Topic: Outer Wilds

Outer Wilds, a game developed by Mobius Digital and published by Annapurna Interactive, is coming to the Nintendo Switch at some point in time! The game was initially released in May 2019 for the PC, Xbox, and Playstation. It was announced to release on the Switch in the summer of 2021 but was delayed to an unknown time.

It has won and been nominated for several Gaming awards, despite being a relative sleeper hit. It is personally one of my favorite games of all time, and I cannot wait for it to head to the Switch so that more people can experience it. This thread can be used for general discussion about the game or its release on the Switch.

BE WARNED: Outer Wilds is a game that is best experienced completely blind. I think that the Nintendo Direct trailer for the game actually revealed a bit too much on its own. If you're sensitive to spoilers, or just want to experience the game with fresh eyes, browse this thread at your own risk!

Outer Wilds for Nintendo Switch announcement trailer:

I must confess that I have a bit given up on picking up this game on Switch. I might try for a PS4 copy sooner rather than later.

@ElRoberico I can understand that. It's strange that no announcement was made regarding a delay, it kind of just came and went. My philosophy is that as long as people can experience Outer Wilds, I don't really care in what form they play it.

I've played it a bit on PS4. I like the game. It's basically the movie Groundhog Day, only if it were set in space instead of smallville Murica. A pretty unique and cool adventure game.

But even when the game launches on Switch I'll be holding out for the inevitable physical release from LRG or iam8bit.

@Magician It is a pretty similar premise to Groundhog Day, which I appreciate! I love how much the game opens up in terms of story and exploration once you get really deep into the lore. Maybe you didn't get to that point yet but the story gets extremely interesting.

@StarPoint Like any adventure game, discovery takes precedence over moment to moment gameplay. And like any good open world game there are no guardrails or waypoints telling you where to go and what to do. If you're a person who enjoys a mystery without being given a sense of direction, well...this is the game for you. Me? I'm just a sucker for space themed games.

@Magician Yes, Outer Wilds definitely isn't a game for everybody. However, I just think that it's a very unique game and one that everybody should at least try. It has a wonderful sense of adventure and discovery that I feel very few other games are able to achieve.

I just wanted to mention that Outer Wilds is currently 40% off on Steam right now. I know this is a Nintendo forum but just figured I'd mention it to anyone interested.

I’m really surprised that Mobius hasn’t even mentioned the delay. They’re relatively active on Twitter, so I’m hoping that they’ll say something about it at some point. After I played through the game and DLC on PC, it has become my all time favorite game, so I’m VERY excited for a Switch release. Maybe next Nintendo Direct?

@SushiRoll Technically the end of summer is the 23rd September! If there was a direct in September and it was shadow dropped, you could argue it's not been delayed...however, when I think of summer I think June - August!

I can't wait to play this!

@MarioBrickLayer The original release window was Summer 2021 and was delayed to Holiday 2021 last July, there's been no announcements about it since (not even a delay to 2022).

@SushiRoll @Grumblevolcano Sorry! I thought the trailer was from earlier this year not 2021!

@MarioBrickLayer You’re good, but yea unfortunately it was meant to release in Summer of 2021, then it got delayed until Holiday of 2021, and that’s long past and we haven’t heard anything about it

@SushiRoll I’m glad you like it so much! It’s also one of my favorites. I have a feeling that they might not be mentioning it just so they don’t have to commit to a release date.

I ended up getting this on PS4 about a month ago and beating it in a couple weeks. It's simultaneously one of the coolest and most frustrating games I've ever played. Definitely not a game for everyone. I won't ever play it again, but I will always cherish the memories of playing it.

Personally, I never care about story in games, so that part was a total miss for me. But the sense of exploration and discovery was incredible. I played through the whole game with my kids watching, which I think greatly enhanced the experience since it felt like we were on a journey together (and they actually gave me ideas on how to solve some things). I don't know that I would have enjoyed it nearly as much just playing on my own.

I do feel like it's a game everyone should try, just because if you enjoy it, you'll probably enjoy it a LOT. And there's nothing quite like it that I've ever experienced.

@sketchturner Same here, I don’t think I’ll ever play it again, as much as I love it. It’s a game meant to be experienced once, since there’s no point to replay after that.

But yeah I agree that it’s a game that everyone should play. Not everyone is going to love it but it should at least be something you experience.

Crazy to think this thread has been silent for over a year... Well no more! Outer Wilds: Archaeologist Edition is FINALLY coming to the Switch eShop on December 7th.

It also includes the fantastic Echoes of the Eye DLC as a bonus! We'll also be getting a physical release of the game in 2024.

@StarPoint I might get it.
Can you give me a spoiler free summary of the game though?
Like does it have story, is it easy, is it short, things like that.

@GalaxicGlobe Sure!

Yes, it does have a story and a really good one at that. Without getting too detailed, the main loop of the game is trying to uncover the mysteries of the universe you're in. There's an absolutely massive amount of lore and history to the world, and all of it goes towards solving one large mystery. You also interact with a lot of NPCs who help you out along the way as well. You explore multiple planets, all of which have a ton of rich history and secrets to discover.

In terms of pure gaming skill, Outer Wilds requires basically none of that. It's pretty easy to control, and there's very little platforming present. The most difficult thing to get down is controlling your ship. But once you do, there's practically nothing in terms of actual gameplay that's challenging. The main challenge comes from piecing clues and hints together and trying to decipher how things relate to each other, and where to go from there. Thankfully, there's a great system in place to help you make sure you don't forget anything important and don't get too lost. It's about as non-linear of a game as they come, as the main form of progression comes from using the knowledge you've gained to solve puzzles. It's been unofficially coined a "Metroidbrainia" game.

In terms of game length, I don't want to give a definitive answer as it kind of depends on how long it takes each person to solve puzzles and piece together information. A rough ballpark, though, probably anywhere from about 16 to 20 hours in length.

Killing me they didn't give a release date for the physical.