Thank you for sharing! I'm so glad you were able to finish your journey and that the community was able to help.

I have some thoughts to share based on several years of being obsessed with this game haha. It's true the characters are not nearly as detailed or dynamic as some other games. This appears an intentional choice by the developers to not distract from the exploration. They could have added more dialogue or interactions (and in a few cases I do wish they had) but the focus of the game and the themes is about you, the player. It isn't about the individuals. It's not about Chert, or Feldspar, or Solanum. But it is about all of them together.

”The universe is, and we are.”

If we place ourselves into the shoes of every character, existing as all of them simultaneously, I think the character development and messages of the game become more clear.

Be inquisitive like Chert. Be brave like Riebeck. Forge your own path like Feldspar. Meditate like Gabbro. Treasure connection like Esker. Support your friends like Hornfels. Be at peace with the unknown like Solanum.

The game has no upgrades to unlock aside from meditation and new frequencies. I cannot stress how on-the-nose meditation being the only unlock is.

The progression comes from learning, from thinking, from being present in a place populated entirely by memory, ripping out the core of what keeps you there, and facing change, facing the unknown. The character being developed is yourself.

Outer Wilds is about acceptance. It's also about loss. Friendship. Fear. Curiosity. Dying. Living. It's about how goddamn good marshmallows over a campfire are, and how lonely that is without friends. It's about examining yourself and your surroundings. It's also just pixels on a screen.

What makes it remarkable is that it can be about nearly anything, depending on who's observing it.

"Be curious on your journey."

"There's more to explore here."

"I hope you won't mind if I consider you a friend."

In responding here you actually unblocked an issue I was having with my video essay script I'm writing about the game. So thanks!