One of the best and most criminally underrated games of the year may be headed to the PlayStation 4.
When it comes to open world exploration, this year’s Outer Wilds set a new and incredibly high bar. Developed by Mobius Digital and published by Annapurna Interactive for the Xbox One and PC via the Epic Games Store, this artistic achievement in telling quite the narrative experience with plenty of gameplay to spare is still my personal game of the year (check out my review for it here). However, the last-minute move to the Epic Games Store for PC during a time in which it was being heavily criticized for poaching games off of Steam’s Most Popular upcoming titles may have caused its release on PC to be sullied. That said, not even questionable practices spoiled Outer Wilds, and it remains a landmark independent title, remarkable through and through.
It also seems that the game is destined to reach a new audience sometime in the future, as apparently the Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea has rated Outer Wilds for the PlayStation 4. This would give PS4 players a chance to experience this amazing title, although it’s still unclear as to when it will release for the platform. There is the slim chance of it being revealed during tomorrow’s State of Play, as Sony has specifically stated that this iteration of State of Play will feature “new game reveals” alongside other updates from PlayStation’s own network of studios.
Outer Wilds is an exploration-based title set in an alien solar system not too different from our own. You play as a young astronaut, the newest recruit of Outer Wilds Ventures, the space program of the only sentient species in this system. Following a small incident, you find yourself trapped within a time loop of 22 minutes, with the loop itself ending at the moment of your death through various ways or the inevitable death of the system’s sun.
Using this strange predicament, you must figure out the secrets left behind by an earlier civilization, secrets which can possibly pull you out of this time loop and provide you with explanations as to the death of the sun. Outer Wilds features a handcrafted system with a number of planets and moons, each one housing different locations to explore and mysteries to solve. Along the way you also meet up with several other astronauts, each offering you advice on your journey as well as companionship in the form a roaring fire and roasted marshmallows. At the center of it all is a great mystery waiting to be unfolded, leading to perhaps one of the most profound moments you’ll experience from a video game this year.
If you haven’t yet, I strongly suggest playing Outer Wilds, regardless of the platform it is on. It is now available to play on PC and Xbox One. Check out my review for the game here.
- -A solid exploration title, with a ton of surprises lurking in every nook and cranny.
- -Amazing story framed in a very interesting and unique narrative.
- -Unique and intriguing time loop mechanic that works surprisingly well, playing to the game's strengths.
- -Colorful characters within a hand-crafted and well-detailed world.
- -Great use of music, camping motifs and soulful aesthetic.
- -You can't live in a time loop where you forget that you played this, in order to enjoy it from the start all over again.
