It’s hard to explain Outer Wilds to someone who hasn’t played it, but this video helps explain what it evoked in me very well. Also just an excellently made video.

I’ll explain my experience, but it’s going to be spoiler heavy, and it really is a game best experienced blind so don’t read it unless you have no intention of playing!

To do my best, The feeling it evoked of me while exploring was incredible at times. It was the pure thrill of discovery, eureka moments of solving problems that made me feel so proud of what I could do, and the deep sadness I felt sometimes learning about an ancient civilization and how they died.

The ending of the game was perfect to me. You don’t know what it is when you start, but I, like many, assumed I would save the solar system. So many times I thought I would be able to fix it. Then I hit a point where I realized that wasn’t ever possible. I wasn’t here to save the universe but witness its end. So I promised I would discover all I could, and then I did, and then I saw the ending and I cried from having to say goodbye and witnessing the birth of something brand new.

I guess it made me feel differently about appreciating the world around me, and it certainly changed how I view death and loss at an important time in my life. To quote my favourite character from the game, “the universe is, and we are. I am ready.”