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Spoiler Alert! This Is My Favorite Indie Game So Far.

I’ve played countless indie games, and choosing a favorite has always been difficult for me. I love Chrono Ark, TOEM, Cobalt Core, Disco Elysium—the list goes on. Each game I enjoyed had its own pros and cons, which made it impossible to crown a single “best.” However, I can finally determine my favorite indie game so far after playing Outer Wilds and its DLC Echoes of the Eye. Of course, I want to recommend Outer Wilds to everyone and share the feelings it gave me. Thus, if you have even the slightest interest in sci-fi, space, unknown, secrets, and mystery, close the browser right now and give Outer Wilds a try. I’d rather you not read this essay than spoil the game for you since you might want to try it someday.

The Best Space Adventure of My Life

What I experienced in Outer Wilds was the most thrilling and surprising space adventure of my life. Since I start the game without knowing any of it, playing it make me feels like a child exploring a dark room. It was like unwrapping a gift layer by layer, with each surprise connecting to the others, building into something greater than I ever expected. Once I had unwrapped everything, I felt a profound admiration for the past, a deep emotion for the present, and an endless curiosity for the future.

Curiosity is a fundamental part of being human, and it’s also the driving force that make player playing Outer Wilds. Your curiosity will compel you to keep asking, “Why?” and the game will reward you with answers… and more questions: Why am I stuck in a 22-minute time loop? Why do a satellite in the sky explode? Why did the Nomai suddenly vanish in the past? What exactly was the Ash Twin Project they left behind? Why was the Sun Station considered so dangerous? And ultimately… what is the Eye of the Universe?

The Eye of the Universe is the final mystery, which player will reach it at the end. It was curiosity that pushed me through every loop, every challenge, every discovery. And it was also curiosity that make me dove into the Eye. At that moment, countless images flashed before me: I saw galaxies exploding, forest-covered planets dying, and even fleeting glimpses of myself.

And then, everything turned dark, nothing left in my vision. However, I knew that the answer of the Eye wasn’t isolation or despair. Suddenly, a campfire appeared beside me, the same campfire every time I saw at the start of every loop, at the beginning of every journey. The people I met along the way started to gather— Esker, Chert, Riebeck, Gabbro, Feldspar, even Solanum from the Quantum Moon, and the Prisoner from the mysterious satellite station.

We sat around the fire, roasting marshmallows, talking, playing music, and waiting for the singularity to form. What an incredible journey this has been. If not for the Prisoner’s act of rebellion, the Nomai would never have received the Eye’s signal and come to this system. If not for their relentless thirst for knowledge, the Ash Twin Project would not exist. Without every one of those events, I never would’ve made it here. The melodies played by explorers across the stars became my greatest comfort during this lonely voyage. Through a series of coincidences and fated decisions, my journey of Outer Wilds led to this moment.

The music ends. And I know it is time to go on. I touch the singularity, witness a new Big Bang, and become its first explorer.

A Connection to My Heart Of Curiosity

It’s all so improbable — yet it feels like fate. In this vast universe, the desire for knowledge connected people across time and space, leading me to the Eye of the Universe and the birth of a new one.

The concept of connection is something that deeply captivated me in Death Stranding, and it left a lasting impact on me. Additionally, Outer Wilds awakened my curiosity to the connections I have yet to make, the one that also compels me to move forward. I am curious to keep forming new connections with people and the world around me.

Fear of the unknown is something all humans share, but my connection with Outer Wilds changed how I see that fear. Though I still feel nervous or scared at times, I now face new journeys with additional excitement and look forward to the new bonds that are yet to come.

And all of this… it feels beautiful. For now, the Eye I seek in my own life remains in a quantum state, unobserved. But I’m deeply curious—

What will my Eye of the Universe turn out to be?

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