Coug Gaming: A look back at Outer Wilds

In 22 minutes, the sun will explode.

Then, you’ll wake up as if it never happened.

This is the premise of Outer Wilds, a 2019 action adventure game by Alex Beachum and Mobius Digital studios. Since its release, it has won numerous awards, such as the BAFTA Game Award in 2020 for best video game. Outer Wilds takes place in a small planetary system with multiple planets to explore on foot and in the player character’s recently acquired spaceship. The player quickly finds that after 22 minutes, the sky fills with blue light as the sun goes supernova, exploding into a lightshow which consumes the galaxy. Shortly after, they wake up. From the burning of the campfire to the movement of the planets, everything is back as it was. Stuck in a time loop, players are challenged to ask why they are here, and to stop the sun from starting the loop all over again.

Your reward for exploring in this action-adventure game will never be as straightforward as a new sword or a bigger gun. Instead, you are equipped with new information about the world around you and how it works. Your knowledge is the only thing gatekeeping all of the progression in Outer Wilds. If you know what you are doing, Outer Wilds can be finished within minutes of booting the game up, as the only change between loops is your understanding of the world and its mechanics.

At its core, Outer Wilds is about weaponizing knowledge and curiosity, encouraging players to question everything around them. With time on your side and progression stuck within the same 22 minutes, your curiosity must take the wheel. And the game rewards that curiosity with new information, which always manages to change how you think about the game completely. As you play, the time loop becomes the least of your concerns as you discover lost civilizations, mysterious quantum rocks, and your fellow travelers in the stars.

It’s not just about the adventure here though, the sights and sounds, including the soundtrack, immerses the player even further into their experience. Tracks such as End Times, which plays in your final minute before the sun explodes, become comforting inevitabilities, a reminder of the fate that befalls the player, but also the endless possibility of exploration. The game’s visuals evoke the same feeling of overwhelming scale and simple comfort. From your fellow travelers, who each play an instrument as you approach, to the warm campfire contrasted with the vast stars, Outer Wilds wants to remind you that the unknown is just a friend you haven’t met yet.

Outer Wilds is a game I hold close to my chest as a musician, a journalist, and a human. The solemn beauty of the endless sky can be a scary sight—a reminder of how small we each are. But just as the game reminds you of your ever-ticking timer, it also wants you to revel in that curiosity. Outer Wilds shows equal amounts of respect to the large mysteries and the smaller stories of people living their lives. The size of the sky doesn’t make each star any less bright.

This game is a playground for the creative, allowing players to explore at their own pace and appreciate the beauty of the stars. Space might seem grand and intimidating, but as you learn about how the world works, the planets will begin to feel like home. So sit down, relax, and enjoy the music of the stars. If you open your eyes and ears, you might learn something.