Outer Wilds
What to Know
Average Score
- October 15, 2019
- Mobius Digital
- Adventure, Puzzle
- Best Adventure Game (2019)
Critics Consensus
- October 15, 2019
- Adventure, Puzzle
- Best Adventure Game (2019)
Critics Consensus
# Reviews: 39
Outer Wilds is a monumental success in game design - a poignant space explorer with an intriguing mystery to solve.
Awards & Recognition
Critic Reviews for Outer Wilds
Reviews
Silver TIER
37% of scored reviews fell within the range of 86 to 92 / 100
Mike Epstein (IGN)
8.4/10
“Exploring the uncharted worlds of Outer Wilds feels like a true adventure in ways most games never achieve.”
Phil Savage (PC Gamer)
89/100
“Beneath its charming and inventive worlds, Outer Wilds hides a cleverly unfolding mystery.”
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell (Eurogamer)
Recommended
“There’s a twofold joy to Outer Wilds – the thrill of discovery itself, as you slowly decipher the variables that swirl around each not-so-distant world, and of seeing that thrill reflected in a phrase scribbled centuries ago by some castaway alien boffin.”
Outlet | Author | Score | Date | Quote | Read |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Areajugones | Víctor Rodríguez | 9.2 / 10 | 06-17-2019 | Outer Wilds is one of the greatest surprises we have received. A game that mixes exploration with a Groundhog Day-like scheme and a charismatic narrative to give, as a result, something truly unique. A hidden gem that everyone should try. | Read review |
Bloody Disgusting | Andrew King | 4 / 5 stars | 07-08-2019 | Complaining about Outer Wilds inscrutability is a little like criticizing Rome because you don’t know which sights to see. Do a measly Google search. Mobius Digital has, at times, erred on the side of giving players too little information. But, as a result, they have created a world that casts you as Isaac Newton. They are eagerly waiting for you to discover its gravity. | Read review |
COGconnected | Isaac Monterose | 91 / 100 | 10-29-2019 | There’s so much to talk about that most of it is truly best left unsaid, as your path to these discoveries will be very much your own. I hope bigger games take some of Outer Wilds’ design lessons to heart. There’s nothing quite like it right now and there should be. | Read review |
Critical Hit | Brad Lang | 9 / 10 | 10-24-2019 | Outer Wilds is a monumental success in video game design and storytelling and should be experienced by anyone who sees the value in immersive, interactive storytelling despite its graphical hitches on PS4 | Read review |
Destructoid | Josh Tolentino | 9 / 10 | 05-29-2019 | Outer Wilds proves there’s still a sense of genuine adventure to be gained from games that commit to a set, fixed structure and design, rather than the kind of sprawling, endless expanses many contemporary titles set out to become. Playing it brought to mind my favorite bits of Dr. Seuss’ Oh, The Places You’ll Go…except with more of the sun exploding. | Read review |
Digital Chumps | Eric Layman | 9.5 / 10 | 12-28-2018 | Outer Wilds’ compact clockwork universe does more with twenty-two minutes than its spacefaring peers can imagine in a lifetime. It treats curiosity as a Möbius strip and trusts its network of divine secrets will drive the player toward a reasoned conclusion. By turning away from the zeitgeist, Outer Wilds’ sublime presence can only be defined as otherworldly. | Read review |
DualShockers | Ricky Frech | 8.5 / 10 | 05-29-2019 | Outer Wilds takes you on a wonderful mystery through a hand-crafted solar system that is well worth a visit. | Read review |
Eurogamer | Edwin Evans-Thirlwell | Recommended | 05-30-2019 | There’s a twofold joy to Outer Wilds | Read review |
Game Informer | Javy Gwaltney | 7.8 / 10 | 06-03-2019 | Outer Wilds offers an incredible world filled with memorable moments, but the experience is hamstrung by poorly implemented puzzles and wonky systems | Read review |
Game Revolution | Jason Faulkner | 4.5 / 5 stars | 05-29-2019 | As someone who loves adventure and puzzle games, Outer Wilds was a match made in heaven. | Read review |
Gameblog | Thomas Pillon | 9 / 10 | 07-09-2019 | Outer Wilds is simply a wonderful and brilliant space exploration adventure. Inside an hand-crafted solar system, the game is an ode to adventure and curiosity where you journey through space, trying to understand the stakes of a quantic situation. | Read review |
GameMAG | Unknown | 8 / 10 | 08-22-2019 | Outer Wilds is a very pleasant and unexpected surprise created especially for fans of the adventure genre. Interesting exploration, good puzzles and nice presentation can drag you in a couple of dozen hours. | Read review |
GameSpew | Kim Snaith | 8 / 10 | 06-04-2019 | Each new discovery or observation brings with it a real sense of joy and wonder and the pleasing notion that you’re the first person to behold each particular oddity. | Read review |
GameSpot | Alessandro Barbosa | 9 / 10 | 06-09-2019 | Outer Wilds is a poignant space explorer with an emotionally engrossing tale set across a condensed but wildly surprising solar system. | Read review |
GamingTrend | Lawrence Le | 85 / 100 | 05-29-2019 | A tale straight from our childhood tree forts—Outer Wilds will reawaken the passion for exploration that you thought you lost. | Read review |
Geeks Under Grace | Joe Morgan | 6.5 / 10 | 07-11-2019 | Outer Wilds is a big, beautiful game spanning an entire solar system that celebrates discovery while, at the same time, slaps you in the mouth for getting too curious. | Read review |
God is a Geek | Mick Fraser | 8 / 10 | 06-27-2019 | Outer Wilds is good-looking and quite unique in its subgenre, and there’s a compelling, intriguing mystery to solve that will keep you guessing as you progress across the galaxy | Read review |
IGN | Mike Epstein | 8.4 / 10 | 05-30-2019 | Exploring the uncharted worlds of Outer Wilds feels like a true adventure in ways most games never achieve. | Read review |
IGN Italy | Davide Mancini | 8.7 / 10 | 06-02-2019 | Outer Wild is a brilliant Sundance Sci-Fi experience, with a perfect balance between space exploration, mystery solving and storytelling. The solar system designed by Mobius Digital is an outstanding playground, full of odd surprises and unique events. Above all, is a place worth to explore and it’s perfectly integrated into the time loop structure of the game. If you love to feel a genuine sense of discovery and adventure, it’s definitely your game. | Read review |
Jump Dash Roll | Jon Peltz | 8 / 10 | 11-21-2019 | Outer Wilds is a meditative, slow, but ultimately rewarding sci-fi extravaganza that everyone looking for an adventure should play — but be prepared for some frustration and repetition. | Read review |
Kotaku | Maddy Myers | Recommended | 10-15-2019 | Outer Wilds is not a power fantasy. It is a game about discovering how little power you have, and how maybe that isn’t as scary as you might initially have thought. The galaxy is huge, but you can still make your mark on a small part of it. | Read review |
Merlin’in Kazanı | Furkan Güler | 88 / 100 | 07-01-2019 | Outer Wilds is ver unique adventure game. Also fundemental mechanics are very fun. | Read review |
Metro GameCentral | Unknown | 8 / 10 | 10-18-2019 | A fantastically imaginative, time-bending puzzle adventure that makes full use of one of the most enjoyably interactive game worlds in a long time. | Read review |
PC Gamer | Phil Savage | 89 / 100 | 05-29-2019 | Beneath its charming and inventive worlds, Outer Wilds hides a cleverly unfolding mystery. | Read review |
Player.One | Kenneth Araullo | 10 / 10 | 06-06-2019 | If I ever find myself in my own closed time-loop, I’d wish for me to play the Outer Wilds, but with the added bonus of forgetting about it, just so I can experience it all over again. It’s that good, and the first true title that I could say is a ‘must-play’ for 2019. | Read review |
PlayStation Universe | John-Paul Jones | 9 / 10 | 10-21-2019 | Outer Wilds is a furiously imaginative work that elevates storytelling and player discovery to a whole new level. Though less than inspired puzzles and some technical issues threaten to take the sheen off the experience, Outer Wilds nonetheless sits in a class all its own on PS4. | Read review |
Polygon | Colin Campbell | Recommended | 07-11-2019 | I encounter other space explorers of my own kind. They are bizarre, likable clue-givers who provide moments of comic relief. I perpetrate no violence in this game. I am never required to fire a laser gun or grapple with enemies. (How few are the games, set in space, that absent themselves from combat.) Yet, the worlds I visit can be hostile, releasing their secrets with the greatest reluctance. | Read review |
Push Square | Stephen Tailby | 7 / 10 | 11-02-2019 | This is a game that presents itself in a unique way, and trusts you to put together its compelling mystery without assistance | Read review |
Rock, Paper, Shotgun | Unknown | Recommended | 05-29-2019 | Ultimately, it’s the planets that make this game what it is. Worlds full of mysteries and anomalies. To me they are proof that there is still no substitute for handcrafting your virtual realms. | Read review |
Screen Rant | Corey Hoffmeyer | 4.5 / 5 stars | 07-03-2019 | Outer Wilds is a time-bending thrill ride that never ceases to amaze. | Read review |
Slant Magazine | Aaron Riccio | 5 / 5 stars | 06-12-2019 | This is a rare adventure game in which the journey is actually more of a reward than the destination. | Read review |
SpazioGames | Unknown | 8.5 / 10 | 06-05-2019 | Outer Wilds viscerally fascinates mysteries and sci-fi fans, owning a huge potential expressed thanks to a heavy dose of creativity applied to gaming and top quality writing | Read review |
TechRaptor | Richard Costa | 9 / 10 | 06-25-2019 | Outer Wilds is a triumphant first-person exploration adventure with innovative (quantum) physics puzzles. More than that, it’s a microcosm in itself that pleads to be explored and untangled in its minutiae. | Read review |
TheSixthAxis | Thomas Hughes | 9 / 10 | 07-16-2019 | At its core, Outer Wilds is a game about exploration, knowledge and experimentation. It’s the sum of all those parts and more, perfectly blending them together to create one of the most fascinating games of this generation. Outer Wilds proves a micro | Read review |
Twinfinite | Chris Jecks | 4 / 5 stars | 05-31-2019 | If you’re looking for a breath of fresh air and fancy venturing out into space for a laid back exploration and a damned good time, Outer Wilds should be your first port of call. | Read review |
USgamer | Jake Green | 5 / 5 stars | 06-28-2019 | Outer Wilds is easily my game of the year thus far, and continues to move up the list of my personal favorite games of all time. It’s an experience I genuinely cannot stop thinking about, managing to encompass everything I love about the adventure gaming genre and the smart sci-fi musings of my all-time favorite authors. The few negatives brought on by the time loop at the game’s core are universally outweighed by the pioneering spirit cultivated throughout. I urge you to seek out Outer Wilds if you can, if only to try out what is surely one of the greatest adventure games ever created. | Read review |
Video Chums | A.J. Maciejewski | 6 / 10 | 06-03-2019 | Enjoying Outer Wilds depends on your willingness to read guides and discuss the game online. Otherwise, you’ll probably feel like you’re regularly hitting your head on a brick wall as you try to make just an inch of progress. | Read review |
Wccftech | Nathan Birch | 7 / 10 | 06-07-2019 | Outer Wilds gets most of the “big picture” stuff right. It boasts a solid structure, wonderfully imaginative planets, and an involving slow-burn mystery. Unfortunately, clunky controls, a few irritating design choices, and a multitude of other little issues bring the game back down to earth. If you value originality over execution, Outer Wilds is worth the ride, but expect some turbulence. | Read review |
Game Info
Welcome to the Space Program! You’re the newest recruit of Outer Wilds Ventures, a fledgling space program searching for answers in a strange, constantly evolving solar system. Mysteries of the Solar System… What lurks in the heart of the ominous Dark Bramble? Who built the alien ruins on the Moon? Can the endless time loop be stopped? Answers await you in the most dangerous reaches of space.
RELEASE DATES:
DEVELOPER(S):
- Mobius Digital
PUBLISHER(S):
- Annapurna Interactive
GENRES:
- Adventure, Puzzle
SERIES/FRANCHISE:
- n/a
GAME MODES:
- Single player
GAME ENGINE:
- -
DLC:
- -
BUNDLED IN:
- Annapurna Interactive Deluxe Limited Edition (Dec 8, 2020)
DIRECTOR(S):
- -
PRODUCER(S):
- -
DESIGNER(S):
- -
PROGRAMMER(S):
- -
ARTIST(S):
- -
WRITER(S):
- -
COMPOSER(S):
- -
GAME MODES:
- Single player
GAME ENGINE:
- n/a
DLC:
- n/a
BUNDLED IN:
- Annapurna Interactive Deluxe Limited Edition (Dec 8, 2020)
DIRECTOR(S):
- n/a
PRODUCER(S):
- n/a
DESIGNER(S):
- n/a
PROGRAMMER(S):
- n/a
ARTIST(S):
- n/a
WRITER(S):
- n/a
COMPOSER(S):
- n/a
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