Why I think Outer Wilds is the most beautiful game ever made
I wanted to write a post to try and put down in words why Outer Wilds has such a profound effect on the people who play it. I completed the game a few weeks ago, and it's still stayed with me on an emotional level that I've NEVER had for any other game, book (except the Bourne Trilogy), film, or TV show (except maybe The Wire) before
I think at it's heart, Outer Wilds does this because it shows you where you are
It tells you how small you are in the vast vast universe. It reminds you that there are trillions of galaxies, all teeming with life, life that is and was, and that it is just as important as you. It shows the interconnection between all life, through time and space. It shows the miracle of communication, the joy of togetherness and the heartbreak of being alone
For a game about a reptile flying a wooden spaceship in a tiny solar system, it sure is true
The most important thing that I think sets this experience apart from anything else, is that it shows you the pure ecstatic beauty of life and the universe, but also reminds you that it ends. And instead of that being a sad thing, you are at peace with it. Every vain hope of saving the universe fades away in the end, and that should be sad, but it isn't. It's peaceful. You realise that everything ends eventually, through the extinction of the Nomai, and the death of the universe. You understand its sadness, learn to love everything that was, and then you accept its passing. Find peace with endings. Accept loss. Look forward to others enjoying every moment you did
And sit by the campfire to sing one last song into the dark