![]() Gameplay regularly feels under 30 frames per second, with inconsistencies and dropped frames aplenty. However, if you are looking for a silky smooth play experience, sadly you won’t find it on Switch. The most important thing to say here is that we loved playing the game. Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)Īnd so we come to the burning question for the Switch release: performance. A ship’s log that survives the time loop does help in this regard, however, and it’s another small price to pay for the fundamental approach of true openness. This means that we came across some things that seemed like utter gobbledegook until we learned the context for them – at which point we’d forgotten what they said or where we’d read them. Meanwhile, a side effect of the wide-open world design is that you can arrive at clues to the story at just about any moment. But once you’re in, you’re in, and the purity of the find-out-for-yourself approach is what makes the game the marvel that it is. Certainly, starting out can be a drag, and some more handholding might have gone a long way. This all-out dependence on learning does mean the game can be rather inscrutable. A location might take several loops of experimentation to figure out how to get to, but eventually you can make a beeline there and reach it within a couple of minutes of waking up – all based on nothing but knowledge, with no unlockables or gating. However, Outer Wilds brings its own emphasis on exploration and learning the layout and workings of the planets. There are even elements of learning the relationships and movements of people à la Majora’s Mask, knowing where to go when and who cares about who. You also learn new skills, like Bill Murray’s ice sculpting in Groundhog Day, but again these are yours to keep in your head and could have been applied from the start of the game if only you’d known them. You do use the loop to hone your skills like Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow ( Live Die Repeat), but these are not represented in an in-game skill tree: you just get better as a player. Compared to other time loop stories, this one is all about gaining knowledge. If you like discovering secrets in games, you’ll be pleased to know that Outer Wilds is basically 100% secrets. All Speech Subtitled (Or No Speech In Game).Throw in L to change your rotation and you have a bit of a handful, but it adds up to a fluency of floaty movement that makes docking with mysterious spacecraft and racing over craggy landscapes a thrill. Both the ship and jetpack are manoeuvred with the left stick, turning with the right, and using the 'ZL' and 'ZR' buttons to move vertically. On top of that, 'walking' greatly undersells the fun of your character’s movements. However, there are many moments of serious jeopardy and a variety of ways to die, always restarting the time loop. Armed with spaceship and jetpack, you delve into the secrets of the universe, uncovering a profound story that will challenge your emotions as much as your intellect.Īs a story-driven first-person game, there are elements of the walking sim about Outer Wilds. Starting on a small forested planet with a quaint village community, you play as a new astronaut embarking on your first space flight – again and again. Taking place in a miniature solar system trapped in a time loop, the game sets out to deliver a captivating narrative alongside its awe-inspiring celestial views. ![]() The Echoes of the Eye DLC has also found its way over as part of the Archaeologist’s Edition, although we received the base game for review. It’s been a long wait for Switch gamers hoping for a port, but it’s mostly good news: the indie masterpiece has kept its magic in the jump to Nintendo’s portable – albeit with a bit of a technical struggle. Receiving plaudits around the internet and a Best Game BAFTA to boot, it’s no surprise that it topped stacks of game-of-the-year lists. Mobius Digital’s mesmerising cosmic adventure that is Outer Wilds first landed on PC and Xbox in 2019 to serious critical acclaim. This irresistible drive of curiosity and the addictive high of discovery are what Outer Wilds captures so well, letting this indie game put big-name space exploration titles to shame. What’s the meaning of life? Are we alone in the universe? How do you know if the fridge light goes off after you close the door? It’s questions like this that have driven humankind to explore the planet, the cosmos, and ourselves. Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube Watch on YouTube
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