Outer Wilds - Gameclub

It’s time to take your first journey into space, little Hearthian. Blast off into an alien solar system to uncover the strange physics and mechanics of planets you’ve only dreamed of.

Many spoilers in this episode. But if that doesn’t bother you, read on.

Awaiting your arrival are the Hourglass Twins, a “double planet” (this is a real term), where two celestial bodies are locked together in their orbit around the sun. One is slowly spraying away the sands on its surface to reveal mysteries buried deep. Ember Twin receives all this sand, and you must explore it quickly before its secrets are buried forever, until of course the sun supernovas and you die….

It’s time to take your first journey into space, little Hearthian. Blast off into an alien solar system to uncover the strange physics and mechanics of planets you’ve only dreamed of….Wait didn’t we say this already? Yep – it’s a time loop.

So maybe this time you’ll explore Brittle Hollow with a black hole at it’s center. Or maybe it's volcanic moon? You have 22 minutes before the sun goes bang and we start this all over again.

Outer Wilds (the game) believes in you. It knows you will figure out it’s mysteries, even if it takes you a few loops. There is almost no point in beating the game – every little puzzle or planetary quirk is the best victory you could hope for. Outer Wilds' story, on the other hand, doesn't believe in you. It treats you like a kid, and indeed, it seems like all the characters in this game are themselves children. Yet while that’s a miss, nothing could drag down the awe, wonder, and majesty of this solar system.

Don’t rush it, enjoy the ride, and roast a marshmallow. Everything will be alright.

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Our next game for Gameclub is Bloodborne. We would link it, but you know the one.

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Timestamps:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 2:43 - Development and game background
• 7:15 - Blastoff!
• 10:30 - The loop
• 15:35 - Roguelike? Story based mastery
• 21:25 - The first planet
• 25:48 - The goal of the game
• 34:35 - Story vs gameplay
• 39:26 - Resetting the loop - Live Die Repeat
• 44:22 Story/writing
• 50:25 Trust in players
• 1:02:00 Subnautica’s pillars of game design
• 1:05:00sh The ending
• 1:26:45 Two idiots talk about science
• 1:33:00 Ratings
• 1:41:17 Goodbye

Show notes

• Double-Slit Experiment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-slit_experiment