Outer Wilds

 PC
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. Wccftech
    Jun 7, 2019
    70
    Outer Wilds gets most of the “big picture” stuff right. It boasts a solid structure, wonderfully imaginative planets, and an involving slow-burn mystery. Unfortunately, clunky controls, a few irritating design choices, and a multitude of other little issues bring the game back down to earth. If you value originality over execution, Outer Wilds is worth the ride, but expect some turbulence.
  2. GameCritics
    Aug 20, 2019
    65
    Outer Wilds is rife with breathtaking sights and sounds, and at the very least, no one could accuse it of being unambitious. Mobius Digital may be a small team but, almost paradoxically, they achieve a remarkable sense of scope by keeping things modest. However, their work suffers from the glacial pace of progress and a hands-off approach to storytelling. My biggest issues – a lack of combat, direction, or material rewards – are obviously deliberate, bold choices on the part of the devs, and I commend Mobius for them while also chiding the cold, inscrutable product that resulted. I admire Outer Wilds, but I don’t love it.
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  1. British GQ
    Sep 11, 2019
    It’s in those big, explorative scenarios that Outer Wilds really shines brighter than anything else this year. The sky-high storms. The crumbling, black-hole planet. An ever-exploding sun. More secrets I daren’t spoil here for you to discover yourself. It’s a space game that knows what it means to design something truly alien by hand. Therein, I think, lies the wonder that size, numbers, and procedural generation cannot capture.
  2. Eurogamer
    May 30, 2019
    Explore a toy-box cosmos governed by violent forces in this mesmerising adventure. [Eurogamer Recommended]
  3. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    May 29, 2019
    Outer Wilds has more character in its handful of planetoids than No Man’s Sky had in 70 squinjillion. [RPS Bestest Bests]
  5. Vice
    May 29, 2019
    What elevates Outer Wilds is how it confronts this tension between practicality and contemplation. Your exploration rarely feels heroic. In fact, it is often melancholic. There are moments of shout-worthy victory, sure. But as you piece together the history of your little star system, it becomes clear that there are no easy answers.

Awards & Rankings

21
#21 Best PC Game of 2019
18
#18 Most Discussed PC Game of 2019
1
#1 Most Shared PC Game of 2019

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 782 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 650 out of 782
  2. Mixed: 55 out of 782
  3. Negative: 77 out of 782
  1. The_Eleatic
    Jun 3, 2019
    10
    This is very nearly a perfect game: beautifully designed and executed, intelligently written, and engaging from beginning to end.

    The    This is very nearly a perfect game: beautifully designed and executed, intelligently written, and engaging from beginning to end.

    The setting is a miniature solar system in which the planets are subject to something like realistic orbital mechanics. Each planet may be small - on the scale of hundreds of meters in diameter - but together they offer up a wide variety of dynamic and visually striking environments. At moments, the imagery is breathtaking.

    The aesthetic is stylized, but consistent - and consistently appealing. (I'm tempted to say: "you know, like a game published by Annapurna.")

    The game-play mechanics are well crafted: navigation - in ship or in suit - and walking work smoothly, and all the tools the player has available function as they should.

    As for the writing, this game should be held up as the very model of how to integrate a tight, coherent narrative into an open-world setting. You really can explore in any direction and in any order you like, following one line of clues or another. All the clues fit together, though, and all lead to the same place . . . when you're ready for them to do so.

    The clues left behind by long-dead alien visitors provide a glimpse into their lives and hopes and loves - and their disagreements as to how far their experiments should go - without ever being heavy-handed about it.

    In terms of story and game play, the 22-minute loop has a lot of appeal. Most of the time, it means you can be really relaxed about exploration, knowing there will always be another loop ahead of you. Sometimes, though, it gives you license to take outrageous risks in exploration, burning all your bridges behind you, confident that you'll be back at the launch pad at home soon enough.

    ----

    Postscript: The thing about the controls is that this is one of the few space-based SF games that takes Newton's laws of motion seriously: you know, an object in motion remains in motion, and so on. If you hit one thruster, your ship starts moving in that direction . . . and keeps going in that direction unless you counteract it with another thruster. If you hold your finger on the button for a thruster, you will continue to accelerate in that direction.

    It also takes seriously the law of gravity: if you are near a planet, you will start accelerating toward that planet unless you counteract that acceleration with a thruster blast in the opposite direction.

    Most other SF games with a flying mechanic seem to assume that spaceships in a vacuum work just like airplanes in an atmosphere. They don't.

    So, yes, the controls in Outer Wilds take some getting used to, but they are manageable with practice. Also, the developers have included an autopilot and a velocity-matching mechanic that can help you out of tight spots . . . though sometimes you do have to abort the autopilot if it plots a course through the sun. There is no substitute for your own judgment in such situations.    … Full Review »
  2. tibzoid
    Jun 1, 2019
    4
    Ugh the controls are terrible and the kiddie style is so off-putting. Got a refund.
  3. 123wil812
    May 31, 2019
    10
    I highly recommend this game, It an incredible and unique experience. The game is filled with interesting and engaging mechanics and lore onI highly recommend this game, It an incredible and unique experience. The game is filled with interesting and engaging mechanics and lore on top of a beautiful art style.… Full Review »
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