One puzzle can only be solved when certain planets align, which only happens at specific times. Outer Wilds doesn’t stay still for your 22 minutes: instead, planets orbit the sun and comets follow predefined paths in real-time. Gradually, you unravel Outer Wilds’ mysteries, finding other spacefarers and discovering why you – and you alone – are stuck in a time loop. When the clock runs out, you respawn and do it all over again – this time armed with everything you learned in your previous life. Its cutesy presentation belies just how clever a game it is: as a first-time astronaut, you explore a miniaturised galaxy over the course of 22 minutes, zooming between planets in your ship and picking at story threads.
A wonderfully-crafted indie space adventure with a variety of endings that leave you floored.
