Outer Wilds

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.

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.

This temporally unique game adds something new with your every death and moves the story forward beautifully. The environments are breathtaking, the music will soothe you. This is the perfect game for those of you who are, above all, curious.