like 6 times over the last 2 weeks. No matter how many times I watch, it always evokes those same feelings. I have actually shown this video to three other people and two of them actually played the game and thanked me for it. So thank you for this absolutely wonderful video for one of my favorite games of all time, it truly is amazing.
This video is what convinced me to buy Outer Wilds. Three weeks later, I beat the game for the first time this evening. Hearing the instruments join together one by one was so genuinely moving that I started tearing up. If you're reading this, please play Outer Wilds. It's well worth your time and money.
Since I can never really play it again for the first time myself, I've watched just about every video and stream vod of the game I can get my hands on, and I *ALWAYS* cry at the ending, often just blubbering and sobbing. What an incredible game.
@@veiledAutonym The universal experience of Outer Wilds players:
Get your friends to play Outer Wilds, so you can watch.
So you can just... try to grasp that feeling you had the first time playing one more time.
@@elizabethhicks4181 I got one friend to play it entirely on video calls with me, and now we have a third friend playing it for both of us
"this time, i look at the supernova and i start to run" gives me chills everytime
I’ve not heard of this game, but this video was meticulously executed and passionately narrated. I watched it once and was in awe, then I immediately watched it again and wept.
Lmao
I listened to this at work.
a few months later, I played the game.
thank you for leading me to this wonderful experience.
I'M CRYING, OK?
I CRIED UNCOUNTABLE TIMES WHILE PLAYING THAT GAME... FOR ME, FOR MY FRIENDS, FOR MY PLANET, FOR THE LOST CIVILIZATIONS, FOR... the universe, for life itself.
It was hurtful yet beautiful, it was... inevitable.
I felt so lost, so desolated, so confused.
I felt amazed, I felt free, I felt blessed.
There were just so many feelings I couldn't understand... I just cried.
And I still cry, everytime I think of it. A cry of sadness, of joy, of hope.
That was nearly the best experience I've had in my life.
And then my life continued to go on. I did everything I wanted and everything I could think of and then just left the game and moved on.
But... it taught me so much and I almost forgot it. Never really did think about it again.
...
And, here is this video, reminding me of everything. Everything I lived, everything I saw, everything I felt, everything I've learned so far.
And it just made me cry again.
So... thank you 😳💙
The part about taking a breath and just floating into the void not being such a bad idea hit hard. Great writing and the game is amazing.
Definitely game of the year for me. How the game gives you hope for salvation only to snatch it away again just to teach you that all things end, and that the fact that it began and lived its life is all that really matters. How you learn how to control the seemingly uncontrollable only to throw you for a loop and make you realize there was no controlling it to begin with, how it was nothing more than a coexistence. How you learn to appreciate the quiet moments amongst friends the most.
Game of the decade for me.
I can finally say that undertale and (that game) has a new rival
@@seantaggart7382 that gsme ?
@@Exel3nce it shall not be spoken of Only THEY know it
@@seantaggart7382 uhm ok
I can't believe I missed this brilliant homage to one of my all-time favorite games. Outer Wilds is a once-in-a-lifetime game. Thank you for helping me feel those feelings again.
Outer Wilds is easily one of the best game concepts in maybe a decade. Just such an amazing idea!
I haven't played the game, but this was such a beautiful video that I can't help but feel intrigued. Fantastic work Jacob! Not that I expected anything less ;)
Its worth every single peny, its my favorite game of all time
I just recently finished this game and everything you talked about really resonated hard with me; I think you really hit the nail on the head with the exploration of its themes, also this video made me cry on the train home good job
After beating this game long ago upon release Loving it so much to call it my favorite game of all time, this video was so enjoyable to watch. The whole mystery to solve starting with no knowledge of anything. I didnt even finish the trailer to avoid any spoilers. It took me like 20 deaths to figure out the sun was even exploding because I was always indoors reading solving the puzzle. The worlds being so exotic with so many specialities of each making them so different blew my mind. I felt so excited to play the game I waited so long for. And it felt so good to solve ever secret and mystery and the story itself with no help. I couldn't get my hands off of the game from just being so amazed of it's beuatiful scenery and amazing story. After beating it, I couldn't do nothing but just want more. A game that amazing felt like I finished it so quickly wanting nothing but to listen to it's soundtrack and stare at it's Beuatiful universe. The game was so great that I left like a story for a review. I will never play something as relaxing and amazing as Outer Wilds. This video made me happy to watch bringing back the whole experience in an amazing TH-cam video.
i just fear for if he actually finished the story to completion or not. from what he shows in the video, theres no way to tell if he found the full *pilgrimage* of the game or not
no other games can top it we have reached PURE 10 OUT OF 10!
"This time, I look at the supernova
And I start to run."
hit me like a fucking ton of bricks.
Bro, i watch this video everytime i'm starting a project, or a presentation, even dashboards...
You captured perfectly.
Top 3 Games of all time.
"We float for a second above everything, and then we fall back into the sea"
Poignant and beautiful, such as life.
The whole quote of "It's not about the destination, but the friends we make along the way" was never more true than in this game. The universe is dying and we'll die with it, we can't stop that, but enjoying the end surrounded by friends playing our favorite song around the campfire makes it feel alright.
after finishing this game i still catch myself from time to time humming the travelers tune to myself and think to the journey i completed and how great is was.
Honestly, same. I wish I could listen to Riebeck's banjo forever. Not that the rest of Travelers isn't fantastic
You have to turn the White Hole Station btw. There's a floor underneath you where you make the entire tower rotate.
I had the same experience, of not understanding how to make it work the first time. I think that's part of the charm. Finding something, just to fail to understand it, only to come back later, thrilled at the feeling of *knowing*. Knowing exactly what to do.
when he said the white hole station didn't work I laughed my ass off
They actually changed the station instructions because so few people got it right away.
I just beat the game and didn't even know that was how the white hole station worked lol. Must've gotten back by random chance!
I thought it was funny how dramatic he was being for something with a simple solution right below him.
This video has been in my Watch Later playlist for probably almost a year. I finished the game earlier today and finally watched it. It did not disappoint.
This is the best sales pitch I’ve ever had the honor of hearing
The whole game for hours teaching you that death is not THAT scary and terrible and it can be reversed
It makes you to get used to the fact that death is nothing in there, that you have nothing to fear, you can start all over again, Its not a big deal
But when you take out the power source and just walk around with it realisation strucks too late, you feel fear for the first time after getting used to dying, you know that this is the end and you are terrified
unarguably, the most touching video so far.
Your use of the Caretaker is always so well timed and carefully selected. It gives me chills every time
ray bradbury! i loved “the illustrated man”, a collection of short stories by him. it included kaleidoscope. amazing story. i’m surprised you didn’t mention the long rain as well. i think it compliments outer wilds well
Jacob, you are an absolute gem. Your videos have been such an inspiration to me and my wife. Not only have I been using your videos as solid recommendations for incredible games, but your takes on those same titles have also opened my eyes in a way. I have started looking for more meaning in the media that I consume. I have started thinking more and more about what a story really means. Thank you for asking me to be a more conscious person.
This video is a masterpiece
Brilliant! I'm a huge fan of Bradbury (and The Illustrated Man in particular), I have no doubt he would have absolutely loved this. Several years ago "Build, Fly, Dream" portrayed the exemplar KSP experience, us Outer Wilds fans now have this!
The fact that I watched this video before playing meant I had a pleasant surprised when the White Hole station... worked as intended. I think it's fascinating that you got this melancholy message from not realizing how to get to the on switch.
God this is a great video man literally inspired me to download an buy this game. Your channel never disappoints
This is the only Jacob Geller video I never watched. Because I knew I wanted to experience this game myself truly blind (I didn't even know the core mechanic)
I finished the Outer Wilds last week and it is the first game in... a long time... that I had dreams about afterward. It is indescribably impactful and amazing. Thank you for attempting to describe it though.
I just died myself the same way. I didn't know what the core did, though in retrospect I should have suspected it. I just heard the sun go supernova and took the thing. I don't know why, it wouldn't have mattered if I came back. But I didn't. The time machine was off, and so was the universe.
Beautiful video, by the way. I wish I could show my friends, but I want them to play the game first.
This was absolutely beautiful
I no joke cried when I took the warp core out the first time and I realized that the supernova I was about to experience would truly be the end. What an incredible game.
The best Video Essay on TH-cam - thank you! "Death is inevitable"
It will always be funny to me that the developers made well cooked (not burned) marshmallows heal you and even added an achievement called something like "Yum! Carcinogens!" for eating five burned marshmallows. And yet, so many people have no idea because they personally like their marshmallows burnt.
Also, how the marshmallow's cycle of being put on a stick, eaten or burned, and then replaced is eerily similar to our own
This game was one of the few games to make me emotional.
On my first completion I found the vessel and the coordinates to the eye of the universe. I grabbed the warp core and headed to dark bramble, even though I had been there before and I had experience with the anglerfish I was still super cautious and worried about being slow and so that they wouldn’t hear me. I was scared about dying in those moments because I didn’t know what would happen without the warp core powering the ash twin project. As I was about 2km away from the final threshold to the vessel and then... a screech. I had been heard, they knew where I was and the anglers were coming for me. I had mere moments to think before they would be on me, so I had a split second realization that it wouldn’t matter where I was 10 minutes from now. That the world would still turn and I would have to do it again if I failed, that no matter what happens the sun would implode.
So I made a choice.
I slammed in the acceleration. My ship picked up speed and I heard all the anglers in the area screech, more than just the one. I kept going. And then, I saw my goal, the entryway to the vessels locations was inches away. And I made it. Then, dead silence.
I had made it.
I had made it the vessel and I put the warp core into the tele-porter. I enter the coordinates for the eye of the universe and step into the black hole after the teleport. On the surface of the quantum plane I am haunted by it’s almost terrifying beauty.
When I eventually fall into the forest, the forest that looks oh so similar to my home planet. And I am surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands of dying solar systems, dying universes. I am speechless as what I witness, these systems are being wiped out, civilizations are giving out their final cries.
And then, a tree. A sapling. A mere leaf in the ground. A campfire. I see Esker and his chair next to my fire, he tells me to find the others. My friends. So I do, I seek out Riebeck and his Banjo, Gabbro and his flute, Chert and their drums. And then Feldspar and his harmonica, as I walk towards the signal I see the angler coming straight for me. This creature almost killed me before I got here but now, I am not afraid. I am defiant as I walk firmly forwards. I do not run, I do not turn back, for this time, I am the one with the power and it is just a skeleton, a husk of the beast it once was. It poses no threat to me. And finally, I am ready to go towards the piano, the song that was too beautiful for me to forget. I see skeletons gathered around a stump. I click my light 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 times. And before me stands a shuttle. A vehicle I have only ever flown once but something that carries great symbolism as it was built by the Nomai, the species that dared to reach for the stars. I launch forward and grab the mask of Solanum, the last of the Nomai, a story that’s quite heartbreaking. She was trapped on a moon lost in time, where time moved differently, and where she outlived her entire species.
Finally, everyone was at the campfire, Riebeck said we could begin and I told him he could play. I told everyone else that hey could begin a song, even Solanum who had seen very few Hearthians in her life, was eager to bring music to everyone. The great blue bubble formed above us, and as I spoke with my companions I realized that none of them were scared. They weren’t afraid of the unknown. Feldspar, long called the fearless gave me a last quote of “Ahh, I hope there’ll be beasties in the next one.” Due to their bravery, I was not afraid, I faced the expanding portal in front of me with open arms. I jumped through and it seemed as though time had stopped completely.
Then, there was no one, the forest expanded endlessly and then went dark. Was it over? Was everyone just, gone? But, that was not the case. An explosion of sound and light spread across my view and enveloped me. As I accepted Eternity, it accepted me. As the screen faded back to black I wondered what happened next, then I saw a forest in the corner, and other beings gathered around a campfire in joy. I had been the first to witness the fall of a civilization.
How glorious that I was able to witness the rise of another,.
Not to be rude but this is just a word for word transcript of the last part of the game. Which is great but...why write it down for other to read?
See, this is how you make an interesting and compelling video. No screaming required.
I was super late to this game, but I was so excited when I finally got around to listening to this video. I first read Kaleidoscope when I was maybe 13 or so and it left me with feelings that weren't necessarily unpleasant but I could tell my mind couldn't fully grasp what I was feeling in my chest and behind my eyes. I understand it better these days, though I don't know if I could put it in words, but it's absolutely the same feeling you get when you realize you need to take the core in this game.
God damn it man, that was beautiful
Your videos are just the best, TH-cam recommended you and I have never been more grateful for an algorithm. God bless
Spoilers: So, there I was. I'd found my way through Dark Bramble to the ship, knew what I had to do to see the Eye. I'd made the trip dry once, timed myself literally, and made it to the ship from the core chamber without incident in less than 6 minutes. I was ready.
I got to the core as soon as possible, my timing almost flawless, save for a jump in my landing. Taking off quickly, I made a course for Dark Bramble.
I'd been through so much, seen the whole of the solar system at that point. This was it; the answer was ahead.
As I initiated my autopilot and, for a moment, let a month's worth of playing sink in; all I'd been through, all I'd seen, all I'd FELT along the way... it was coming to a close, finally, and I'd know the truth of it all.
Then I noticed my velocity; it wasn't decreasing. My autopilot, through a game glitch I've never encountered before or since, had failed. I was hurtling towards the solid core of my destination.
Too late, I hit the reverse thrusters. Too late, I tried to evade. My piloting had becoming very good, but was not excellent. I slammed into Dark Bramble's outer cluster at high enough velocity that it proved lethal.
That's how my Outer Wilds experience "truly" ended; a failed system and a failed attempt to correct made too late. I restarted, of course, without incident, but it wasn't the same.
The drama of the mystery was dulled by the knowledge that I had "died" for good, the unbroken incarnation of the universe I'd come to interact with became unresolved and erased for good because I got distracted in the last moments.
I love this game for that, in a lot of ways, but it'll always carry some sadness for me.
God, this video. It hits some sort of chords within me, but I cannot identify them, it just hits. Your moment around 12:00 is perfect, mixing the 14.3 billion years in was earth shattering. It's a good video, good job on it.
I am always so amazed and impressed at how you make connections from one piece of media to another the way you write seems effortless 😳 am in love with your work and the way it makes me think and feel literally every essay on this channel has really left an impact on me and the way I see the world and how I enjoy video games. Can’t thank you enough for that honestly much love to my favorite video essayist in the game ❤️
Man you really have a way with words. All of the videos of yours I've watched so far have been about games I've never played and by the end I have a nostalgic longing to feel the way they made you feel.
Man oh man! I wondered what I'd do if I found the ash twin project without knowing what to do with the core! The anxiety I felt watching you leave with that thing knowing what you just did to yourself was too much! Such a beautiful piece
anybody else rewatching this after the first viewing convinced you to buy and beat outer wilds?
I once crash landed my ship. I was being a bit careless because, while death is inevitable, so is the reset. I look at my ship that has fallen to pieces. It will be ok.
But in the end, when I've explored everything, when I've learned the awful truth, the true inevitability of death. It won't be ok. Nothing I do will make it ok. I am merely delaying the final death.
Then, I accept death. I make conscious efforts to make it final. No more reset. After this, it will never be ok again.
I do what has to be done, I make the final perilous journey, and I choose to end everything. Everything and everyone I knew is now gone. And then I am gone too. But somehow, life continues. Even without me. In the end, everything will be ok.
This is easily your best video. At least in my opinion. Its so perfectly written and the soundtrack compliments the visuals perfectly.
Thank you
Your take on games is just beautiful. Looking forward to your future uploads
My brother died last Sunday. Our lives truly are a bittersweet symphony.
I love how this was completed different to how i played and how you worked things out i worked out completely differently and at different times for anyone’s reading this comment before watching the video if you haven’t played this game yet don’t watch this video play it first it is a beautiful story that you must experience by yourself
ive watched lets palys but even then I may have felt a little tear then
because this cured my fear of heat death of the universe
truly
*_10 O U T O F T E N_*
No one makes content like yours man, insane
This is poetic and very well described. Having played the game I know those feelings well. You should do another one on the hope the actual ending has.
oh, how dare you combine my favourite short story and my favourite game in one exquisite video! I might have cried like a baby. Thank you. ❤
This transcended analysis and, with the help of great works, was as art to me.
Go on, and as you found comfort in death, or the understanding of it, defy tribulation in your craft here.
I will be watching your videos regularly, and though I am but one of billions, perhaps like the many deaths you faced, in summation you'll find meaning in it.
Thank you.
The game is definitely art. It touches on important and awe-inspiring themes.
I thought this analysis could've been condensed into as much as 6-7 minutes. Much of it was said poetically, but didn't actually convey anything philosophical, despite the tone in his voice that suggest depth.
This video is undeniably a masterpiece, all of Jacob's videos are. But this one is just incredible
This is like a poem. It’s beautiful. I’ve played this game myself, and I have to agree with you. But thank you for making this video.
"The teleporter will never work for me"
IT: Have you tried flipping the on switch?
Bought this game after seeing this video; it's currently downloading. I am really excited/curious to play it!
What are your thoughts?
Guys, I found it, the best and my favourite video on youtube. The world won't get any better than this. My life will though, partly thanks to it.
Sincere thanks.