Board 8 > Why did no one tell me Outer Wilds was a horror game

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FWxTX4CXoAALYrk?format=jpg&name=medium

That is basically the story of the DLC, yes.

Go talk to the guy in the hearthian museum for some funny dialogue about that.

I slightly prefer the DLC over the main game (but only VERY slightly)

but everyone I know IRL who played the game (who like the game as much as I do (a lot!!)), did not finish the DLC, each person only got about 50% through.

I've hit a roadblock. Don't have any Rumor question marks left to investigate except for the final cage thing and I STILL can't find any codes, except for the two ones that don't apply to the cage. Might be time to put the lantern down and start exploring everywhere.

So close...

Only hint I can't figure out is the one to avoid being affected by alarm bells.

Have you been to every archive?

KamikazePotato posted...

So close...

Only hint I can't figure out is the one to avoid being affected by alarm bells.

As in you've seen the hint for this and can't figure out what it's conveying?

Yeah I know how the open the final DLC thing. Haven't done it yet.

Plot twist: after some of the stuff I learned in the DLC lore, plus people heavily implying the ending can change, I decided to go do the base game ending first. Final Dark Bramble section still sucks. Was worth it because the Eye of Universe somehow exceeded my expectations. Like holy shit

Congrats on finishing the base game! The eye is so great.

lol, there was no need to do that but really glad you enjoyed the ending

DLC ending was extremely cool. Vision stick besties.

Alright, time to do one final run and-

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/8/7/AAIpcmAAEYyH.jpg

...You doing okay, Timber Hearth?

I love the ending of the DLC. The final visions really get to me, watching the Hatchling explain everything they've learned and seeing what happened to the Nomai instead of just reading about it. Well, seeing an interpretation of it.

Also if you want one final thing to check out if you haven't seen it already, you can mess around with both the Black Hole Forge and the test site for it for some... interesting results.

Do you mean the High Energy Lab? I dunno what would be at the Black Hole Forge.

Without exaggeration: this game helped remind me of why I play games.

Detailed thoughts tomorrow.

hombad46 posted...

Do you mean the High Energy Lab? I dunno what would be at the Black Hole Forge.

Don't worry, I already broke spacetime.

tcaz2 posted...

Also if you want one final thing to check out if you haven't seen it already, you can mess around with both the Black Hole Forge and the test site for it for some... interesting results.

Genuinely, I could make a top 10 list of just "moments from my Outer Wilds playthrough, including the DLC", and they would all be in like a top 50 list of my gaming moments. But triggering this accidentally would definitely be one of them.

Some postgame fun includes triggering all the alternate endings and unlocking the various achievements.

KamikazePotato posted...

Don't worry, I already broke spacetime.

There is one other thing I highly recommend checking out. It involves the Ash Twin Project.

If you want to figure it out yourself that's cool, but otherwise here are the steps:

Go to the ATP and open the core but don't remove it. At the end of the 22 minutes a black hole will show up, enter it. Return to the ATP and look around. You'll know what you're looking for when you find it.

https://i.redd.it/ikebmhju8ou61.jpg

Incredible game. Both the base game and the DLC really stick the landing for the ending and theyre large reasons why I feel theyre both amazing games despite some initial shakiness.

I think someone mentioned the music and its honestly so good. The motif that plays throughout the game is an instant classic that gets stuck in your head. Theres some really great standalone tracks in the DLC too, like the river.

The song that plays after you remove the Warp Core had me on the edge of my seat.

BIG SPOILERS
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/8/2/AAIpcmAAEYzm.jpg

Squad goals.

Got the Archeologist achievement too.

hombad46 posted...

There is one other thing I highly recommend checking out. It involves the Ash Twin Project.

If you want to figure it out yourself that's cool, but otherwise here are the steps:

Go to the ATP and open the core but don't remove it. At the end of the 22 minutes a black hole will show up, enter it. Return to the ATP and look around. You'll know what you're looking for when you find it.

Did this, too. Was hilarious.

I think...I'm actually done with the game now. Playing it, anyway. Will be thinking about it for a while.

So, what did you think?

Yeah I did mean the Ash Twin Project and the High Energy Lab

Don't post while basically falling asleep sitting up, kids

Gameplay thoughts first.

Outer Wilds, from my perspective, is best described as a Metroidvania that fixes the problems I have with the genre as a whole.

1. My least-favorite part of basically every Metroidvania I've played is when you start doing a lot of backtracking. Partially because it gets very tedious very fast, and partially because I'm not nearly as enamored with 2D movement as some other people, and the vast majority of Metroidvanias are 2D. Outer Wilds fixes the backtracking issue because, despite the universe seeming huge, you can get almost anywhere very quickly, and the vastness of space is awe-inspiring no matter how many times you go through it. 3D movement in Outer Wilds is also really fun. The zero-gravity thruster stuff felt very intuitive, and I took to it almost immediately. Both times I landed on the Sun Station (the normal way and the Hotshot way) are some of the most satisfied I've felt with personal little gaming accomplishments in a long time. In comparison, I recently 100%d Metroid Dread, and the most interesting challenges in that game still felt like a bit of a chore at times.

2. Sense of progression. This is probably heretical to a lot of people, but for a genre built on expanding the player's abilities as they gain upgrades, the progression in Metroidvanias has always felt shallow to me. There's nothing inherently satisfying about looking at a too-high ledge and going "I'll come back when I have the double jump." It's just a prelude to backtracking. The best games will mix and match abilities and make you perform advanced maneuvers, but even then I think there's a psychological barrier that prevents me liking it as much as I maybe should. Outer Wilds' focus on knowledge as a reward, rather than intrinsic abilities, is approximately one thousand times more satisfying. There's a stark difference between being unable to complete a random objective because your character needs new boots, and understanding that you could probably beat the entire game right now if you just knew more. Outer Wilds gave me more Oh Shit/Eureka moments than the last decade of gaming combined. And it just builds on itself too, so each hour you play the game is just more and more fascinating, until you reach the ending parts which are just plain mindblowing.

In a lot of ways, this feels like the kind of game I've been waiting for my entire life. It's not without flaw (I mentioned earlier in the topic about it leaving a bit too heavily on time-based solutions) but wow. I'm going to miss flying around in my ship, trying to avoid autopiloting into the sun, crash-landing on a target planet and going "I lived, good enough". Legitimate question: is there any game that replicates the Eureka moments of Outer Wilds while still having an actual world attached to it? I know people swear by Baba Is You for puzzle solving but that's not remotely the same experience.

Story/narrative thoughts later after I've gotten some sleep.

I never thought of it like a Metroidvania but it makes sense actually. Such a well designed game.

I always compare it to Zelda, because the designers took a lot of influence from Zelda. It's like, instead of gathering items to get more, you're gathering knowledge.

They even said that Outer Wilds was basically a reaction to the disappointment of Skyward Sword. And you'll note a lot of achievements have Zelda references.

KamikazePotato posted...

Legitimate question: is there any game that replicates the Eureka moments of Outer Wilds while still having an actual world attached to it?

I've been hoping for something like this to appear. I heard Subnautica scratches the same itch, but idk if that's true.

KamikazePotato posted...

Legitimate question: is there any game that replicates the Eureka moments of Outer Wilds while still having an actual world attached to it?

I wish I knew, but one of the reasons I cherish Outer Wilds so deeply is because it's so unique. The closest thing I can think of would be like, Tunic, maybe. Or even something like The Witness, but that's a completely different thing really.

HanOfTheNekos posted...

I always compare it to Zelda, because the designers took a lot of influence from Zelda. It's like, instead of gathering items to get more, you're gathering knowledge.

They even said that Outer Wilds was basically a reaction to the disappointment of Skyward Sword. And you'll note a lot of achievements have Zelda references.

I was explaining Outer Wilds to some friends yesterday and one of them went "that sounds like Majora's Mask" and I had to stop and wonder why I hadn't thought of that comparison myself.

Didn't know that detail about Skyward Sword inadvertently inspiring Outer Wilds. Glad that game was good for something !

XIII_Rocks posted...

I've been hoping for something like this to appear. I heard Subnautica scratches the same itch, but idk if that's true.

Subnautica is the game I was most internally comparing Outer Wilds to when I started playing. With that said, Subnautica far more of a survival game. I'd say the sense of exploration is almost as good and I'd recommend it to people who liked OW, but you aren't going to have those logic brain blast moments for the most part, and the story isn't remotely comparable. To get super reductive, Subnautica was a 8.5/10 that did one concept (underwater exploration) extremely well while OW is maybe a 10 for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbY0mBXKKT0

good documentary on the game, which elucidates some aspects of the game you might have not noticed regarding physics. like how brittle hollow breaks apart in a different way each time!

Paratroopa1 posted...

I wish I knew, but one of the reasons I cherish Outer Wilds so deeply is because it's so unique. The closest thing I can think of would be like, Tunic, maybe. Or even something like The Witness, but that's a completely different thing really.

Guess Tunic is on my list now!

Tunic's a good game! I recommend it regardless. It's not really "like" Outer Wilds so I wouldn't go in with that kind of assumption - it's definitely sort of a perpendicular recommendation but that's the only kind I could have for something like this. I don't want to say why it is and is not like Outer Wilds though, just give it a shot.

Yeah no worries, I'll keep my expectation in check. It would be egregiously unfair of me to start measuring other games to Outer Wilds. I was legitimately in a gaming rut before this - it's been a while since I played a game I really, REALLY liked. Except for Elden Ring but I basically knew what I was going to get out of that. I haven't been this enamored and surprised by a game since...I can't remember, honestly. I might have to go back as far as 2015, which gave me Bloodborne and Undertale.

So. The story.

Going into OW, I knew that there was a time loop and the sun kept exploding. That was it. The first 1/3 of my playthrough was in line with my limited expectations. There's space, planets, and an ancient precursor race that liked science maybe a bit too much. Also something about an Eye of the universe and quantum mechanics. I'll probably be relevant later.

Then all the scattered pieces of information started coming together, and I learned more about the reasons why everything is happening the way it did. A neat space adventure game gradually morphed into an exploration of the uncaring nature of the universe, the value of impermanent life, making the most of the time you have left, and finding meaning where no intrinsic meaning exists. A lot of the dialogue hits surprisingly hard, and the Nomai went from being this race of mad scientists who I was kinda laughing at to feeling depressed over what they experienced. I ignored the spoiler box discussion on the Sun Station revelation earlier in this topic, but for me it was the moment where everything truly clicked. This wasn't a game about saving the universe - this universe, at least. That combined with the Interloper revelation is what drove the themes home for me. The Nomai weren't silly mad scientists who blew themselves up (...most of the time). They were doing their best, making actual progress - and then a toxic gas asteroid came and killed them all, and there was nothing they could have done about it. They were just as helpless as the Hearthiens who happened to be born right when the entire universe is turning off the lights.

The DLC also added a lot to the story. Not so much learning that the Owelk's blocked the Eye's signal - that's a neat detail, but it's the themes that got me. When the Nomai teleported into Dark Bramble and got scattered and broken, they picked up the pieces and kept going on. They didn't let that tragedy define them, and you can see in their messages that they never lost their passion for life. In contrast, when the Owelk's learned that the Eye of the Universe meant a death and rebirth of everything, they couldn't handle it. Rather than own up to their mistake of strip-mining their planet, they put the Eye on block and retreated into a virtual fantasy world, letting their bodies waste away. They're all dead by the time you arrive, but unlike the Nomai, they did this to themselves. All that just makes the final 'conversation' with the prisoner, where you show him that not everything was in vain, that much more impactful. The one narrative note OW was missing was an emotionally resonant conversation with a living person, and the DLC delivered.

tl;dr - I think this one quote sums up the core themes of the game for me.

SOLANUM: As a child, I considered such unknowns sinister. Now, though, I understand they bear no ill will. The universe is, and we are. I am ready.

Final side note: the quantum stuff in Outer Wilds is all cool as shit. I don't necessarily want other games to repeat it, as it would lose its luster that way, but the Quantum Moon and Eye of the World were probably the most memorable parts of the game for me.

The quantum moon mechanism was heavily influenced by the weeping angels in doctor who. They only move when you aren't looking!

guffguy89 posted...

The quantum moon mechanism was heavily influenced by the weeping angels in doctor who. They only move when you aren't looking!

I thought of that while playing, and I'm played a couple games with similar mechanics for enemies. Never for the environment itself, and definitely not used in such creative ways.

Maybe my favourite thing about the DLC ending is the prisoner's big howl. It can be taken to mean so many things, yet it says everything it needs to say.

The game just delivers moment after moment, and each experience is fairly personal. To me it has like 10 things in it that are as good or better than, say, Ace Attorney 2-4, and that DLC ending moment is one of them but jesus christ.

Also, my final verdict on the DLC overall is that I really enjoyed it for what it was, but the lack of ship usage makes it feel like a different experience. That plus the numerous stealth sections and overall spookiness means I wouldn't blame any base game fans who bounced off of it.

XIII_Rocks posted...

Maybe my favourite thing about the DLC ending is the prisoner's big howl. It can be taken to mean so many things, yet it says everything it needs to say.

100% agreed.

Also I'm not sure why everyone kept telling me to beat the base game before doing the DLC because the ending really didn't change that much either way, but it worked out because I think I needed to experience the Eye of the World twice to fully soak it in. On the shortlist of the most stunning vistas I've seen in gaming, the part where you go into the vortex might be in my Top...1? Struggling to think of something else that would have made me feel that much awe now that I'm becoming a crusty old man.

I didn't say to beat the base game first because of the ending changing, I said to beat the base game first to preserve the momentum of following the original game to its conclusion before going down the rabbit hole of the DLC campaign which is pretty long in its own right. I said this in part because I knew that seeing the ending twice isn't that big a deal, as you alluded to, but you also really didn't need to do the ending twice in the way you did, but it's fine.

Speaking of the Eye, I really liked the Prisoner's addition to it. Specifically I like the part where you have to blow out the candles and the pictures of the Nomai, Hearthians, and 'Owelks' just become empty. Really feels like you're closing the curtain on this universe and its people.

Paratroopa1 posted...

I didn't say to beat the base game first because of the ending changing, I said to beat the base game first to preserve the momentum of following the original game to its conclusion before going down the rabbit hole of the DLC campaign which is pretty long in its own right. I said this in part because I knew that seeing the ending twice isn't that big a deal, as you alluded to, but you also really didn't need to do the ending twice in the way you did, but it's fine.

That makes sense, but I knew that even if the DLC was long I'd finish it fairly quickly considering how locked in I was to the game as a whole. My sleep schedule is currently in shambles.

hombad46 posted...

Speaking of the Eye, I really liked the Prisoner's addition to it. Specifically I like the part where you have to blow out the candles and the pictures of the Nomai, Hearthians, and 'Owelks' just become empty. Really feels like you're closing the curtain on this universe and its people.

Loved that part and the Prisoner's speaking role. He gets some of my favorite lines in the game

THE PRISONER: I dont want to repeat my kinds mistakes. But if youre willing to take the risk, then so am I.

THE PRISONER: ...How beautiful. Its different than Id envisioned. Whatever happens next, I do not think it is to be feared.

KamikazePotato posted...

That makes sense, but I knew that even if the DLC was long I'd finish it fairly quickly considering how locked in I was to the game as a whole. My sleep schedule is currently in shambles.

When I was at endgame (think I had a few small bits, then the Quantum Moon and entering the ATP for the first time) I played something like 15 hours straight, I think. I know it was nearly 2pm when I stopped. Luckily I was off work. "Locked in" is the right phrase.

KamikazePotato posted...

Legitimate question: is there any game that replicates the Eureka moments of Outer Wilds while still having an actual world attached to it?

The one I keep coming back to here is Paradise Killer but it's very, very... very different. You need a high tolerance for anime bullshit to even get your foot in the door, for one thing, whereas I feel like Outer Wilds' setting has more mass appeal. But it IS essentially a "wander around, follow rumors, and solve the mystery" game in the same way Outer Wilds is and it had a few really good eureka moments in terms of the story/mystery (less so for gameplay/puzzles).

I didn't like Paradise Killer

Lol, I almost mentioned that you didn't like it but figured I shouldn't speak for you. It's definitely not for everyone!

I played through it but I just found that there was way too much really boring wandering around for a mystery that was only kinda interesting and had a really weak payoff (I didn't like that the game doesn't acknowledge you when you choose not to indict certain people of crimes)