If you don't mind, please also provide videos of your streams for anyone not able to make it. Members of the Outer Wilds cult, it seems like "there's more to explore here"!
Would love to see echoes of the eye content, like gameplay or a review. People were so worried because they were like: “how could this possibly add anything that wouldn’t be superfluous?” We were wrong, they made us cry again
Echoes of the Eye made me cry even more than the base game. It was genuinely about 20 minutes of distraught sobbing in the depths of grieving emotion for me. It was heavy as fuck.
I'm playing the DLC right now and personally so far I don't like it as much, and that's a lot because of the lack of space. Being inside normal gravity with no space flight just makes the game a bit more dull. Ain't bad though mind you, it's just not on par of the original imo :)
I really liked someone's description of OW as having a "quantum story". All of the threads and discoveries are there, but each player collapses them into their own path as they play.
8:22 one persons interpretation of the ending I thought was very sweet. He saw it as his relationship with his son. Some new fathers have a hard time grasping the concept of doing so much extra work in their life for the sake of their kids, work that they'll never TRULY be appreciated for, or even realized on how much effort it took to raise the kids. He was having difficulty with this, all the extra time involved, how expensive kids are, working two jobs to make it work, and so on while not really seeing any personal benefit. However, he realized after playing Outer Wilds that all the work put into it, it's all worth it in the end - even if you won't be there to see the fruits of your labor. He may pass on, but the fruits of his labor lives on in his son who will grow into a man and have his own life. It's okay if all good things come to an end, because all your efforts won't be in vain, and your work will continue to flourish for generations to come, even if you won't be there to see it.
Outer Wilds is one of a very, VERY short list of games that I've played where they made me feel something so intense, so beautiful, that I just could do nothing but watch the credits in awe. So, I'm glad that you were able to find at least some of that eventually! For me, this is a game about two groups of people reaching out to one another across vast gulfs of time and space, and in so doing, finding a solution to the mystery of all existence. I think you identified the general problem that most people who "don't get" Outer Wilds have, which is that this is a game about something. The advice I usually give people is not just "go in blind," but "read EVERYTHING." I think there's one or two of the Nomai logs that isn't a clue or reference to something important.
Oh yeah, that's a good point! I think another thing I would tell people is: don't treat the text in this game like how you do in most other exploration games (say like Skyrim or Subnautica) where it's really treated more like a prop than a tool.
Try "Pathologic 2", it's truly unique and masterpiece of a game, that have all the potential to be on your list;) It's on my super short list of masterpieces alongside Outer Wilds.
I can relate to your experience here. Personally, I think I mostly had the intended experience when I played Outer Wilds. I struggled to put all the pieces together, but I never looked up any answers. With patience, I figured it all out and appreciated everything. Then, desperate for more to explore, I immediately bought and played the DLC. And although I love the DLC now and view it as a wonderful continuation and enhancement of the game, when I played it originally, I got extremely frustrated. The ship log felt useless and exploration felt impossible. I felt like the game should've given me more guidance, but instead I was just pointlessly wandering. I ended up looking up hints, which helped me "make progress", but I had no appreciation for the knowledge I'd gained. I actually resented the game even more, saying "how could I have discovered this?" Instead of finishing the DLC myself, I watched others do it. I regret that now. If I had only been more patient and had a little more perseverance, I would've found the pieces I was missing and appreciated the experience so much more. Anyway, I highly recommend that you play the DLC, especially now that you've realized what Outer Wilds is trying to do. Be curious, be attentive to details, and allow yourself to take a break or explore something different if you feel stuck. Finally, if you feel like you could use a gentle nudge in the right direction, the outer wilds subreddit is a wonderful community. They will do their best to help without spoiling anything. I wish I had gone to the subreddit when I was getting frustrated, instead of IGN or whatever walkthrough I ended up finding.
Playing Outer Wilds is like putting a jigsaw puzzle together without the box/picture. You get bits and pieces, you can start putting some things together and wondering how they’re related, or be surprised when two things connect. It’s so satisfying to be able to look at the whole picture knowing you put it together yourself, fully able to appreciate what it means.
i think that the frustration some players experience, and disappointment, is a byproduct of what makes outer wilds so unique and captivating. the intrinsic modular nature of the game allows players to create their own pacing, which can be a double-edged sword. while this approach can lead to some truly incredible discoveries, it's not uncommon for players to struggle or tend to become disenchanted. but it's important to note that this isn't necessarily the fault of the player if they're not approaching the game with the 'right' mindset or sense of curiosity as luck can also play a role in their experience: it's a frustration very different from a souls game because you often don't know what you need to progress, and the only thing you can draw upon is your own knowledge. so it's very hard to predict and 'control' how a player will experience their own adventure and whether the game is going to satisfy their curiosity every single moment of their gameplay. the intricate, open nature of outer wilds is what makes it such a rewarding and memorable experience for many of those who are willing to stick with it... and ultimately, it's okay if some people end up not enjoying their time with the game in hindsight. like, it's completely normal because the game is designed to also be a bit of a gamble, so i don't necessarily believe that you 'need' to have been completely 'wrong' about the game. your experience is as valid as any other
I do think that everyone's experience is as valid as everyone else's. However, the main reason I brought up mindset in this video was because most people who recommend this game strongly suggest going into it blind, which can lead players to think it's something completely different. I think if players were told very basic things before they go in (don't expect a guide, it's mostly focused around the story) then I think people can give it a more fair shot. But of course, as you said, this doesn't mean anyone can have a 'wrong' experience with the game
An Echoes of the Eye stream on TH-cam? Don't threaten me with a good time now, lmao. Also, that was an excellent alternative to the statement of, "Go in blind," that I hadn't considered before. I'll be keeping it in mind when speaking with folks who have yet to join in on the experience of Outer Wilds 😄
While unrelated to this video's particular frustrations with Outer Wilds, I've come to slightly adjust my "Go in completely blind" recommendations when I did have a couple people not like it. First, I tell them about Match Velocity, as some people are put off with orbital mechanics that are unituitive. Second, I tell them about Rumor Mode, as some people feel like they are lost and incorrectly think its a sandbox game like Minecraft without main goals. These recommendations don't spoil them on anything important, but I find people are far more willing to give it a chance when they know about those two features.
@@michaellombardi3638 To add to this point, I've also seen a lot of people get confused or frustrated because they didn't understand the signalscope or probe. Spending a bit more time on Timberhearth helps a lot, because it helps people get familiar with their basic set of tools. So many letsplays were made worse by people who didn't understand the basic knowledge explained in the village on Timberhearth.
Outer wilds is a game about living in the moment not the future or the past…thats why it was so confusing for me wow I was always trying to figure out what was I supposed to be doing i would google and watch videos and stuff to try and find the ~mystery~this video was very enlightening thank you💗
the checklist mindset with the space logs is actually what made me drive forward. maybe its because im on the spectrum, but i always want to know things. i was curious about every single thing i might've missed. i completed the ship log not because "i had to", but because i was so absorbed by the story, i wanted to. no other piece of art in any media connected with me like outer wilds.
It is astonishing how Mobius Digital created a game that affects people is so many different ways beyond the medium. Your story in particular is very interesting. At first you didn't quite understand how you felt about the game but it was still speaking to you long after your playthrough. Your curiously continued leading you to a completely unique realization of your own. Although you can never go back and replay Outer Wilds with your new knowledge and experience it in the same emotional way others did you can still appreciate the journey you had on your own. And now everything from your past will be with you in your future. I had a similar experience with Outer Wilds. At first I didn't really know what I was playing. Although I really enjoyed it I never really invested in the story like you. Halfway though my play though I took a long break getting distracted but other games and hobbies. But I still put it on my favorites list on Steam and I never knew why (very short list). I eventually went back to it as a causal 'chill' game to play on the side. It wasn't until the very ending that I was like 'what did I just play?, Why do I feel this way about a game?.' I had to go to TH-cam videos and explanation articles to re-understand the story. I was able to go into the DLC with this new appreciation of the game. I look forward to watching your playthrough of EotE. Just remember it is your journey. Don't worry about the views or how people will think of your process. Go at your own pace and let your curiosity lead you.
Great points both in the video and in this comment. I was very frustrated in the base game... impatient. I felt like I was filling out a checklist and was worried I'd forget something so I rushed through it. I wanted to be done with the game fast because I felt like I was loosing the story the more overwhelming the ship log got. The ending struck me deeply. I fell in love with the atmosphere of it and what it ment. I started exploring more about the game online and even though my journey playing it wasn't very satisfying, it became one of my favourite games because of the ending and also because I realised how original and beautiful the game is. I value my journey because it showed me what I do wrong in life when I'm trying to enjoy things. I rush, my attention span is broken, I'm not used to just existing in the moment. I'm looking forward to the DLC. I heard that it can be even more difficult to get into, which I'm glad for. When the time comes, when I feel calmer and more patient, I'll come back and get the true outer wilds experience with the DLC 😍 Can't Wait!
I can absolutely relate to the feeling of being overwhelmed while playing outer wilds. I didnt have my initial experience soured quite as much as it seems like you did, but I approached the game with the same “checklist” mindset and it got me so incredibly stuck. I ended up looking at walkthroughs and stuff to make my way through the game to “the end,” missing things like dialogue with the npcs and what I guess you could call “optional” nomai writing, the stuff that was definitely meant to highlight their humanity rather than point you in the right direction. And I’ll be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever NOT regret doing that. I remember the experiences I did have completely on my own, and they were just… brilliant, really. But once I hit the “got to get to the end” mindset all of a sudden it was sort of like the life died from the game. Because outer wilds really is about the experience first and foremost, about the story. And while talking to npcs and the like aren’t mandatory, obviously, because of the games open world premise, doing so just amplifies the connection you have to the world and it’s story, and it makes the ending hit even harder in my opinion. There are so many things that I see in other peoples play throughs that I go “man, how cool would it have been to get to experience that myself.” Really good video, this is a really interesting deconstruction on your precious vs current opinions. Very glad to hear you’ve grown to appreciate the game :)
I really like this explanation! I'd agree, because I was rushing, especially near the end, I really didn't have that much attachment to the world or characters. Which was probably a big reason for why I felt initially disappointed with the ending. I'm really glad I got to play the DLC with a better mindset and at least have a bit of that experience I should've had with the base game :)
This game is a masterpiece. A tiny pocket universe, so to speak, that changed my perspective on my own, and my outlook on life as a whole. That ultimately, we may just be a tiny little speck in the winds of time, but we’re still part of it. And we can all make a difference. The relationships we have… our melody we create, roasting marshmallows around a campfire- can have an impact on the future, no matter how small we may seem.
I had this breakthrough about how we face things after watching Cowboy Bebop. I didn't like it that much. There are a lot of amazing things, but it just didn't clock for me, and after thinking for a while I realized I had set my expectations for a continuous narrative that explores the characters and develops them in a linear way. After watching it and giving it some thought I realized I did it dirty by placing expectations that didn't fit what it was going for, and just because it was different didn't mean it was bad. I was trying to fit a square peg in a circle hole. With Outer Wilds something different happened, I really enjoyed my journey but was so eager to get to the end and see what was there that I pretty much missed some bits of the journey and thought the ending wasn't satisfied, I was exhausted by the end of it, mostly due to my approach of hyperfixating and rushing through the things I love. It was mostly when watching it through the lens of other let's players that allowed me to cool down a bit and experience it a bit slower, now it's one of my favorite games which I wish I could experience all over again.
I can relate to that, sometimes when a mystery in a game is so compelling I rush the ending and miss out on a lot. I think I'm a little guilty of doing this with Outer Wilds as well, as I said I was initially disappointed in the ending in my original video. That's why usually I don't appreciate the story for what it is in most games, until a 2nd playthrough. Unfournately I can't do that with Outer Wilds, but I'm hoping I can experience something similar with the DLC!
I can understand where you're coming from. When I first played this game, it was cool, but I felt like it wasn't for me. I thought that you know this game is far too open ended with no direction. This was around the time when the game first came out. However, couple of days ago, and I happen to crossed a video talking about this game, and how it profoundly affected the player. How it spoke to him in a way that I had never seen a game speak to someone. I listened, and I thought to myself well that's meat. Then I saw another video, saying the same thing. And another one, and another one. I realized after listening to people talking about this game, spoiler free, that I missed some thing when I initially started it. So I immediately went onto my PS5, download the game, stopped playing every other game. I was working on, and sat down. I get it now. I have not played a game that touched my heart and soul, elicited a complete sense of wonderment, and moved me to deep tears. I will never forget outer wilds, and how impactful it was for me. I recollect on it now and realize there were times the checklist mindset kicked in for sure still. Yet I also realized that that's inherent for me as a person with severe ADHD. I needed that direction a little bit at times. And that's OK. Throughout my experience with outer wilds, it was interesting that some of my real world knowledge on things like super positioning and string theory and physics directly translated into the game. That pre-existing knowledge, much like all the tools and the conversations left by the Nomai, actually helped me move forward. So much so that entire portions of the game we're bypassed because I didn't need that information. I went back and found it before reaching that crescendo, but it wasn't needed. I've never experienced something like that in a game before. It was like the game understood me and was speaking to me directly. I will never forget our wilds. And I am thankful that I got the chance to find that random TH-cam video that gave me the courage and perspective to try this game again, I'm glad that you had a chance to think over everything and hear all those words from all the people, that lead me to having this experience too
The fact that this game is so different from everything else is what makes it amazing, but it can also lead some to have a distaste for the game. That's why I really love the community. AS you mentioned, it helped you discover a new found love for the game. I think most people know that because this game is so different, it will automatically put-off a lot of people at first. Which is why many of them try to explain what the game is really all about, I'm glad that they were able to do that with me. I now see the game in a completely different light!
@@wiremagician you know, it takes a lot of self awareness and courage to say that you are wrong about some thing in life. It also takes a special kind of person to take the time to read and personally respond to comments like you do. Thank you for taking the time. I'll be watching your stuff from now on. I look forward to see what else you do.
This game is a masterpiece. It lets the player explore and discover everything for themselves. It makes piecing together the story that much more satisfying when you get to figure it out for yourself. Not only that, but exploring was actually fun. All the planets and locations are so unique and interesting.
I've watched a lot of blind playthroughs of this game, and it's interesting to watch so many people get through difficult parts and be disappointed that "all they got was a bit of lore." I wish I could explain to them that the lore is the point. I see what they expect from playing thousands of other games and getting rewards like upgrades and weapons and such, but it's fun to see their perspective shift the longer they play. I think the safest people to suggest this game fully blind are lore junkies, and even then a warning is nice. By far the most frustrating people to watch are the ones who play games by rushing through tutorials and dialogue to "get to the gameplay." Those people will never fully enjoy this specific game, and I don't think there's anything wrong with how they approach games because I get it! But they are definitely the people that I wish did not go into the game fully blind. They (and we) would have had a much more enjoyable time if they knew what kind of game they were playing and could choose if this was a type of game they wanted to play. I do think the DLC will give you the chance to"go back" and experience part of this game with the right mindset. I was so worried about it fitting in and living up to the base game, but it delivered.
I'm really excited to play the DLC! Also, yeah I think most players (especially one's who might be fans of open world games) need some sort of basic outline to what kind of experience this is. With a game like Firewatch, I knew going in that the experience would be mostly story with a nice map as more of a setting rather than a sandbox, and I ended up loving that game. Because I knew not to expect anything else major from it. With this game I kept waiting for something to happen, for a new tool to appear, so that I had something to prove my progress. If nothing else, I hope this video can be a guide for people who want to play this game without having to go in completely blind.
I 1000% agree with going into “checklist” mode. I remember being 30 hrs in and got burnt out because I didn’t feel like I was accomplishing anything. I ended up watching videos and found stuff that pushed me to the end and eventually wanted to know more.. the music hooked me but there was this feeling of… damn, I really want to try to understand this and so I came across the lore explorers channel and he brought me back into falling in love with the game. I bought the the dlc, started playing it again how it was meant to be played. And honestly, the narrative aspect is what really helps carry this games impact. The knowledge you obtain from learning through the lore. I quickly fell in love with the game once I started learning more and more. And then the DLC came out, I played it the way it was meant to be played.. (granted I did get a little stuck finding the dlc so I had a hint, but that was the only time I looked anything up) and man, do I regret not continuing to play it the first time the way it should’ve been played. The dlc is amazing, I’ve explored every inch of the expansion and I can’t say how much I love this game. It’s fueled me to fall back in love with games, to learn more about the lore within games that I blatantly skim over. There’s so much more depth to everything and anything, and this game just fueled that up need of curiosity I’ve felt as a kid playing games for the first time.
Agreed! Once I started playing the DLC with my new mindset, I was having so much more fun with the game than I ever had before. I definitely feel like I have a newfound appreciation for discovering lore within games now!
Insert: reaction video based on a scene of It's "Always Sunny in Philadelphia" character Frank Reynolds (played by Danny DeVito) delivering the line "I Get It Now"
A beautiful example of how expectations and framing shape our view of art. I believe all art can be enjoyed with the right framing. A fun example is the phrase "it's so bad that it's good again". A piece of art can be bad by almost all metrics but still have the potential to be enjoyed if we frame it correctly. I'm glad that Outer Wilds has such a great community. Hypothesis: That's not a coincidence.
Majora's Mask is probably the closest you can get to a game comparison to Outer Wilds, But even Majora's Mask had linearity to it, a set of things to do in a vague order to save Termina. The key difference in the time loop reset tho, Majora's Mask transported yourself, and all your equipment back in time, Outer Wilds ONLY transmits your memories (which makes more sense from a causality perspective, information doesn't have mass, it's abstract, technically doesn't 'exist' and therefore technically exists out of time, so receiving information from a future that never happens shouldn't break the space-time continuum), leaving your original 'self' to continue that timeline to it's end 'if you didn't die' (you better feel really bad for all the 'selfs' you left with broken legs that somehow survived the Nova)
My wife bounced off this game super hard, and it makes me sad. Me on the other hand, ive watched more than 100 lets plays of it constantly trying to relive the feeling i had playing it for the first time
thank you for putting it into words. I had the exact same experience, and even came to grips with the fact that I'll never finish the game. But watching other people experience it made me realize how good this game really is.
I decided to play this after watching PointCrow's first stream as I thought it seemed cool. I may personally be looking at a new contender for my top 3 favorite games ever. I also just played through the game a second time and it put into perspective some of the different ways you can experience the story. Giant's Deep was the first planet I went to on my first playthrough, so for my second playthrough I went to Brittle Hollow and the Hourglass Twins first. It got me to imagine new ways you could view the Giant's Deep mysteries, and see new methods for uncovering the central mystery.
That's interesting that you played it a 2nd time. I'm curious, how did you go about playing the game when you already knew the answers to everything? Because I would love to play it again, I just don't know how I could since I would just beat the game in one loop now that I know how to beat it
@@wiremagician It can be difficult not to be influenced by knowledge you aren't supposed to have yet, but if you wanna get an experience as authentic as possible, the ship log is a godsend. It does such an incredible job keeping track of all information you've learned and noting it in a way you'll remember without giving too much away. For example, after exploring a large portion of Brittle Hollow including the White Hole Station and Southern Observatory, I looked at the ship log to see I could either go to Giant's Deep to learn about the Nomai Statues and Orbital Probe Cannon, or I could go to the Hourglass Twins to learn about the black hole experiment, ultimately choosing the latter. It won't be new information, but having the context of the whole story to go along with it might help you find new ways to appreciate the game. I personally was interested in learning more about each individual Nomai, so while playing I wrote down everything important about them on a Word document, such as Coleus discovering a quantum rule, and Poke and Clary being sisters. That level of dedication is by no means necessary, it's just something I wanted to do so I could understand the Nomai better. In your case, this might just end up being really tedious, and that would be totally understandable. I am someone who can easily find lots to enjoy from replaying games after all. But if you're genuinely interested in learning more about the Outer Wilds and their history, I think there's lots that can be gained.
That's the Outer Wilds fanbase for you. One of the nicest and spoiler free communities out there in gaming. Outer Wilds is unique and breaks the usual formula. And while that makes it amazing for a lot of people, its not for everyone.
Hey, just found out you posted a "follow up" on your previous video! Both videos are done very well and while I disagree on quite a few of the points on the first one I am glad you were still interested and thought some more about this game. Not everyone would pubblically say they changed their minds or even say they were "wrong" (even if there is nothing wrong in not liking a game) I hope this new mindset of trying new stuff will lead you to wonderful new experiences, there is still a lot more to discover out there! I will for sure follow you through the DLC if you end up livestreaming it/posting vods and may you stay curious in your journey!
Thank you. This short video addresses almost all concerns I hear people saying, whether they played it and didn't understand it or dismissed the game entirely. It's painful to see people reject the game when they simply don't get what it's about, but it's also understandable as I didn't know what to expect diving into it too. And maybe if they don't want to listen to me, they'll listen to someone who disliked the game at first too.
It's definitely a game that I think can throw people off because of how different and unique it is. It's why I think the phrase "go into it blind" (while understandable as to not spoil much about the game) can actually end up hurting people's perception of the game. Hopefully if anything, this video can change some people's minds that initially dismissed the game
Interesting how Subnautica is your main comparison since I played the games in reverse. I played Outer Wilds first, and it was the first game in a while where I was pretty down when it ended, so I played Subnautica and that game scratched a lot of the same itches (though as you said, it's more guided and gameplay focused).
This reaffirms my belief that anyone who doesn't enjoy the game simply didn't come at it with the right mindset. Or spaceflight makes you nauseous, that's the one valid reason.
Glad that you've managed to understand why people adore this game, albeit a little late. I hope you'll be able to enjoy the DLC with that knowledge. The only piece of advice I can give on that is to simply take your time. Yes, sometimes the loop will feel a little bit frustrating, and you might bang your head on a few sections, but don't worry. You can always shelve a puzzle for later and go and explore other things. Just wander around, poke at things, look at the detail, and most importantly ask questions like "Is there really nothing to it" or "I wonder what happens if I do this". I mean what's the worst that can happen? time will reset?
Yeah I'm gonna try to be really patient. I'm also hoping that, since I will stream it, the people watching me will keep me motivated to keep searching. Some others have told me if I really really really need a small, non-spoiler hint (as a last resort) then I should try the subreddit as well. So hopefully with all of that in mind, I can enjoy the DLC to its full potential!
@@wiremagician The subreddit is fantastic for this. Best practice is to post your ship log's rumor mode, specify what you're stuck on, and then leave it for a good 24 hours. Some people's hints will give a little too much away, and the community tends to weed that out on your behalf, just check out the top couple of comments, and continue on your way. Be curious on your jouney.
Well, people often confuse this game with The Outer Worlds, and adding a "The" to the name only makes them easier to confuse. I think WireMagician actually said "The Outer Worlds" once in the first video
i'm very glad to see someone get the game to click for em after a bad first experience! i find it oddly beautiful, cuz in a way, that's just one of the hundreds of ways people can experience it; there's no entirely correct way to go about it, because the entire point of the game is that you need to do YOUR thing, not the thing someone else set up for you, even if maybe your thing needs adjusting. i'd even argue it adds to the immersion! that said, experiences like this are why i'm very careful to make sure i tell people juuust the right amount about the game, because "go in blind" isn't as good as it is simple, and not givin enough help when it's needed can sour someone's experience. sometimes i even assist friends while i watch em play, since it's better to have someone who knows the right kinds of hints to give than be left frustrated that you can't look it up without defeating the point of it all. outer wilds is an absolutely breathtaking experience we can only really have once, n it'd be a shame to let it be spoiled by not givin people a nudge in the right direction when they need it
This was the reason I was really glad I streamed the DLC, I had people who knew how to nudge me in the right direction without ever spoiling, meaning I never really felt frustrated with any of the puzzles. Plus it was always fun to see people react whenever I solved a puzzle. Maybe these types of games are better played with a group of friends? I would love to see some sort of sequel to this (or just a similar game to Outer Wilds) that has co-op.
I hope that anyone who struggles with enjoyin the game gets YT algorithm'd and comes across this video. A nice and quick breakdown on some pitfalls the game runs into because of its nature. Also patiently waiting for the dlc streams
I can only understand, I also was troubled while playing the game and couldn't understand how it had to be played, sadly as I also just started playing to it randomly because the game is free for the PS+ users, and so I wandered randomly for a great part of the game, but eventually ended up watching some solutions online and that's as of today probably my biggest videogame regret. It nonetheless didn't ruin my experience of enjoying the game which was fantastic, and since then I'm still somehow experiencing that whole blind exploration through many playthroughs, but yeah still a little sad after a year that I did that. Very glad you ended up changing your mind by yourself, just being encouraged by the community, which indeed for some of us had to fight some codes coming from the usual videogames as you mentioned here.
I am SUPER late to this video but just came across it as I finished Outer Wilds about a month ago now. I went in with basically a one to one copy of your mindset, thinking it was gonna be like a normal open world survival game, and was a HUGE Subnautica fan, so that didn't really help haha. I thought there would be pretty clear objectives that I could tackle when I wanted but still functioned as barriers until completed, I thought there would be tons of creatures to catalog and look out for, I thought I'd get all kinds of items and upgrades, but I didn't get any of that, and I loved it from start to finish. I think where I differed from you is that I had a friend watching me play who had already finished the game, and while he didn't give me any kind of spoilers for the game the whole way through, he was pretty good at telling me that it wasn't gonna be like that as I got further into it, but I will say that for the first 5 or so hours, it didn't click for me. I was having fun but didn't feel like I was connecting with the world very well, and I wasn't really getting anything that was going on. Needless to say, around the point where I reached the hanging city, it all started to click, and I think the quantum moon is where it SKYROCKETED. Upon starting the game, I claimed I knew I probably wouldn't like this game as much as stuff like Subnautica, and that it'd be extremely hard to beat for me, and upon finishing it, I claimed that Outer Wilds was the best game I've ever touched, and that nothing will ever top it. This game is powerful, and I think you're right, it is more of an experience than a game, and I think everyone can get something out of it. Amazing video btw!! Was super cool seeing someone with a similar experience to mine.
It doesn’t surprise me that people were so chill about you saying you didn’t get it the first time. Its really common for people to look at it with the same mindset as you did! On the outer wilds fans have a lot of practice in the art of patience bc its a game that is so unlike most other games (ESPECIALLY most games in outer space!)
i can relate to the start of the video, while playing outer wilds my brain was also in "checklist mode" and it caused me to miss a lot of big things since i barely paid attention. but somehow i still loved the game and had so much fun (but it did take me 40 hours to beat!)
I think back in the day AAA was great. They used to always put out consistently good games, however over the years many studios have gotten lazy because they know people will buy their games simply due to brand loyalty. Even now there's the occasional good game that comes from a big studio, but it feels very far and few. My hope is that games like this one start to become more common among indie devs. Games that challenge the medium and push people to play and experience in different ways, and if those games can reach success like Outer Wilds has, then maybe (just maybe) we might see a new golden era of gaming
Insightful video once again. I know many people struggle with missing clear goals and objectives to check off. For me, growing up in the Commodore and Atari age were goals were often unclear, this was welcome but many modern gamers have never experienced otherwise. I'd love to see you play Echoes of the Eye. It's a great DLC.
I played the DLC, and loved it! It definitely gave me somewhat of the experience I wish had gotten the first time around. If you want to see the streams of me playing it, the links are in the pinned comment for this video!
This video is a tutorial to "how to play and enjoy the game." It's a game that really needs players to change their mindset, and Will change it even more over time.
Every gaming community is touted as the best in the world, but the Outer Wilds' actually is. Every time someone posts on Reddit that they do not like OW, the standard response is, "That's okay. Maybe it's just not for you". I don't think I've seen this level of empathy and understanding elsewhere.
When I watched your first video I was disappointed that you didn't get to experience the same thing I did. I don't think your experience was wrong, but I knew you missed the point. It seems you've gotten much closer to understanding it now, and for that I'm glad. I've probably watched every playthrough of this game on TH-cam because it's the only way I can experience this game again. I've never felt this way about a game before Outer Wilds. I definitely blame the AAA landscape for making you think the game was missing something, rather than being it's own unique experience. I hope that if others have your experience, at the very least Outer Wilds makes them slowly realize that games don't have to be what you think they should be.
I do hope that more games like Outer Wilds will be made. In the sense that they are games that challenge the idea of what a video game is supposed to be, as well as truly take advantage of the medium.
I didn't like the game during the first few Loops for the same reason but once forgot about some gretar goal and started to just explore what I thought was intresting I fell in love with it
I've been describing Outer Wilds to people as "Myst in Space". Myst is my favorite game series, and Outer Wilds scratched the exact same itch that Myst does for me. The "checklist" mentality that you describe is my most disliked aspect of modern gaming and I quickly grow bored of games like Spider-Man because that's what they feel like to me: a checklist of chores to be done. I much prefer to get lost in a world where I don't know what is behind the next bend; a game which challenges me to make sense of it, rather than spoonfeeding me focus-tested lowest-common-denominator dopamine hits. Outer Wilds had shot straight to the top section of my personal "best games" list by the time I finished it. I don't see it being dislodged any time soon.
(Spoilers) I sort of disagree that there’s no information that you can find too early… I somehow stumbled into the Ash Twin Project like 5 hours in and picked up the warp core and thought I beat the game lmao (this was before I went to the sun station). I was very confused when the music started. I knew enough to know that I was stopping the loop but I just thought the Ash Twin Project was what was causing the sun to explode and I think the game over I go hurt my overall experience
(Spoilers) yeah i feel like that might be the one thing you could potentially discover too early, but it is one of the more difficult puzzles in the games so you would have to get lucky to stumble onto it accidently like you did. However, to play devil's advocate, even though you discovered the warp core you still needed to figure out what exactly it did, where to take it, and how to use it. And even then you still need the eye's coordinates.
I was watching a friend’s screen on his 2nd loop. He landed on Ash Twin and hid under the Ash Twin tower when the sand was coming over. I told him to just leave and explore something else. He was questionable about the game and I wanted to try to make him do some normal exploring.
A lot of people go into outer wilds and get bored because the gameplay *is* the story. Most other games you can skip through dialogue, look at your phone, and just not listen to it, and that works for most games. Those same people (including myself) go into outer wilds with the preconceived notion that the story doesn't correlate to gameplay, and they'll skip dialogue and just generally not pay attention, waiting for the next "gameplay sequence" that never really comes. Those who end up enjoying the game and praising it for what it is are just those who put away those preconceived notions faster than the ones that didn't. I managed to get a hang of it pretty quick and loved the base game and DLC and then I bought it for a friend of mine. I was sitting in call with said friend and she didn't read the translations, skipped through dialogue and just died a lot, she hasn't touched the game since. This game isn't for everyone, the gameplay is akin to reading a book and solving a couple puzzles. Me and a lot of others love the gameplay but there are also people who just don't enjoy reading, or don't like learning about stories and that is fine. I don't really know how to end this but I loved both the videos you made!
If you want another chance to explore the game the first time, play the DLC. It's fresh, and different, but also the same sort of adventure. We'll be here to see it if you do.
I like to think of the game itself as a quantum object - infinite possibilities until observed. Thinking about it that way really throws you for a ‘loop’😅
The community was nice to you when you were clearly in disagreement with them for one reason: You have shown us in your previous video that you have an open mind. Every once in a while we see a negative review of this game that says "this game has no goal", or "this game is bad because it lacks x and y, I can't believe the devs thought it would be a good idea to not add x and y to the game", or even just "bad game, No Man's Sky is better". In all those cases, the people who played the game simply didn't "get it". And it's impossible to enjoy Outer Wilds without "getting it". We could tell from your previous video that you didn't "get it" either. However, the community generally agrees that there's nothing wrong with not "getting" the game. The problem begins when you don't "get it" and says it's purely the game's fault, even with so many people loving this game more than any other game they've ever played. You, on the other hand, made a video stating the reasons why the game didn't click for you, but the overall message I got from your video was that you were saying _"There's gotta be more to this. There's gotta be a reason why so many people praise this game so much, I'm just not seeing it."_ And you kept looking at it, until it finally clicked for you, too. The final minute in this video has shown that, just like I did in my first playthrough, when you threw away the preconceptions that our history with gaming has put in us (and I include myself in this because it took me a few hours and A LOT of insistence from my brother to keep playing for me to finally see what was so special about OW and to finally start enjoying it) was when you could finally enjoy it for what it is. In a way, you kept exploring and pushing through until you found the answers you were looking for, much like our playable character and everyone who ever played this game. You're definitely one of us. Welcome to the community, man! ::)
thank you! I'm really happy to be apart of the community now! I definitely am glad everyone decided to explain things to me, and that I decided to really dig deep on why people love this game so much! If nothing else, I feel like I've learned to see games in a completely different light (for the better). I'm excited to see what the DLC holds in store for me!
I think the only thing that outs me off buying and replaying this on PC is my brain will be in a similar checklist mode, I want to because I've not played the DLC but having played and fully done what can be done on the base game I'm torn on what I should do!
I know I'm a little late to this comment, but if you're still torn I recommend giving the DLC a shot! But 1 piece of advice I would give you is, if you can, try playing it with a friend or a group of friends. When I played the DLC I streamed it so I had a lot of people to nudge me in the right direction (or help me figure out the clues if they didn't know either) if you don't have anyone to play this with then I would recommend asking questions on the subreddit for this games as they are good at helping you figure things out without spoiling too much! I also will say that the DLC is much less spread out than the base game, you'll mainly be in one or two locations at most, as opposed to the several different planets and areas the base game had.
Outer Wilds is one of my favourite games of all time, and I consider it to be one of the greatest creative works across all art forms. However, when I first played it, I was honestly confused and frustrated a lot of the times. It just didn't seem interesting for me. It was probably because I treated it as other games, with clear objectives and standard gameplay progression. Shortly after, I uninstalled it and didn't play it for about a year. I gave it another try, this time understanding that it's more about making sense of the world around you, absorbing things, unraveling mysteries, and exploration in the purest sense - that is indeed the gameplay. You don't have to collect or craft or level up or grind or be super-skilled be told what to do (except for forced time-loop). The joy of this game really comes from pure wonder and discovery that go beyond simple puzzle-solving, and the beauty and satisfaction will not be found in any material progression, which is really rare for a game to do. I think people can be justified in not enjoying the game for whatever reason, but mindset really is an important factor in enjoying this game especially. You need to experience any game in its own ground and under its own merits, ESPECIALLY an unorthodox game like Outer Wilds, which strike at the core of the experience of being a human being. Also, you really DO need to go on this game blind, with the exception of being told that you cannot have the mindset of approaching this game like you do for Final Fantasy or Portal or Deus Ex or Metroid or Castlevania - all these games are fantastic, but they're more game-y and do not have the same knowledge-based and story-heavy gameplay of Outer Wilds. The wrong mindset might deprive someone of this amazing experience. It's like playing Dark Souls with the mindset of playing a Mario game. In Outer Wilds, you go where your heart and mind take you.
Only fools never change their opinion. I'm glad the Outer Wilds community has managed to make you understand that games can also be about the journey, not just the destination. You're definitely on point about the game requiring to be in a different mindset than in "mainstream" games. I've watched many playthroughs of OW in the last couple of years, and I'm actually looking forward to watching you play the DLC, it will be very different from others specifically because of your previous experience with the game. I personally think Outer Wilds is THE game that made me realize I don't care about AAA games anymore, if they can't design a better gameplay than recycled fetch quests for hours I'm too old to waste time on such boring goals. In comparison, Outer Wilds is quite literally the best proof that indie games can be worth every penny!
I didn't watch your first video, but this made me happy. It's unfortunate that some people misses the point of the exploration. Btw it's kind of you to have a spoiler warning for this game. Unlucky for me I was planning on playing subnautica in the future lol
i definitely got into a sort of system, or fixed routine, thanks to AAA. Luckily this game kind of broke that and made me change how i play a lot of games now
checklists in games are usually what end up driving me away from them, usually completing them is worthless and boring, they're typically just filler. my completionist urge makes me want to go for them, but I end up bored AF after a while and quitting the game out of general disinterest. Outer Wilds lack of checklist and handholding was very refreshing and a major point of enjoyment for me in the early playthrough, no checklist, no way markers, no missions, only you and your curiosity. I can't relate to someone wanting to play this in checklist mode, but everyone really experiences this game very diferently.
Well , lets say , If you like this , how about trying out a game called Before your eyes? Story telling , Music , all that. ITs a short game , and i dont think its that expensive , but , ya , It is a game , and Its changed alot of peoples lives , but i wont get into that , you need to figure it out for yourself.
"... because the Outer Wilds isn't even really about space, it's about the question, the most important and terrifying and unanswerable question anyone ever asks: Why? Why bother? Why bother with any of this? People die, stars burn out, the universe will go quiet and dark and cold and in the longest run, nothing - absolutely nothing matters. Everything dies, the universe included. So why sit around the fire, playing music into a void that doesn't care? Why huddle around the light? Why play? Because, well - look at it. It's mad, all of it. Life is a big stupid blob of meaningless nothing. Yet from that, we find meaning. People, things, animals, art, sofas, cereal, Rubik's cubes, silly little games about space, whatever. None of it matters in the grand scheme - fuck the grand scheme! There's no logical reason for life and nobody's gonna mourn it when it's gone, but that's what makes it fantastic. Life is a little song that we hum to ourselves and, I wouldn't want it other way. The Outer Wilds is an optimistic game about nihilism. It's a game with no invisible walls, you can complete it in ten minutes if you know what to do - which you won't for hours - and the only limit is knowledge. It's a game literally like no other. The universe is big and long and impossible and daft and you, you happen to be experiencing it at the exact same point that you can play the Outer Wilds as well. Embrace that coincidence. Come on, what are you waiting for? The sun could explode tomorrow." - Daniel Hardcastle "Nerd³" 2019
ok so im watching this video first and what? side content? upgrades? wtf? sir, SIR this is one of the most open world puzzle/detective games ever your upgrades is your knowledge and literally everything is sidecontent (you could argue anything but the ash twin project)
@@wiremagician all good :D i have since watched the rest its still a hot take and very amusing like the elon musk tweet about chess being to easy with no fog of war
That game has been on my radar for a while now, I've definitely been interested in it (since I love LA Noire and Ace Attorney) I'm curious if it's difficult or not?
@@wiremagician Its not difficult. But sometimes you get lost as to what/where you need to go/do. The gameplay is dialoue based, so some might not like it as the dialogue in the game has more words in the entire Harry Potter novels. Its a game you'll need to invest your time in to savor everything it has to offer, I highly recommend this game.
I am interested to see your previous video now. It seems like you has/had some very different view of the games in general. Edit: i watched it now and didn't understand it at all 🤷🏼♂️ Like, i didn't understand how is it possible to get that emotional response while playing it.
Yeah, at the end of the day it all came down to expectations because I knew literally nothing about this game except that it was an open-world exploration game. So I kept waiting for things like upgrades and side content to come. It wasn't until after beating it and talking about it that I realized that this game was just so different than anything I had ever played before
This game is... I don't know. It's not a game, but not an experience either. It feels more like a random airplane ticket around the world is in your mailbox. You need to put in effort to enjoy the trip, but trying too hard would leave you in a bus bored to death waiting for the next stop. Yeah it's a weird (in a good way).
Ah okay I get it now.its not supposed to be the best game, just another good game a lot of people like. Makes sense now. I was overrating it. Thanks for the video
I really loved Subnautica when I've played it. But after Outer Wilds I just started to see it as an complitely empty game, but at least fun. I'm afraid Outer Wild and Pathologic 2 ruined games for me 😅, because it's so painfull to come back to something trivial, albeit quite good, after literally masterpieces.
That's interesting your opinion on Subnautica changed. I would say that my opinions on Subnautica stayed the same, but I definitely felt like how I felt about Open World games as a genre changed. I think both OW and Subnautica use their world brilliantly and you can tell were passionately made. The difference is how you approach them in gameplay. I feel like now when I go to other Open Worlds I'm a bit disappointed because it just doesn't feel as alive. Also what's Pathologic 2? I've never heard of that game
@@wiremagician pathologic 2 is the game that people usually refer to as "masterpiece you'll never play". 😅 I don't want to spoil it for you in case you would play it, but it's quite an original game that cannot be compared to something and defined in some genre, as it not really any genre in particular. I personally fell in love with it in first 10 minutes, but not much people could play it till the end because they treat it like some typical RPG, which it is not, or they try to see it as just a role playing and story game which it is not either. Anyway it is beautifully crafted world with quite interesting gameplay mechanics, and there are literally just 1-2 blind let's plays on youtube, so the road is open if you would want to record it 😅 It's indie game made by a very small team, but it is still looks pretty great and it's a remake of their previous game - pathologic.
Even for à gamer Who expect this Kind of game i was lost but try to understand. At the very end i have so many question because this story is like pulp fiction" if you play like me, and the story could be complex. Enjoy, it's à Masterpiece
DLC Livestream VOD Part 1: th-cam.com/video/xLmJFN0lCyI/w-d-xo.html&t
DLC Livestream VOD Part 2: th-cam.com/video/bOdraWShun0/w-d-xo.html
DLC Livestream VOD Finale: th-cam.com/video/YG_FDX-LYKg/w-d-xo.html
Crossing fingers for "oof ouch my bones" achievement
Ya, I'm so excited for this. Also, loved the video.
Okay, I really want to see this!
If you don't mind, please also provide videos of your streams for anyone not able to make it. Members of the Outer Wilds cult, it seems like "there's more to explore here"!
@@ShmuPixel I agree with this
Would love to see echoes of the eye content, like gameplay or a review. People were so worried because they were like: “how could this possibly add anything that wouldn’t be superfluous?” We were wrong, they made us cry again
i'm really excited to play it!!
Echoes of the Eye made me cry even more than the base game. It was genuinely about 20 minutes of distraught sobbing in the depths of grieving emotion for me. It was heavy as fuck.
The DLC is better than many FULL games I've played.
@@TikkaQrow yeah lol, the devs even question if it’s a dlc
I'm playing the DLC right now and personally so far I don't like it as much, and that's a lot because of the lack of space. Being inside normal gravity with no space flight just makes the game a bit more dull. Ain't bad though mind you, it's just not on par of the original imo :)
I really liked someone's description of OW as having a "quantum story".
All of the threads and discoveries are there, but each player collapses them into their own path as they play.
Ohhh I like that description a lot!
8:22 one persons interpretation of the ending I thought was very sweet. He saw it as his relationship with his son. Some new fathers have a hard time grasping the concept of doing so much extra work in their life for the sake of their kids, work that they'll never TRULY be appreciated for, or even realized on how much effort it took to raise the kids. He was having difficulty with this, all the extra time involved, how expensive kids are, working two jobs to make it work, and so on while not really seeing any personal benefit. However, he realized after playing Outer Wilds that all the work put into it, it's all worth it in the end - even if you won't be there to see the fruits of your labor. He may pass on, but the fruits of his labor lives on in his son who will grow into a man and have his own life. It's okay if all good things come to an end, because all your efforts won't be in vain, and your work will continue to flourish for generations to come, even if you won't be there to see it.
Aww that's really wholesome! I like that message!
"The Universe is, and we are."
was it a gameplay you watched, a review or someone you know irl? i would love to watch that kind of perspective
Just when you thought you've seen and experienced Outer Wilds from beginning to end... The DLC will tell you "there's more to explore here".
I'm very excited for it!
Outer Wilds is one of a very, VERY short list of games that I've played where they made me feel something so intense, so beautiful, that I just could do nothing but watch the credits in awe. So, I'm glad that you were able to find at least some of that eventually! For me, this is a game about two groups of people reaching out to one another across vast gulfs of time and space, and in so doing, finding a solution to the mystery of all existence.
I think you identified the general problem that most people who "don't get" Outer Wilds have, which is that this is a game about something. The advice I usually give people is not just "go in blind," but "read EVERYTHING." I think there's one or two of the Nomai logs that isn't a clue or reference to something important.
Oh yeah, that's a good point! I think another thing I would tell people is: don't treat the text in this game like how you do in most other exploration games (say like Skyrim or Subnautica) where it's really treated more like a prop than a tool.
Try "Pathologic 2", it's truly unique and masterpiece of a game, that have all the potential to be on your list;) It's on my super short list of masterpieces alongside Outer Wilds.
I can relate to your experience here. Personally, I think I mostly had the intended experience when I played Outer Wilds. I struggled to put all the pieces together, but I never looked up any answers. With patience, I figured it all out and appreciated everything.
Then, desperate for more to explore, I immediately bought and played the DLC. And although I love the DLC now and view it as a wonderful continuation and enhancement of the game, when I played it originally, I got extremely frustrated. The ship log felt useless and exploration felt impossible. I felt like the game should've given me more guidance, but instead I was just pointlessly wandering. I ended up looking up hints, which helped me "make progress", but I had no appreciation for the knowledge I'd gained. I actually resented the game even more, saying "how could I have discovered this?" Instead of finishing the DLC myself, I watched others do it. I regret that now. If I had only been more patient and had a little more perseverance, I would've found the pieces I was missing and appreciated the experience so much more.
Anyway, I highly recommend that you play the DLC, especially now that you've realized what Outer Wilds is trying to do. Be curious, be attentive to details, and allow yourself to take a break or explore something different if you feel stuck.
Finally, if you feel like you could use a gentle nudge in the right direction, the outer wilds subreddit is a wonderful community. They will do their best to help without spoiling anything. I wish I had gone to the subreddit when I was getting frustrated, instead of IGN or whatever walkthrough I ended up finding.
yeahhh! I checked out the subreddit and seems like it's a great place to go for hints (if absolutely necessary) so i'm looking forward to the DLC!
Of note since they added the reels to the ship log the dlc is 10x less frustrating too so they've fixed the worst part in patches
Playing Outer Wilds is like putting a jigsaw puzzle together without the box/picture. You get bits and pieces, you can start putting some things together and wondering how they’re related, or be surprised when two things connect. It’s so satisfying to be able to look at the whole picture knowing you put it together yourself, fully able to appreciate what it means.
i think that the frustration some players experience, and disappointment, is a byproduct of what makes outer wilds so unique and captivating. the intrinsic modular nature of the game allows players to create their own pacing, which can be a double-edged sword. while this approach can lead to some truly incredible discoveries, it's not uncommon for players to struggle or tend to become disenchanted. but it's important to note that this isn't necessarily the fault of the player if they're not approaching the game with the 'right' mindset or sense of curiosity as luck can also play a role in their experience: it's a frustration very different from a souls game because you often don't know what you need to progress, and the only thing you can draw upon is your own knowledge. so it's very hard to predict and 'control' how a player will experience their own adventure and whether the game is going to satisfy their curiosity every single moment of their gameplay. the intricate, open nature of outer wilds is what makes it such a rewarding and memorable experience for many of those who are willing to stick with it... and ultimately, it's okay if some people end up not enjoying their time with the game in hindsight. like, it's completely normal because the game is designed to also be a bit of a gamble, so i don't necessarily believe that you 'need' to have been completely 'wrong' about the game. your experience is as valid as any other
I do think that everyone's experience is as valid as everyone else's. However, the main reason I brought up mindset in this video was because most people who recommend this game strongly suggest going into it blind, which can lead players to think it's something completely different. I think if players were told very basic things before they go in (don't expect a guide, it's mostly focused around the story) then I think people can give it a more fair shot. But of course, as you said, this doesn't mean anyone can have a 'wrong' experience with the game
An Echoes of the Eye stream on TH-cam? Don't threaten me with a good time now, lmao.
Also, that was an excellent alternative to the statement of, "Go in blind," that I hadn't considered before. I'll be keeping it in mind when speaking with folks who have yet to join in on the experience of Outer Wilds 😄
thanks! glad you liked the video! and yeah definitely want to stream the DLC, maybe next weekend?
While unrelated to this video's particular frustrations with Outer Wilds, I've come to slightly adjust my "Go in completely blind" recommendations when I did have a couple people not like it. First, I tell them about Match Velocity, as some people are put off with orbital mechanics that are unituitive. Second, I tell them about Rumor Mode, as some people feel like they are lost and incorrectly think its a sandbox game like Minecraft without main goals. These recommendations don't spoil them on anything important, but I find people are far more willing to give it a chance when they know about those two features.
@@michaellombardi3638 Same honestly
@@michaellombardi3638 To add to this point, I've also seen a lot of people get confused or frustrated because they didn't understand the signalscope or probe. Spending a bit more time on Timberhearth helps a lot, because it helps people get familiar with their basic set of tools. So many letsplays were made worse by people who didn't understand the basic knowledge explained in the village on Timberhearth.
Outer wilds is a game about living in the moment not the future or the past…thats why it was so confusing for me wow I was always trying to figure out what was I supposed to be doing i would google and watch videos and stuff to try and find the ~mystery~this video was very enlightening thank you💗
the checklist mindset with the space logs is actually what made me drive forward. maybe its because im on the spectrum, but i always want to know things. i was curious about every single thing i might've missed. i completed the ship log not because "i had to", but because i was so absorbed by the story, i wanted to. no other piece of art in any media connected with me like outer wilds.
It is astonishing how Mobius Digital created a game that affects people is so many different ways beyond the medium. Your story in particular is very interesting. At first you didn't quite understand how you felt about the game but it was still speaking to you long after your playthrough. Your curiously continued leading you to a completely unique realization of your own. Although you can never go back and replay Outer Wilds with your new knowledge and experience it in the same emotional way others did you can still appreciate the journey you had on your own. And now everything from your past will be with you in your future.
I had a similar experience with Outer Wilds. At first I didn't really know what I was playing. Although I really enjoyed it I never really invested in the story like you. Halfway though my play though I took a long break getting distracted but other games and hobbies. But I still put it on my favorites list on Steam and I never knew why (very short list). I eventually went back to it as a causal 'chill' game to play on the side. It wasn't until the very ending that I was like 'what did I just play?, Why do I feel this way about a game?.' I had to go to TH-cam videos and explanation articles to re-understand the story. I was able to go into the DLC with this new appreciation of the game.
I look forward to watching your playthrough of EotE. Just remember it is your journey. Don't worry about the views or how people will think of your process. Go at your own pace and let your curiosity lead you.
Thanks! I'm really excited to play the DLC. I'm gonna do my best to play and experience the game as it was meant to be!
Great points both in the video and in this comment. I was very frustrated in the base game... impatient. I felt like I was filling out a checklist and was worried I'd forget something so I rushed through it. I wanted to be done with the game fast because I felt like I was loosing the story the more overwhelming the ship log got. The ending struck me deeply. I fell in love with the atmosphere of it and what it ment. I started exploring more about the game online and even though my journey playing it wasn't very satisfying, it became one of my favourite games because of the ending and also because I realised how original and beautiful the game is.
I value my journey because it showed me what I do wrong in life when I'm trying to enjoy things. I rush, my attention span is broken, I'm not used to just existing in the moment.
I'm looking forward to the DLC. I heard that it can be even more difficult to get into, which I'm glad for. When the time comes, when I feel calmer and more patient, I'll come back and get the true outer wilds experience with the DLC 😍 Can't Wait!
I can absolutely relate to the feeling of being overwhelmed while playing outer wilds. I didnt have my initial experience soured quite as much as it seems like you did, but I approached the game with the same “checklist” mindset and it got me so incredibly stuck. I ended up looking at walkthroughs and stuff to make my way through the game to “the end,” missing things like dialogue with the npcs and what I guess you could call “optional” nomai writing, the stuff that was definitely meant to highlight their humanity rather than point you in the right direction. And I’ll be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever NOT regret doing that. I remember the experiences I did have completely on my own, and they were just… brilliant, really. But once I hit the “got to get to the end” mindset all of a sudden it was sort of like the life died from the game. Because outer wilds really is about the experience first and foremost, about the story. And while talking to npcs and the like aren’t mandatory, obviously, because of the games open world premise, doing so just amplifies the connection you have to the world and it’s story, and it makes the ending hit even harder in my opinion. There are so many things that I see in other peoples play throughs that I go “man, how cool would it have been to get to experience that myself.”
Really good video, this is a really interesting deconstruction on your precious vs current opinions. Very glad to hear you’ve grown to appreciate the game :)
I really like this explanation! I'd agree, because I was rushing, especially near the end, I really didn't have that much attachment to the world or characters. Which was probably a big reason for why I felt initially disappointed with the ending. I'm really glad I got to play the DLC with a better mindset and at least have a bit of that experience I should've had with the base game :)
This game is a masterpiece. A tiny pocket universe, so to speak, that changed my perspective on my own, and my outlook on life as a whole. That ultimately, we may just be a tiny little speck in the winds of time, but we’re still part of it. And we can all make a difference. The relationships we have… our melody we create, roasting marshmallows around a campfire- can have an impact on the future, no matter how small we may seem.
I had this breakthrough about how we face things after watching Cowboy Bebop. I didn't like it that much. There are a lot of amazing things, but it just didn't clock for me, and after thinking for a while I realized I had set my expectations for a continuous narrative that explores the characters and develops them in a linear way. After watching it and giving it some thought I realized I did it dirty by placing expectations that didn't fit what it was going for, and just because it was different didn't mean it was bad. I was trying to fit a square peg in a circle hole.
With Outer Wilds something different happened, I really enjoyed my journey but was so eager to get to the end and see what was there that I pretty much missed some bits of the journey and thought the ending wasn't satisfied, I was exhausted by the end of it, mostly due to my approach of hyperfixating and rushing through the things I love. It was mostly when watching it through the lens of other let's players that allowed me to cool down a bit and experience it a bit slower, now it's one of my favorite games which I wish I could experience all over again.
I can relate to that, sometimes when a mystery in a game is so compelling I rush the ending and miss out on a lot. I think I'm a little guilty of doing this with Outer Wilds as well, as I said I was initially disappointed in the ending in my original video. That's why usually I don't appreciate the story for what it is in most games, until a 2nd playthrough. Unfournately I can't do that with Outer Wilds, but I'm hoping I can experience something similar with the DLC!
I can understand where you're coming from. When I first played this game, it was cool, but I felt like it wasn't for me. I thought that you know this game is far too open ended with no direction. This was around the time when the game first came out. However, couple of days ago, and I happen to crossed a video talking about this game, and how it profoundly affected the player. How it spoke to him in a way that I had never seen a game speak to someone. I listened, and I thought to myself well that's meat. Then I saw another video, saying the same thing. And another one, and another one. I realized after listening to people talking about this game, spoiler free, that I missed some thing when I initially started it. So I immediately went onto my PS5, download the game, stopped playing every other game. I was working on, and sat down. I get it now. I have not played a game that touched my heart and soul, elicited a complete sense of wonderment, and moved me to deep tears. I will never forget outer wilds, and how impactful it was for me. I recollect on it now and realize there were times the checklist mindset kicked in for sure still. Yet I also realized that that's inherent for me as a person with severe ADHD. I needed that direction a little bit at times. And that's OK. Throughout my experience with outer wilds, it was interesting that some of my real world knowledge on things like super positioning and string theory and physics directly translated into the game. That pre-existing knowledge, much like all the tools and the conversations left by the Nomai, actually helped me move forward. So much so that entire portions of the game we're bypassed because I didn't need that information. I went back and found it before reaching that crescendo, but it wasn't needed. I've never experienced something like that in a game before. It was like the game understood me and was speaking to me directly. I will never forget our wilds. And I am thankful that I got the chance to find that random TH-cam video that gave me the courage and perspective to try this game again, I'm glad that you had a chance to think over everything and hear all those words from all the people, that lead me to having this experience too
The fact that this game is so different from everything else is what makes it amazing, but it can also lead some to have a distaste for the game. That's why I really love the community. AS you mentioned, it helped you discover a new found love for the game. I think most people know that because this game is so different, it will automatically put-off a lot of people at first. Which is why many of them try to explain what the game is really all about, I'm glad that they were able to do that with me. I now see the game in a completely different light!
@@wiremagician you know, it takes a lot of self awareness and courage to say that you are wrong about some thing in life. It also takes a special kind of person to take the time to read and personally respond to comments like you do. Thank you for taking the time. I'll be watching your stuff from now on. I look forward to see what else you do.
@@BishamonS Thank you so much! Welcome to the channel!
This game is a masterpiece. It lets the player explore and discover everything for themselves. It makes piecing together the story that much more satisfying when you get to figure it out for yourself.
Not only that, but exploring was actually fun. All the planets and locations are so unique and interesting.
I've watched a lot of blind playthroughs of this game, and it's interesting to watch so many people get through difficult parts and be disappointed that "all they got was a bit of lore." I wish I could explain to them that the lore is the point. I see what they expect from playing thousands of other games and getting rewards like upgrades and weapons and such, but it's fun to see their perspective shift the longer they play. I think the safest people to suggest this game fully blind are lore junkies, and even then a warning is nice.
By far the most frustrating people to watch are the ones who play games by rushing through tutorials and dialogue to "get to the gameplay." Those people will never fully enjoy this specific game, and I don't think there's anything wrong with how they approach games because I get it! But they are definitely the people that I wish did not go into the game fully blind. They (and we) would have had a much more enjoyable time if they knew what kind of game they were playing and could choose if this was a type of game they wanted to play.
I do think the DLC will give you the chance to"go back" and experience part of this game with the right mindset. I was so worried about it fitting in and living up to the base game, but it delivered.
I'm really excited to play the DLC!
Also, yeah I think most players (especially one's who might be fans of open world games) need some sort of basic outline to what kind of experience this is. With a game like Firewatch, I knew going in that the experience would be mostly story with a nice map as more of a setting rather than a sandbox, and I ended up loving that game. Because I knew not to expect anything else major from it. With this game I kept waiting for something to happen, for a new tool to appear, so that I had something to prove my progress.
If nothing else, I hope this video can be a guide for people who want to play this game without having to go in completely blind.
I 1000% agree with going into “checklist” mode. I remember being 30 hrs in and got burnt out because I didn’t feel like I was accomplishing anything. I ended up watching videos and found stuff that pushed me to the end and eventually wanted to know more.. the music hooked me but there was this feeling of… damn, I really want to try to understand this and so I came across the lore explorers channel and he brought me back into falling in love with the game. I bought the the dlc, started playing it again how it was meant to be played. And honestly, the narrative aspect is what really helps carry this games impact. The knowledge you obtain from learning through the lore. I quickly fell in love with the game once I started learning more and more. And then the DLC came out, I played it the way it was meant to be played.. (granted I did get a little stuck finding the dlc so I had a hint, but that was the only time I looked anything up) and man, do I regret not continuing to play it the first time the way it should’ve been played. The dlc is amazing, I’ve explored every inch of the expansion and I can’t say how much I love this game. It’s fueled me to fall back in love with games, to learn more about the lore within games that I blatantly skim over. There’s so much more depth to everything and anything, and this game just fueled that up need of curiosity I’ve felt as a kid playing games for the first time.
Agreed! Once I started playing the DLC with my new mindset, I was having so much more fun with the game than I ever had before. I definitely feel like I have a newfound appreciation for discovering lore within games now!
@@wiremagician that’s awesome! have you by any chance played tunic?
Insert: reaction video based on a scene of It's "Always Sunny in Philadelphia" character Frank Reynolds (played by Danny DeVito) delivering the line "I Get It Now"
A beautiful example of how expectations and framing shape our view of art. I believe all art can be enjoyed with the right framing. A fun example is the phrase "it's so bad that it's good again". A piece of art can be bad by almost all metrics but still have the potential to be enjoyed if we frame it correctly.
I'm glad that Outer Wilds has such a great community. Hypothesis: That's not a coincidence.
I had the exact same experience, thank you for being with me haha
Majora's Mask is probably the closest you can get to a game comparison to Outer Wilds, But even Majora's Mask had linearity to it, a set of things to do in a vague order to save Termina.
The key difference in the time loop reset tho, Majora's Mask transported yourself, and all your equipment back in time, Outer Wilds ONLY transmits your memories (which makes more sense from a causality perspective, information doesn't have mass, it's abstract, technically doesn't 'exist' and therefore technically exists out of time, so receiving information from a future that never happens shouldn't break the space-time continuum), leaving your original 'self' to continue that timeline to it's end 'if you didn't die' (you better feel really bad for all the 'selfs' you left with broken legs that somehow survived the Nova)
My wife bounced off this game super hard, and it makes me sad. Me on the other hand, ive watched more than 100 lets plays of it constantly trying to relive the feeling i had playing it for the first time
thank you for putting it into words. I had the exact same experience, and even came to grips with the fact that I'll never finish the game. But watching other people experience it made me realize how good this game really is.
I decided to play this after watching PointCrow's first stream as I thought it seemed cool. I may personally be looking at a new contender for my top 3 favorite games ever.
I also just played through the game a second time and it put into perspective some of the different ways you can experience the story. Giant's Deep was the first planet I went to on my first playthrough, so for my second playthrough I went to Brittle Hollow and the Hourglass Twins first. It got me to imagine new ways you could view the Giant's Deep mysteries, and see new methods for uncovering the central mystery.
That's interesting that you played it a 2nd time. I'm curious, how did you go about playing the game when you already knew the answers to everything? Because I would love to play it again, I just don't know how I could since I would just beat the game in one loop now that I know how to beat it
@@wiremagician It can be difficult not to be influenced by knowledge you aren't supposed to have yet, but if you wanna get an experience as authentic as possible, the ship log is a godsend. It does such an incredible job keeping track of all information you've learned and noting it in a way you'll remember without giving too much away. For example, after exploring a large portion of Brittle Hollow including the White Hole Station and Southern Observatory, I looked at the ship log to see I could either go to Giant's Deep to learn about the Nomai Statues and Orbital Probe Cannon, or I could go to the Hourglass Twins to learn about the black hole experiment, ultimately choosing the latter. It won't be new information, but having the context of the whole story to go along with it might help you find new ways to appreciate the game. I personally was interested in learning more about each individual Nomai, so while playing I wrote down everything important about them on a Word document, such as Coleus discovering a quantum rule, and Poke and Clary being sisters. That level of dedication is by no means necessary, it's just something I wanted to do so I could understand the Nomai better. In your case, this might just end up being really tedious, and that would be totally understandable. I am someone who can easily find lots to enjoy from replaying games after all. But if you're genuinely interested in learning more about the Outer Wilds and their history, I think there's lots that can be gained.
6:20 completely unrelated but the way you said that - the cadence and the pause - reminded me of NileRed.
bro NileRed is awesome!! love his videos!
That's the Outer Wilds fanbase for you. One of the nicest and spoiler free communities out there in gaming.
Outer Wilds is unique and breaks the usual formula. And while that makes it amazing for a lot of people, its not for everyone.
definitely! i haven't seen a community this nice since Stardew Valley!
Hey, just found out you posted a "follow up" on your previous video!
Both videos are done very well and while I disagree on quite a few of the points on the first one I am glad you were still interested and thought some more about this game.
Not everyone would pubblically say they changed their minds or even say they were "wrong" (even if there is nothing wrong in not liking a game)
I hope this new mindset of trying new stuff will lead you to wonderful new experiences, there is still a lot more to discover out there!
I will for sure follow you through the DLC if you end up livestreaming it/posting vods and may you stay curious in your journey!
Definitely! Playing the DLC was a lot of fun (the vod is up on the channel now) I'm excited to finish it!
Thank you. This short video addresses almost all concerns I hear people saying, whether they played it and didn't understand it or dismissed the game entirely. It's painful to see people reject the game when they simply don't get what it's about, but it's also understandable as I didn't know what to expect diving into it too. And maybe if they don't want to listen to me, they'll listen to someone who disliked the game at first too.
It's definitely a game that I think can throw people off because of how different and unique it is. It's why I think the phrase "go into it blind" (while understandable as to not spoil much about the game) can actually end up hurting people's perception of the game. Hopefully if anything, this video can change some people's minds that initially dismissed the game
Glad you came around to it in the end. I want everyone to experience this game and love it. It’s a true work of art and a masterpiece.
Interesting how Subnautica is your main comparison since I played the games in reverse. I played Outer Wilds first, and it was the first game in a while where I was pretty down when it ended, so I played Subnautica and that game scratched a lot of the same itches (though as you said, it's more guided and gameplay focused).
This reaffirms my belief that anyone who doesn't enjoy the game simply didn't come at it with the right mindset. Or spaceflight makes you nauseous, that's the one valid reason.
If I was going to leave you a negative comment I would have done it years ago.
you already left it in a previous loop
This is true, 105% of the comments you have left have been positive
Glad that you've managed to understand why people adore this game, albeit a little late. I hope you'll be able to enjoy the DLC with that knowledge.
The only piece of advice I can give on that is to simply take your time. Yes, sometimes the loop will feel a little bit frustrating, and you might bang your head on a few sections, but don't worry. You can always shelve a puzzle for later and go and explore other things. Just wander around, poke at things, look at the detail, and most importantly ask questions like "Is there really nothing to it" or "I wonder what happens if I do this". I mean what's the worst that can happen? time will reset?
Yeah I'm gonna try to be really patient. I'm also hoping that, since I will stream it, the people watching me will keep me motivated to keep searching. Some others have told me if I really really really need a small, non-spoiler hint (as a last resort) then I should try the subreddit as well. So hopefully with all of that in mind, I can enjoy the DLC to its full potential!
@@wiremagician The subreddit is fantastic for this. Best practice is to post your ship log's rumor mode, specify what you're stuck on, and then leave it for a good 24 hours. Some people's hints will give a little too much away, and the community tends to weed that out on your behalf, just check out the top couple of comments, and continue on your way.
Be curious on your jouney.
Me screaming at everyone who think there’s a “the” in Outer Wilds (I don’t know why it’s such a big pet peeve of mine)
Well, people often confuse this game with The Outer Worlds, and adding a "The" to the name only makes them easier to confuse. I think WireMagician actually said "The Outer Worlds" once in the first video
@@joshuakb2 yeah I know but it’s still funny to me
oh my god, you're so right! XD i didn't even realize, just changed the title haaha
@@wiremagician so many people do it it’s fine
me too! it makes me angrier than I want to be !
The end music was a low blow (damn there's something in my eye)... Good job!
hahaha thanks! i LOVE the soundtrack for this game!
i'm very glad to see someone get the game to click for em after a bad first experience! i find it oddly beautiful, cuz in a way, that's just one of the hundreds of ways people can experience it; there's no entirely correct way to go about it, because the entire point of the game is that you need to do YOUR thing, not the thing someone else set up for you, even if maybe your thing needs adjusting. i'd even argue it adds to the immersion! that said, experiences like this are why i'm very careful to make sure i tell people juuust the right amount about the game, because "go in blind" isn't as good as it is simple, and not givin enough help when it's needed can sour someone's experience. sometimes i even assist friends while i watch em play, since it's better to have someone who knows the right kinds of hints to give than be left frustrated that you can't look it up without defeating the point of it all. outer wilds is an absolutely breathtaking experience we can only really have once, n it'd be a shame to let it be spoiled by not givin people a nudge in the right direction when they need it
This was the reason I was really glad I streamed the DLC, I had people who knew how to nudge me in the right direction without ever spoiling, meaning I never really felt frustrated with any of the puzzles. Plus it was always fun to see people react whenever I solved a puzzle. Maybe these types of games are better played with a group of friends? I would love to see some sort of sequel to this (or just a similar game to Outer Wilds) that has co-op.
I hope that anyone who struggles with enjoyin the game gets YT algorithm'd and comes across this video. A nice and quick breakdown on some pitfalls the game runs into because of its nature.
Also patiently waiting for the dlc streams
thank you! I'm glad you liked the video! Also, I'm thinking about streaming sometime next friday or saturday
I would absolutely love to see you play echoes of the eye, Glad you enjoy it now too!
I can only understand, I also was troubled while playing the game and couldn't understand how it had to be played, sadly as I also just started playing to it randomly because the game is free for the PS+ users, and so I wandered randomly for a great part of the game, but eventually ended up watching some solutions online and that's as of today probably my biggest videogame regret.
It nonetheless didn't ruin my experience of enjoying the game which was fantastic, and since then I'm still somehow experiencing that whole blind exploration through many playthroughs, but yeah still a little sad after a year that I did that.
Very glad you ended up changing your mind by yourself, just being encouraged by the community, which indeed for some of us had to fight some codes coming from the usual videogames as you mentioned here.
I'm really glad I did end up changing my mind! If nothing else, I now feel like I go into games with a whole different mindset
Well.... Duh!!
😊 Glad you got there in the end. I found Outer Wilds and Echos of the Eye to be the best games I have ever played. No question.
This is going into my Outer Wilds review playlist. i have some friends who need to watch this.
Hell yeah! Echoes is such a beautiful companion piece that will hit your feels all over again.
Loving it so far!
I am SUPER late to this video but just came across it as I finished Outer Wilds about a month ago now. I went in with basically a one to one copy of your mindset, thinking it was gonna be like a normal open world survival game, and was a HUGE Subnautica fan, so that didn't really help haha. I thought there would be pretty clear objectives that I could tackle when I wanted but still functioned as barriers until completed, I thought there would be tons of creatures to catalog and look out for, I thought I'd get all kinds of items and upgrades, but I didn't get any of that, and I loved it from start to finish. I think where I differed from you is that I had a friend watching me play who had already finished the game, and while he didn't give me any kind of spoilers for the game the whole way through, he was pretty good at telling me that it wasn't gonna be like that as I got further into it, but I will say that for the first 5 or so hours, it didn't click for me. I was having fun but didn't feel like I was connecting with the world very well, and I wasn't really getting anything that was going on. Needless to say, around the point where I reached the hanging city, it all started to click, and I think the quantum moon is where it SKYROCKETED. Upon starting the game, I claimed I knew I probably wouldn't like this game as much as stuff like Subnautica, and that it'd be extremely hard to beat for me, and upon finishing it, I claimed that Outer Wilds was the best game I've ever touched, and that nothing will ever top it. This game is powerful, and I think you're right, it is more of an experience than a game, and I think everyone can get something out of it. Amazing video btw!! Was super cool seeing someone with a similar experience to mine.
It doesn’t surprise me that people were so chill about you saying you didn’t get it the first time. Its really common for people to look at it with the same mindset as you did!
On the outer wilds fans have a lot of practice in the art of patience bc its a game that is so unlike most other games (ESPECIALLY most games in outer space!)
Im happy for you and that in the end you found your own story with outer wilds. Thats why the game is so awesome.
i can relate to the start of the video, while playing outer wilds my brain was also in "checklist mode" and it caused me to miss a lot of big things since i barely paid attention. but somehow i still loved the game and had so much fun (but it did take me 40 hours to beat!)
Ah why'd you have to hit us with that part of the song at the end. Emotional overload
The AAA gaming industry is the worst thing to happen to gaming. They rob so many people from so many incredible, unique experiences. God I hate it
I think back in the day AAA was great. They used to always put out consistently good games, however over the years many studios have gotten lazy because they know people will buy their games simply due to brand loyalty. Even now there's the occasional good game that comes from a big studio, but it feels very far and few. My hope is that games like this one start to become more common among indie devs. Games that challenge the medium and push people to play and experience in different ways, and if those games can reach success like Outer Wilds has, then maybe (just maybe) we might see a new golden era of gaming
I gotta say i really enjoy your editing style
thank you so much!
Not common enough W for the TH-cam Comments. Good work everyone.
Insightful video once again. I know many people struggle with missing clear goals and objectives to check off. For me, growing up in the Commodore and Atari age were goals were often unclear, this was welcome but many modern gamers have never experienced otherwise.
I'd love to see you play Echoes of the Eye. It's a great DLC.
I played the DLC, and loved it! It definitely gave me somewhat of the experience I wish had gotten the first time around. If you want to see the streams of me playing it, the links are in the pinned comment for this video!
Very good advice at the end!
A good video👍
This video is a tutorial to "how to play and enjoy the game."
It's a game that really needs players to change their mindset, and Will change it even more over time.
Every gaming community is touted as the best in the world, but the Outer Wilds' actually is. Every time someone posts on Reddit that they do not like OW, the standard response is, "That's okay. Maybe it's just not for you". I don't think I've seen this level of empathy and understanding elsewhere.
You're just there to explore and enjoy the solar system. Until you're not. That click will be different for each person, and I love how meta that is.
When I watched your first video I was disappointed that you didn't get to experience the same thing I did. I don't think your experience was wrong, but I knew you missed the point. It seems you've gotten much closer to understanding it now, and for that I'm glad. I've probably watched every playthrough of this game on TH-cam because it's the only way I can experience this game again. I've never felt this way about a game before Outer Wilds.
I definitely blame the AAA landscape for making you think the game was missing something, rather than being it's own unique experience. I hope that if others have your experience, at the very least Outer Wilds makes them slowly realize that games don't have to be what you think they should be.
I do hope that more games like Outer Wilds will be made. In the sense that they are games that challenge the idea of what a video game is supposed to be, as well as truly take advantage of the medium.
You can't just put that music to the end and make me tear up in a random burger king without a warning!
One of us!
One of us!
One of us!
One of you!
One of you!
One of you!
I didn't like the game during the first few Loops for the same reason but once forgot about some gretar goal and started to just explore what I thought was intresting I fell in love with it
I've been describing Outer Wilds to people as "Myst in Space". Myst is my favorite game series, and Outer Wilds scratched the exact same itch that Myst does for me. The "checklist" mentality that you describe is my most disliked aspect of modern gaming and I quickly grow bored of games like Spider-Man because that's what they feel like to me: a checklist of chores to be done. I much prefer to get lost in a world where I don't know what is behind the next bend; a game which challenges me to make sense of it, rather than spoonfeeding me focus-tested lowest-common-denominator dopamine hits. Outer Wilds had shot straight to the top section of my personal "best games" list by the time I finished it. I don't see it being dislodged any time soon.
(Spoilers)
I sort of disagree that there’s no information that you can find too early… I somehow stumbled into the Ash Twin Project like 5 hours in and picked up the warp core and thought I beat the game lmao (this was before I went to the sun station). I was very confused when the music started.
I knew enough to know that I was stopping the loop but I just thought the Ash Twin Project was what was causing the sun to explode and I think the game over I go hurt my overall experience
(Spoilers)
yeah i feel like that might be the one thing you could potentially discover too early, but it is one of the more difficult puzzles in the games so you would have to get lucky to stumble onto it accidently like you did. However, to play devil's advocate, even though you discovered the warp core you still needed to figure out what exactly it did, where to take it, and how to use it. And even then you still need the eye's coordinates.
I was watching a friend’s screen on his 2nd loop. He landed on Ash Twin and hid under the Ash Twin tower when the sand was coming over. I told him to just leave and explore something else. He was questionable about the game and I wanted to try to make him do some normal exploring.
I'm glad you got sense and learned to love this game😅
A lot of people go into outer wilds and get bored because the gameplay *is* the story. Most other games you can skip through dialogue, look at your phone, and just not listen to it, and that works for most games. Those same people (including myself) go into outer wilds with the preconceived notion that the story doesn't correlate to gameplay, and they'll skip dialogue and just generally not pay attention, waiting for the next "gameplay sequence" that never really comes. Those who end up enjoying the game and praising it for what it is are just those who put away those preconceived notions faster than the ones that didn't. I managed to get a hang of it pretty quick and loved the base game and DLC and then I bought it for a friend of mine. I was sitting in call with said friend and she didn't read the translations, skipped through dialogue and just died a lot, she hasn't touched the game since. This game isn't for everyone, the gameplay is akin to reading a book and solving a couple puzzles. Me and a lot of others love the gameplay but there are also people who just don't enjoy reading, or don't like learning about stories and that is fine. I don't really know how to end this but I loved both the videos you made!
If you want another chance to explore the game the first time, play the DLC. It's fresh, and different, but also the same sort of adventure. We'll be here to see it if you do.
Edit: I guess I was a little late on that comment, but I'm still watching it!
no idea why you did this but i did not appreciate the full Subnautica spoilers out of no where with no warning or anything. I had just started that.
I like to think of the game itself as a quantum object - infinite possibilities until observed. Thinking about it that way really throws you for a ‘loop’😅
The community was nice to you when you were clearly in disagreement with them for one reason: You have shown us in your previous video that you have an open mind.
Every once in a while we see a negative review of this game that says "this game has no goal", or "this game is bad because it lacks x and y, I can't believe the devs thought it would be a good idea to not add x and y to the game", or even just "bad game, No Man's Sky is better".
In all those cases, the people who played the game simply didn't "get it". And it's impossible to enjoy Outer Wilds without "getting it". We could tell from your previous video that you didn't "get it" either. However, the community generally agrees that there's nothing wrong with not "getting" the game. The problem begins when you don't "get it" and says it's purely the game's fault, even with so many people loving this game more than any other game they've ever played.
You, on the other hand, made a video stating the reasons why the game didn't click for you, but the overall message I got from your video was that you were saying _"There's gotta be more to this. There's gotta be a reason why so many people praise this game so much, I'm just not seeing it."_ And you kept looking at it, until it finally clicked for you, too. The final minute in this video has shown that, just like I did in my first playthrough, when you threw away the preconceptions that our history with gaming has put in us (and I include myself in this because it took me a few hours and A LOT of insistence from my brother to keep playing for me to finally see what was so special about OW and to finally start enjoying it) was when you could finally enjoy it for what it is.
In a way, you kept exploring and pushing through until you found the answers you were looking for, much like our playable character and everyone who ever played this game. You're definitely one of us. Welcome to the community, man! ::)
thank you! I'm really happy to be apart of the community now! I definitely am glad everyone decided to explain things to me, and that I decided to really dig deep on why people love this game so much! If nothing else, I feel like I've learned to see games in a completely different light (for the better). I'm excited to see what the DLC holds in store for me!
@@wiremagician Awesome, can't wait to watch the stream tonight!
I think the only thing that outs me off buying and replaying this on PC is my brain will be in a similar checklist mode, I want to because I've not played the DLC but having played and fully done what can be done on the base game I'm torn on what I should do!
I know I'm a little late to this comment, but if you're still torn I recommend giving the DLC a shot! But 1 piece of advice I would give you is, if you can, try playing it with a friend or a group of friends. When I played the DLC I streamed it so I had a lot of people to nudge me in the right direction (or help me figure out the clues if they didn't know either) if you don't have anyone to play this with then I would recommend asking questions on the subreddit for this games as they are good at helping you figure things out without spoiling too much!
I also will say that the DLC is much less spread out than the base game, you'll mainly be in one or two locations at most, as opposed to the several different planets and areas the base game had.
Outer Wilds is one of my favourite games of all time, and I consider it to be one of the greatest creative works across all art forms. However, when I first played it, I was honestly confused and frustrated a lot of the times. It just didn't seem interesting for me. It was probably because I treated it as other games, with clear objectives and standard gameplay progression. Shortly after, I uninstalled it and didn't play it for about a year.
I gave it another try, this time understanding that it's more about making sense of the world around you, absorbing things, unraveling mysteries, and exploration in the purest sense - that is indeed the gameplay. You don't have to collect or craft or level up or grind or be super-skilled be told what to do (except for forced time-loop). The joy of this game really comes from pure wonder and discovery that go beyond simple puzzle-solving, and the beauty and satisfaction will not be found in any material progression, which is really rare for a game to do.
I think people can be justified in not enjoying the game for whatever reason, but mindset really is an important factor in enjoying this game especially. You need to experience any game in its own ground and under its own merits, ESPECIALLY an unorthodox game like Outer Wilds, which strike at the core of the experience of being a human being.
Also, you really DO need to go on this game blind, with the exception of being told that you cannot have the mindset of approaching this game like you do for Final Fantasy or Portal or Deus Ex or Metroid or Castlevania - all these games are fantastic, but they're more game-y and do not have the same knowledge-based and story-heavy gameplay of Outer Wilds. The wrong mindset might deprive someone of this amazing experience. It's like playing Dark Souls with the mindset of playing a Mario game. In Outer Wilds, you go where your heart and mind take you.
Only fools never change their opinion. I'm glad the Outer Wilds community has managed to make you understand that games can also be about the journey, not just the destination. You're definitely on point about the game requiring to be in a different mindset than in "mainstream" games. I've watched many playthroughs of OW in the last couple of years, and I'm actually looking forward to watching you play the DLC, it will be very different from others specifically because of your previous experience with the game. I personally think Outer Wilds is THE game that made me realize I don't care about AAA games anymore, if they can't design a better gameplay than recycled fetch quests for hours I'm too old to waste time on such boring goals. In comparison, Outer Wilds is quite literally the best proof that indie games can be worth every penny!
Some of the best games I've played in these past few years have been indie games. And I'm so excited to play the DLC!
Oh the DLC is going to be ESPECIALLY hellish for you, good luck
How so?
Go into the game blind, but understanding it's about the journey.
I didn't watch your first video, but this made me happy. It's unfortunate that some people misses the point of the exploration.
Btw it's kind of you to have a spoiler warning for this game. Unlucky for me I was planning on playing subnautica in the future lol
oh no!! I'm so sorry! Well, there is still quite a bit I didn't say about Subnautica. Plus I love the story everytime I play it
A youtuber who's mature enough to take the L and turn it into a W?
Dayumn!
Welp, can't wait for you to play the DLC!
Already played some of it! The first 2 vods are up on the channel now! Hopefully will be able to finish it on the next stream!
Even if you dislike it at first, it still sticks in your mind lmao
Yep! haha
6:43 actually i'm only traveling amongst one star, the other stars are too far away
It's like modern AAA games taught you how not to enjoy the game.
i definitely got into a sort of system, or fixed routine, thanks to AAA. Luckily this game kind of broke that and made me change how i play a lot of games now
Play the DLC. You absolutely won't regret it
Started it and am loving it so far! The vod is up on the channel if you want to watch it!
checklists in games are usually what end up driving me away from them, usually completing them is worthless and boring, they're typically just filler. my completionist urge makes me want to go for them, but I end up bored AF after a while and quitting the game out of general disinterest. Outer Wilds lack of checklist and handholding was very refreshing and a major point of enjoyment for me in the early playthrough, no checklist, no way markers, no missions, only you and your curiosity. I can't relate to someone wanting to play this in checklist mode, but everyone really experiences this game very diferently.
Now with this mindset you can go and play Rainworld, basically the twin brother to the Outer Wilds community
Well , lets say , If you like this , how about trying out a game called Before your eyes? Story telling , Music , all that. ITs a short game , and i dont think its that expensive , but , ya , It is a game , and Its changed alot of peoples lives , but i wont get into that , you need to figure it out for yourself.
just looked it up, I like the art style! I might just play it!
DO it! Play the DLC.
I've played some of it so far and am loving it! The vods are on the channel if you wanna watch!
"... because the Outer Wilds isn't even really about space, it's about the question, the most important and terrifying and unanswerable question anyone ever asks: Why?
Why bother? Why bother with any of this? People die, stars burn out, the universe will go quiet and dark and cold and in the longest run, nothing - absolutely nothing matters. Everything dies, the universe included. So why sit around the fire, playing music into a void that doesn't care? Why huddle around the light? Why play?
Because, well - look at it.
It's mad, all of it. Life is a big stupid blob of meaningless nothing. Yet from that, we find meaning. People, things, animals, art, sofas, cereal, Rubik's cubes, silly little games about space, whatever. None of it matters in the grand scheme - fuck the grand scheme! There's no logical reason for life and nobody's gonna mourn it when it's gone, but that's what makes it fantastic. Life is a little song that we hum to ourselves and, I wouldn't want it other way.
The Outer Wilds is an optimistic game about nihilism. It's a game with no invisible walls, you can complete it in ten minutes if you know what to do - which you won't for hours - and the only limit is knowledge. It's a game literally like no other. The universe is big and long and impossible and daft and you, you happen to be experiencing it at the exact same point that you can play the Outer Wilds as well. Embrace that coincidence.
Come on, what are you waiting for? The sun could explode tomorrow."
- Daniel Hardcastle "Nerd³" 2019
ok so im watching this video first and
what?
side content?
upgrades?
wtf?
sir, SIR this is one of the most open world puzzle/detective games ever
your upgrades is your knowledge and literally everything is sidecontent (you could argue anything but the ash twin project)
Yeahhhh I really had the wrong mindset going into this game, I'm very happy I've changed my mind since then XD
@@wiremagician all good :D i have since watched the rest
its still a hot take and very amusing
like the elon musk tweet about chess being to easy with no fog of war
So if there is no starting point….. one could say that the starting point is quantum!!!!!!!
You should try Disco Elysium, that's also one of the best games I've ever played
That game has been on my radar for a while now, I've definitely been interested in it (since I love LA Noire and Ace Attorney) I'm curious if it's difficult or not?
@@wiremagician Its not difficult. But sometimes you get lost as to what/where you need to go/do. The gameplay is dialoue based, so some might not like it as the dialogue in the game has more words in the entire Harry Potter novels. Its a game you'll need to invest your time in to savor everything it has to offer, I highly recommend this game.
I am interested to see your previous video now. It seems like you has/had some very different view of the games in general.
Edit: i watched it now and didn't understand it at all 🤷🏼♂️ Like, i didn't understand how is it possible to get that emotional response while playing it.
Yeah, at the end of the day it all came down to expectations because I knew literally nothing about this game except that it was an open-world exploration game. So I kept waiting for things like upgrades and side content to come. It wasn't until after beating it and talking about it that I realized that this game was just so different than anything I had ever played before
You should disclose that there are Subnautica spoilers on this video as well.
This game is... I don't know. It's not a game, but not an experience either. It feels more like a random airplane ticket around the world is in your mailbox. You need to put in effort to enjoy the trip, but trying too hard would leave you in a bus bored to death waiting for the next stop.
Yeah it's a weird (in a good way).
I actually really like that analogy!
Ah okay I get it now.its not supposed to be the best game, just another good game a lot of people like. Makes sense now. I was overrating it. Thanks for the video
Not cool spoiling some parts of Subnautica :(
Cool that you finally appreciated Outer Wilds ::)
Yoooo!!! My bad! I didn't think to put a spoiler warning! I'll be more careful next time
Let it no longer be said that internet comments can't change people's minds XD
I really loved Subnautica when I've played it. But after Outer Wilds I just started to see it as an complitely empty game, but at least fun. I'm afraid Outer Wild and Pathologic 2 ruined games for me 😅, because it's so painfull to come back to something trivial, albeit quite good, after literally masterpieces.
That's interesting your opinion on Subnautica changed. I would say that my opinions on Subnautica stayed the same, but I definitely felt like how I felt about Open World games as a genre changed. I think both OW and Subnautica use their world brilliantly and you can tell were passionately made. The difference is how you approach them in gameplay. I feel like now when I go to other Open Worlds I'm a bit disappointed because it just doesn't feel as alive.
Also what's Pathologic 2? I've never heard of that game
@@wiremagician pathologic 2 is the game that people usually refer to as "masterpiece you'll never play". 😅 I don't want to spoil it for you in case you would play it, but it's quite an original game that cannot be compared to something and defined in some genre, as it not really any genre in particular. I personally fell in love with it in first 10 minutes, but not much people could play it till the end because they treat it like some typical RPG, which it is not, or they try to see it as just a role playing and story game which it is not either.
Anyway it is beautifully crafted world with quite interesting gameplay mechanics, and there are literally just 1-2 blind let's plays on youtube, so the road is open if you would want to record it 😅
It's indie game made by a very small team, but it is still looks pretty great and it's a remake of their previous game - pathologic.
I still don’t enjoy the outer wilds. Great story, but really didn’t like the repetitive gameplay at all
Cool that you now understand it.
Now stop calling it "The Outer Wilds" 😆
Yeah I think my mind mixed "Outer Wilds" and "The Outer Worlds" together whenever I said the name xD
Even for à gamer Who expect this Kind of game i was lost but try to understand. At the very end i have so many question because this story is like pulp fiction" if you play like me, and the story could be complex. Enjoy, it's à Masterpiece