Wow. Okay. This game is up there with the greats in my opinion. Bioshock, Dishonored... and Outer Wilds. This game is a masterpiece.

The hardest part about reviewing this game is not affecting the joy of earned breakthroughs in your unique discovery of Outer Wilds' solar system, so I shall speak in general terms.

'Unique discovery' is a fitting way of summing up this game because Outer Wilds' world is not big, not randomly or algorithmically generated, certainly not an RPG behemoth struggling to render an entire continent. Outer Wilds crafts a unique experience for each player in a small world with scripted events and not an awful lot that can be physically impacted by the player. Outer Wilds does this by the sheer density of each area's capacity for discovery.

Throughout the game, the only barrier to progression towards the game's conclusion is knowledge - and the world is built to fuel your curiosity. The information you seek is hidden in plain sight - teeming from the nooks and crannies of the compact worlds of the solar system. There is no one, linear progression in a solar system where everything is always in motion and you consistently have to re-trace your steps to access secrets you didn't know were there on the first passing.

That's what makes this game a unique and impactful experience for each player - each solving the same mysteries but putting the pieces together in a myriad of different ways. The path to the end credits is paved with an escalating series of discovery moments, accessed in whatever order you go searching for them in; and the game never asks you to prioritise, which is a godsend for the completionist in me!

I don't want to tell you what Outer Wilds is all about, but I will tell you what it is all /about/: discovery, tragedy, loss, and the inevitable marching progress of time; space (of course); and the invaluable connections between people trying to pinpoint their place and importance in the grander scheme of the universe.

I beg of you, if you're reading this: not all reviewers will speak in such general terms. I have witnessed many reveal one of the first big 'wow' moments of this game because it is part of the premise. It will be the cherry on top of the glorious Outer Wilds cake if you realise the premise through playing. Stop reading, buy the game, and play it before anybody dares tell you how to.

Wow. Okay. This game is up there with the greats in my opinion. Bioshock, Dishonored... and Outer Wilds. This game is a masterpiece. The hardest part about reviewing this game is not affecting the joy of earned breakthroughs in your unique discovery of Outer Wilds' solar system, so I shall speak in general terms. 'Unique discovery' is a fitting way of summing up this game because Outer Wilds' world is not big, not randomly or algorithmically generated, certainly not an RPG behemoth struggling to render an entire continent. Outer Wilds crafts a unique experience for each player in a small world with scripted events and not an awful lot that can be physically impacted by the player. Outer Wilds does this by the sheer density of each area's capacity for discovery. Throughout the game, the only barrier to progression towards the game's conclusion is knowledge - and the world is built to fuel your curiosity. The information you seek is hidden in plain sight - teeming from the nooks and crannies of the compact worlds of the solar system. There is no one, linear progression in a solar system where everything is always in motion and you consistently have to re-trace your steps to access secrets you didn't know were there on the first passing. That's what makes this game a unique and impactful experience for each player - each solving the same mysteries but putting the pieces together in a myriad of different ways. The path to the end credits is paved with an escalating series of discovery moments, accessed in whatever order you go searching for them in; and the game never asks you to prioritise, which is a godsend for the completionist in me! I don't want to tell you what Outer Wilds is all about, but I will tell you what it is all /about/: discovery, tragedy, loss, and the inevitable marching progress of time; space (of course); and the invaluable connections between people trying to pinpoint their place and importance in the grander scheme of the universe. I beg of you, if you're reading this: not all reviewers will speak in such general terms. I have witnessed many reveal one of the first big 'wow' moments of this game because it is part of the premise. It will be the cherry on top of the glorious Outer Wilds cake if you realise the premise through playing. Stop reading, buy the game, and play it before anybody dares tell you how to.