After initially launching in 2019, developer Mobius Digital and publisher Annapurna Interactive’s open-world sci-fi game Outer Wilds made its debut on the Nintendo Switch a week ago. The base game retails for $10 while the Archaeologist Edition, which includes the base game and the Echoes of the Eye DLC, retails for $30 on the eShop. I’ll share some of my thoughts after having spent some time with the base game.

Outer Wilds starts off in a rather unconventional way by giving you free reign to explore. After waking up and going through your home village to look for the launch codes for your spaceship - a process that also doubles as an optional tutorial - you are off exploring planets within your solar system. There are no objectives, just the ability to roam and explore across the planets.

As you do so, you gradually learn that each of these planets holds mysteries of its own, from cryptic ruins to ancient scripts. In addition, you’ll shortly realise that the solar system itself is in a time-loop. What is the cause of this anomaly and what are the answers to the mysteries of each planet? You’ll have to piece these together by exploring the game’s various locations and solve their puzzles in first-person.

Developer Mobius Digital took a bold approach with the exploration-focused aspect of Outer Wilds. Once you obtain the launch code of your spaceship, practically every area of the game is accessible for you to visit. This can lead to a freeing experience that emphasises the importance of self-discovery in a way that’s not common in most games.

However, the fact that there are no clear objectives from the get-go can be divisive. I personally found it frustrating at the beginning, as I was unsure what to do other than try to haphazardly steer my spaceship and attempt a landing. Indeed, being motivated to continue exploring was further a challenge as the ship’s controls offer a learning curve, especially when trying to land on a planet. Then there’s the fact that once you die, you’re respawned at the starting point. This can be frustrating, especially at the beginning when you are still getting a grip on the controls, manage to land, but only to be met with an untimely demise by an alien planet’s hostile environment.

Luckily, discoveries that you make and puzzles that you solve during an outing carry over to the next loop or when you respawn. Solving puzzles and learning more about a planet’s secrets does feel satisfying, especially as these help you see the bigger picture and elucidate some intriguing mysteries. However, it will take some resilience to experience such a satisfaction as there is a learning curve to the controls.

The controls translate well on the Nintendo Switch, and the looping nature of the gameplay makes it adequate to play in bouts on a handheld. The port holds up in terms of performance and I encountered no issues. However, the Switch version does suffer from a noticeable (and expected) visual downgrade.

Outer Wilds can be considered as an acquired taste as it gets incrementally better the more time you spend with it. If the prospect of unrestricted sci-fi exploration appeals to you, it’s definitely worth checking out for $20. But if you’re looking for a more streamlined experience or a game that offers more guidance (this one offers the basic minimum, if any), then you should expect some initial (if not perpetual) frustrations going into this game.

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[linkchidori]

I wasn´t expecting it due to the physics engine, but from what i've played until now, i think this port really holds up well taking in account the console capabilites. It may need a few improvements here and there just to make it a bit more stable, but overall its an enjoyable port!.

 

[Bladexdsl]

my god that looks like actual shit. it looks like a wii game! i was expecting they had to dumb it down to run on that shitty tablet but man not by that much glad i finished this on PC long ago

 

[stanleyopar2000]

my god that looks like actual shit. it looks like a wii game! i was expecting they had to dumb it down to run on that shitty tablet but man not by that much glad i finished this on PC long ago

Nintendo loves cheap, shit hardware but cruises on through because of the games, price and their brand.

See: Gameboy vs...any fucking handheld with color during that time

 

[regnad]

my god that looks like actual shit. it looks like a wii game! i was expecting they had to dumb it down to run on that shitty tablet but man not by that much glad i finished this on PC long ago

I'm playing it on PC for the first time right now, and honestly I think you may have forgotten that it looks like a Wii game there too!

I agree with the OP's assessment, as well, that the controls are very difficult at the beginning. I'm very slowly getting the hang of it, but they aren't kind. And the ease of death along with the huge punishment that comes with death doesn't really blend well with open ended exploration. It's really frustrating to struggle mightily with the very challenging space flight, miraculously to touch down without killing yourself, only to die from something stupid, and have to start aaaall the way back at the beginning.

Everyone has raved about this game for years, and I guess my expectations were unfairly through the ceiling. I really really want to like this game, and I sort of do, but it's not the second coming I feel I was lead to believe.