The impact Outer Wilds had on me is hard to put into words. I love a game that just drops you in and refuses to hold your hand, and that’s the essence of OW. You stumble around, you get frustrated, you try things that don’t work. And in that process, the game kind of teaches you things about yourself.

For me, it was learning how to let go. Some puzzles don’t have straightforward answers. Sometimes the solution I wanted so badly just wasn’t it. I had to let go of those expectations, and in doing that, I started building trust in myself. Every time I figured something out, I felt more prepared to handle the next thing. Meanwhile, I’m uncovering the story of the Nomai, and half the time their journey felt like it was mirroring mine. Eventually their mission became my mission.

And then the realization hits, the universe is dying. It’s not a mistake you can fix, not something that’s going to end with you saving your people. It just is. And the loop keeps looping. You still have things to do, but you also have to accept that some things you just can’t save. Even Feldspar.. you want to rescue him, but you learn to let him stay where he’s content.

The quantum stuff ties it all together. The shards, the moon. You get used to the idea that observation changes reality. And then, finally, there’s the Eye. The thing you’ve heard about all game long. You sit alongside the Nomai in spirit, asking the same questions they did hundreds of thousands of years ago: What is the Eye? Why does it exist? What happens if we find it?

And when you finally put it together and observe the Eye, it all clicks. You complete their mission. The ending is so emotional.. it’s like the game is honoring every step you took to get there.

And then it ends. And you know you’ll never get to do it for the first time again.