2019 saw the release ofmany great games that went largely unnoticed by playersdistracted by more hyped titles likeCall of Duty: Modern Warfare,Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, andDeath Stranding. Such was the case forOuter Wilds, an indie adventure game from Mobius Digital that has drawn acclaim by those who have played it for its deep world full of things to discover, something the game’s creators attribute to a classic of exploration-heavy franchises:The Legend of Zelda.
At first glance, the open-ended sci-fi title might not have that much in common with theZeldaseries and its plot-driven high-fantasy adventures, but both encourage and reward players forgoing off the intended path and seeing what secrets there are to discoverin the games’ worlds. This is especially the case forOuter Wilds, where much of the game’s progression is tied to what players learn about the solar system they get to explore.
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This aspect in particular took its inspiration from one of themore noteworthyLegend of Zeldatitles, 2003’sThe Wind Waker. In a documentary aboutOuter Wildson YouTube channel Noclip, co-creative lead Alex Beachum explained how he was inspired by a photographer’s gallery players can come across in that game, wherein they can find various photos. “They’re all taken, they’re all actual photos taken from real locations in the game,” he explained. “It’s cool because you see a photo and you’re like, ‘wow, I wonder what this weird statue is,’ and he will, like, tell you where he took the photo. And so if you’re curious, you may go check it out, but the game isn’t telling you to do that.”
Beachum also cited anotherZeldagame as an influence onOuter Wilds, though for less flattering reasons. That game, 2011’sSkyward Sword, cut down on much of the series’ classic exploration to focus on a more linear progression for its story, combat, and puzzle-solving, a move Beachum decried as “emblematic of just all the things that… pain me to see theZeldaseries doing.” As such,Outer Wildswas designed to some extent to be the exact opposite of that, a game where wandering around is pivotal and the pursuit of knowledge is the key goal, instead of simply defeating enemies.
The result is a game that should easily scratch the adventure itch forZeldafans whose fondest gaming memories included sailing acrossThe Wind Waker’s Great Sea and traversingBreath of the Wild’s open-world version of Hyrule. It’s a shame then that more people haven’t heard aboutOuter Wilds, though that could be because theyconfused it for the similarly-named action-RPGThe Outer Worlds. Hopefully, with time people will start to realize the difference.
Outer Wildsis available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
