the intra-personal experience that Outer Wilds gave me isn't quite as present here (until doing the canon-ending of course) but there is still a lot to love about this DLC. as such, i'm not gonna be waxing poetic like i did with the base game
the new location in the Stranger is a really cool and awesome location that makes me wish there was more planets in the solar system - all a good thing! the length of this and the base game are literally perfect, but man i loved exploring and discovering all of these planets and lore and feeling those same feelings. back to Echoes!
i really, really love how the storytelling is told entirely through images and sounds, it adds a whole new dimension i think to the effectiveness of what the story is telling you and how you're exploring all the aspects of this new civilization. where the Nomai left their writing, these Strangers left their images. that with the lanterns and the darkness add a whole different sort of level to playing this that honestly scared the shit out of me cause i'm a big baby! but also just made it feel refreshing to play.
i won't really talk too much about where this story ends up, but that ending hits that same sort of familiar bittersweet, melancholy vibe that Outer Wilds has always been able to hit - the finality of time and the effect our actions have on everything around us. fucking hits me hard every time!
i will prooobably say my only real gripe is how much time it takes to get to the stranger every single time after the loop resets. i laughed at Slate being like "hey remember you can tag locations you visit in your ship log" upon waking up from that first loop, but man the constant 3 minutes it takes to get to the Stranger and end up doing the required bits for story elements (like the rafting, as much fun as it is) just gets a little grating? not like, a deal-breaker by any means, but definitely something that i noticed as i went along
all in all, a worthy successor to the Outer Wilds Ventures, and really keeps a lot of the same spirit, vibes, and themes that never really clash with what the game is about. i sincerely cannot wait for whatever Mobius hands us next, Outer Wilds or not, but it is safe to say this game and DLC are some of my favorites i've ever played.
the new location in the Stranger is a really cool and awesome location that makes me wish there was more planets in the solar system - all a good thing! the length of this and the base game are literally perfect, but man i loved exploring and discovering all of these planets and lore and feeling those same feelings. back to Echoes!
i really, really love how the storytelling is told entirely through images and sounds, it adds a whole new dimension i think to the effectiveness of what the story is telling you and how you're exploring all the aspects of this new civilization. where the Nomai left their writing, these Strangers left their images. that with the lanterns and the darkness add a whole different sort of level to playing this that honestly scared the shit out of me cause i'm a big baby! but also just made it feel refreshing to play.
i won't really talk too much about where this story ends up, but that ending hits that same sort of familiar bittersweet, melancholy vibe that Outer Wilds has always been able to hit - the finality of time and the effect our actions have on everything around us. fucking hits me hard every time!
i will prooobably say my only real gripe is how much time it takes to get to the stranger every single time after the loop resets. i laughed at Slate being like "hey remember you can tag locations you visit in your ship log" upon waking up from that first loop, but man the constant 3 minutes it takes to get to the Stranger and end up doing the required bits for story elements (like the rafting, as much fun as it is) just gets a little grating? not like, a deal-breaker by any means, but definitely something that i noticed as i went along
all in all, a worthy successor to the Outer Wilds Ventures, and really keeps a lot of the same spirit, vibes, and themes that never really clash with what the game is about. i sincerely cannot wait for whatever Mobius hands us next, Outer Wilds or not, but it is safe to say this game and DLC are some of my favorites i've ever played.