Outer Wilds Love Letter

No, that's not a typo. I'm not talking about Outer Worlds, I'm talking about the space-based horror/mystery/adventure game Outer Wilds!

I played it for a bit on my own, but I'm not a very intelligent person, so I chose to watch a lets play of it instead. However, if you have not played it before, I do not recommend you take this route. Outer Wilds is a game about uncovering a mystery and saving the universe! Using only a spaceship, a translator, a camera, and your wit, you have to explore a solar system with little to no instruction or direction. If you know what to do, you can beat the game in 20 minutes, but chances are it'll take you 20 hours, if not more. The worlds are so interesting and alive, they make you beg to explore them more.

The soundtrack is also one of the most meaningful parts of the game. A friend of mine who doesn't play video games wanted to know more about it. So I sat down and did a Suede DND style playthrough of it with her using only my words and the soundtrack. My DM skills could use work, but the soundtrack made her cry and still does to this day. It's so beautifully crafted, some songs giving you a sense of hope and adventure, others giving you the feeling of dread and hopelessness. And some doing both.

The characters are simple but real. None of them have personalities that are deep and full of interesting quirks, but they all feel like people, like your friends. When you meet them, they greet you with open arms. They always feel like family, even with only a few simple lines here and there. And none of it actually voiced.

I won't spoil the game's ending, because it's ending is what makes the game so amazing. But I will say, the ending left such an impact on me, that I still think of it whenever I'm in a really bad place in life. I plan on getting a tattoo of the game so that I always remember the lesson it teaches. And it's not lessons like, "The power of friendship always prevails!" Or "You'll always win if you fight hard enough!" The lesson is real and difficult to swallow, but one anyone should always remember. And when teaching you this lesson, or hell, when the game teaches you anything, it doesn't treat you like an idiot. It gives you the information you would realistically come across and leaves you to figure it out yourself. Even the ending can be seen as confusing if you don't pay attention.

Overall, Outer Wilds is an absolute magical game that everything should at least give a try. And if it's not a game that you can afford or just don't feel like your investigative skills are good enough, I reccomend Nerd3's let's play of it. He explores the game to it's full potential and is very calm and collected while playing it. I personally love youtuber's like Markiplier or Jacksepticeye, but outer wilds deserves the love of someone who can bring it down to earth and play it as a relatable human experiencing the emotions the game invokes.

No matter who you watch or if you play it yourself, please just experience this game in some way, you deserve it.