I've said before when speaking of Chrono Trigger that it would take something really, really special to debunk it as my favorite game of all time. Now, nostalgia's a bitch, since if it wasn't for it, this would have all the ingredients to be my ideal video game. The premise itself is like music to my ears: a game where exploration is the main mechanic, in which the setting is a miniature solar system full of mysteries and secrets, all packed in a profound narrative with a beautiful and important message? It sounds too good to be true, but it's exactly what this game is, it uses the uniquely interactive potential of games and their language to drive many points home that in other mediums it would be really difficult, if not impossible.
There's a variety of themes this game covers, directly or indirectly; human connections, the relentless search for understanding, the scale of the universe, the power of learning, the fear of the unknown, the meaning of life, but the one that to me stuck out the most and felt like its main point was about death and its inevitable nature. It's in gaming's inherent language built around the years to feature death in its many different ways, but i can't recall any that use it to make the player ponder upon their own mortality, of the ones around them and of the universe's itself; with an incredible ending that has an absurdly powerful message. At face value, the themes are unapproachable and complex, and in the case of mortality, pretty uncomfortable, but - and there lies the game's magic - they are actually really simple, and it's amazing once you can finally grasp these concepts through your experience interacting with the game and its microcosm.
This perceived simplicity and familiarity is arguably the game's biggest strength, its themes suggest a game that would be inherently inaccessible, pretentious and dark, which this game is anything but; its tone, instead, is whimsical, cozy and inviting, while cleverly balanced by a subtle sense of dread, appealing to humanity's inherent curiosity and a childlike sense of wonder, with weird characters that brighten up the experience with their silly dialogue, a suitably ethereal and emotional score, and a complete and utter freedom to approach the game in any possible way; no two blind playthroughs will ever be the same. In that sense, the game is brilliantly restrained in its approach to its themes, with a "show, don't tell mentality" that reminds me of Super Metroid in the best of ways, making its points through the interactivity and gameplay itself, in a staunchly effective way. And the fun of it is that, even if some of the messages I or anyone have gathered from the game are not intended by the developers, it doesn't mean they're "wrong" or a misunderstanding of the game, since it's depth and wealth of interactivity can make for many different interpretations, all of them valid, since everyone is getting something out of it; a quality shared by the best literary classics.
And even outside of the overwhelming beauty and poignancy of the themes, its core gameplay of flying around in space exploring stuff is pretty fun! Controls are suitably restrictive, which builds its suspenseful feeling, that even sometimes develops into horror, tapping onto our primal fear of the unknown, and the exploration is tightly paced to be constantly engaging, rewarding courageous endeavors and experimentation, with the knowledge you get opening up more questions in a really enjoyable loop that only gets old quite next to the endgame, since a bit of the information is redundant and some of the puzzles are kinda clunky, but the game's narrative and world are so interesting and charming that these faults are insignificant.
Admittedly, though, the game is not for everyone. If you view games mostly as a means of escapism and entertainment, and are looking for a thrill-ride with stuff like, y'know, combat, you will be very disappointed and quickly bored with this game. Yet, if a thought provoking experience that stays with you for a very long time and showcases the potential of video games is appealing to you, than this is your game. With that said, despite myself having loved it to bits and admired all its - and i don't use the word lightly - genius design choices and details, i don't wish for every game to try to be Outer Wilds or anything like that; sometimes games really can be just about seeing numbers go up, shooting guys in the head and jumping on top of creatures, and that speaks a lot on the medium's maturity and endless possibilities, when accessible products with familiar structures can coexist with ambitious and boundary-pushing ones, garnering similar levels of attention and influence one another, not one standing above the other. I'll entertain the possibility, though, that every open world game can learn a thing or two with its approach to exploration, with its open ended nature based on the player's own curiosity, making for much more satisfying and less restrictive gameplay.
Re-reading what I've written to this point it seems cheesy, but it's almost inevitable to fall into hyperbole, redundancy and vagueness while describing this game, because it really is unlike any other. I guess the last i can say about it is that one of the rare games that has real potential to change one's worldview and their life. To quote user @vodsel 's comment on glitchwave, "A video game that reminds you of what video games can be, but rarely are!"
There's a variety of themes this game covers, directly or indirectly; human connections, the relentless search for understanding, the scale of the universe, the power of learning, the fear of the unknown, the meaning of life, but the one that to me stuck out the most and felt like its main point was about death and its inevitable nature. It's in gaming's inherent language built around the years to feature death in its many different ways, but i can't recall any that use it to make the player ponder upon their own mortality, of the ones around them and of the universe's itself; with an incredible ending that has an absurdly powerful message. At face value, the themes are unapproachable and complex, and in the case of mortality, pretty uncomfortable, but - and there lies the game's magic - they are actually really simple, and it's amazing once you can finally grasp these concepts through your experience interacting with the game and its microcosm.
This perceived simplicity and familiarity is arguably the game's biggest strength, its themes suggest a game that would be inherently inaccessible, pretentious and dark, which this game is anything but; its tone, instead, is whimsical, cozy and inviting, while cleverly balanced by a subtle sense of dread, appealing to humanity's inherent curiosity and a childlike sense of wonder, with weird characters that brighten up the experience with their silly dialogue, a suitably ethereal and emotional score, and a complete and utter freedom to approach the game in any possible way; no two blind playthroughs will ever be the same. In that sense, the game is brilliantly restrained in its approach to its themes, with a "show, don't tell mentality" that reminds me of Super Metroid in the best of ways, making its points through the interactivity and gameplay itself, in a staunchly effective way. And the fun of it is that, even if some of the messages I or anyone have gathered from the game are not intended by the developers, it doesn't mean they're "wrong" or a misunderstanding of the game, since it's depth and wealth of interactivity can make for many different interpretations, all of them valid, since everyone is getting something out of it; a quality shared by the best literary classics.
And even outside of the overwhelming beauty and poignancy of the themes, its core gameplay of flying around in space exploring stuff is pretty fun! Controls are suitably restrictive, which builds its suspenseful feeling, that even sometimes develops into horror, tapping onto our primal fear of the unknown, and the exploration is tightly paced to be constantly engaging, rewarding courageous endeavors and experimentation, with the knowledge you get opening up more questions in a really enjoyable loop that only gets old quite next to the endgame, since a bit of the information is redundant and some of the puzzles are kinda clunky, but the game's narrative and world are so interesting and charming that these faults are insignificant.
Admittedly, though, the game is not for everyone. If you view games mostly as a means of escapism and entertainment, and are looking for a thrill-ride with stuff like, y'know, combat, you will be very disappointed and quickly bored with this game. Yet, if a thought provoking experience that stays with you for a very long time and showcases the potential of video games is appealing to you, than this is your game. With that said, despite myself having loved it to bits and admired all its - and i don't use the word lightly - genius design choices and details, i don't wish for every game to try to be Outer Wilds or anything like that; sometimes games really can be just about seeing numbers go up, shooting guys in the head and jumping on top of creatures, and that speaks a lot on the medium's maturity and endless possibilities, when accessible products with familiar structures can coexist with ambitious and boundary-pushing ones, garnering similar levels of attention and influence one another, not one standing above the other. I'll entertain the possibility, though, that every open world game can learn a thing or two with its approach to exploration, with its open ended nature based on the player's own curiosity, making for much more satisfying and less restrictive gameplay.
Re-reading what I've written to this point it seems cheesy, but it's almost inevitable to fall into hyperbole, redundancy and vagueness while describing this game, because it really is unlike any other. I guess the last i can say about it is that one of the rare games that has real potential to change one's worldview and their life. To quote user @vodsel 's comment on glitchwave, "A video game that reminds you of what video games can be, but rarely are!"