Outer Wilds – Anokturnus

I bless and curse every day this game for its existence, I sincerely think we have reached true perfection.

Outer Wilds is all about exploring the solar system aboard your rocket in search of information left by an ancient civilization, to discover and understand all of its mysteries. The absolutely jaw dropping landscapes are the first striking thing, each planet is unique and original. Their dynamic and ever-evolving nature allows for intricate exploration, a pure pleasure as much for the eyes as for the brain. I won’t go into detail, Outer Wilds needs to be experienced with minimal prior knowledge.

We can’t imagine how incredible the story is. Certainly, the game is very well rated and reviews like this are legion, but we can’t help but think that it’s all a bit exaggerated. Yet, it is the truth. As we gather information, we realize more and more the complexity of the story, its coherence and how interesting it is. We search, we develop theories, we discover, we understand some things… and then in the end all the pieces come together.

And here is the wonder: the best plot twist wouldn’t match the feeling of understanding everything in Outer Wilds.

It’s so good that even weeks, months, years later, we keep thinking about it. Yet this time with sadness, knowing that we’ll probably never experience something like that again.

Developer: Mobius Digital
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Platforms: Steam – Windows, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series, Xbox One
Release Date: May 29, 2019