As for the writing, this game should be held up as the very model of how to integrate a tight, coherent narrative into an open-world setting. (I'm tempted to say: "you know, like a game published by Annapurna.") The game-play mechanics are well crafted: navigation - in ship or in suit - and walking work smoothly, and all the tools the player has available function as they should. The aesthetic is stylized, but consistent - and consistently appealing. Each planet may be small - on the scale of hundreds of meters in diameter - but together they offer up a wide variety of dynamic and visually striking environments. The setting is a miniature solar system in which the planets are subject to something like realistic orbital mechanics. The This is very nearly a perfect game: beautifully designed and executed, intelligently written, and engaging from beginning to end. Just mark it on your HUD and fly into it to start exploring all over again.This is very nearly a perfect game: beautifully designed and executed, intelligently written, and engaging from beginning to end. The space moves throughout the solar system like any other location, only it’s not visible.
You can now place a marker on your HUD for every place you’ve been to, including The Stranger. Upon dying, you might think you have to do all this again, but no worries on that front. Once you do, it’ll open up and you can step out into The Stranger. You want to create overlap where the three horizontal don’t block the door. This will activate the device, causing horizontal bars on the wall to start rotating. Look at the strange object in the center and turn on your flashlight. There’s a doorway opposite the direction from which you entered. Look around and you’ll see a big metal wall with an opening. Once you reach the black circle, you’ll find yourself sucked into a strange space. Once you see this, kick on your thrusters to reach out and touch space. It’ll take a couple of minutes, but you’ll eventually see a black circle just like in the photo appear in front of the sun. Head there, stop behind it, and then look at the sun. Get in your ship and select the object that appears once you pin down this other signal. Who woulda thunk it? Start looking at the sky and you’ll realize that the satellite also gives off a signal.
You’ll notice right away that the radio tower gives off a radio signal. Look at me rockin’ out, I’m on the radio! As is typical for Outer Wilds, you’ll want to bust out your signal to try and suss things out. Obviously, you’re going to want to head up to the satellite and take a look. One of them has a circular shadow in front of the sun, but all of the planetoids are accounted for in the picture. Once you look at the photos, it’s fairly obvious to see what’s different. That’s our big hint to find the new location. The recording also mentions that one of the photos has something different than the others. Once you land and go inside the tower, you’ll find a recording mentioning that the tower receives images from a satellite. I guess it was there all along? (Narrator: “it wasn’t.”) Get in your ship and take a look around the planetoid and you’ll find it soon enough. This is meant to clue you in to the fact that there’s now a radio tower on Timber’s Hearth. Going and checking that out will lead you to see a model satellite, photos, and a model of a radio tower. The first step, which is the only thing the game deigns to tell you, is that there’s a new museum exhibit. Don’t worry, I’ll ease into it step by step based on the game’s breadcrumbs, so I won’t spoil the whole thing right off the bat.
But I’m going to break down exactly how to reach the expansion’s new location. Sure, you’re probably going to want to figure this out on your own without help - it’s not too hard or anything. But this is Outer Wilds we’re talking about, and it’s not exactly the most obvious thing in the world. You’re finally ready to explore new lands in Outer Wilds‘ brand new expansion, Echoes of the Eye, which features a new location.