Burns so much goodwill in the back half. What was otherwise an awesome game is tarnished by a gross attempt to shortcut an "emotional" arc.

It sucks, because they set up a great world with endearing characters. And I could even accept the totally dissonant availability of lethal force - it's still a AAA video game after all.

They just dropped the ball.

(Still better than WD1, though. Fuck Aiden Pearce and his iconic hat.)

Reminds me a little of Betrayer from 2014. Striking aesthetic and competently designed, if just a little repetitive.

More than anything it instills a sense of place. The planet has a distinct, palpable history; it's seen life and death in equal measure. Environmental storytelling isn't novel, but I'm guessing it'll always hit the spot for me. Games are at their best when they allow the space to speak for itself.

All Tölva needs is a good listener.

I wish I had anything meaningfully original to say about this. It's daunting, in more ways than one. I could stumble through praise for its clockwork construction, the heartrending setpieces, and its admirable, probably unjustified confidence that you're going to figure this out—whoever you are, whatever "this" is. But that shit rings hollow, because there's nothing I can say that captures how important I think it is.

Outer Wilds is one of the most beautiful experiences I've ever had. It's going to stay with me for the rest of my life.