Outer Wilds released in 2019 on PC (through the Epic Games Store) and consoles, and it’s just launched on Steam. Having been nominated for multiple Game of the Year awards (and winning some of them), it’s our turn to weigh in on why you should play this game. That said, this is going to be a bit tricky. Outer Wilds is a breathtaking experience as much as it is an excellent game, and the less you know about it before starting out, the better. So, without delving too deeply into the details, let’s get to it.
You play as an unnamed space explorer from the sylvan planet of Timber Hearth, and you start the game by waking up on the day of your first solo space mission. You’re tasked with exploring the solar system and seeking knowledge wherever you can; and you’re also told to check in with the other astronauts that have preceded you, should you happen to go their way. What you discover sets you on a journey following in the footsteps of an extinct alien race called the Nomai, trying to make sense of the mystery that’s befallen your system.
You’ll encounter frequent setbacks but each time you’ll start out with a couple of more pieces of the puzzle; and, eventually, the fragments will start to come together to form a fascinating look at those who went before. Games like Outer Wilds live or die based on how well they bring their story to life, and how well they bring their world to life. We’ll come to the latter soon enough, but the story is the driving force it needs to be — you’ll read the words left by these long-dead aliens, and there is a genuine sense of kinship that forms as you find out what happened to them.
Outer Wilds is an indie game, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from the graphics. There are more than a few genuinely beautiful scenes you’ll encounter over the course of the game but, more than that, the visuals always provide a grounded sense of place. From the scrawled post-it notes stuck around your spaceship to the little touches scattered about your home village, everything contributes to the general sense of immersion. As for the music, it really deserves multiple paragraphs to itself, but let’s just say that it is one of the most beautiful gaming soundtracks out there.
To be perfectly honest, Outer Wilds is one of the best games I’ve played in recent years, worthy of being named in the same breath as God of War or Red Dead Redemption 2. Genre-wise, it’s probably closer to Portal/Portal 2, but that’s equally illustrious company. It really is that good, that much more than the sum of its parts, and everyone should give it a try.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
One of the best PlayStation exclusives is no longer exclusive — the excellent Horizon: Zero Dawn is coming to PC on August 7. Perfect timing, as a whole new wave of players can experience Aloy’s story before the sequel comes out later this year.
Valorant
Valorant, a free-to-play FPS from Riot Games, released over a month ago. Featuring a blend of the team-based plant-and-defuse gameplay of Counterstrike and the superpower-charged formula of Overwatch, it’s been a success so far and is set to be another feather in Riot’s cap.
Subnautica
Subnautica came out in 2014, but I’ve only just gotten around to trying it out and it’s been a lot of fun. It’s an underwater exploration and survival game, featuring one of the most gorgeous sub-ocean simulations I’ve seen, and it’s definitely one to check out.
Arjun Sukumaran
(Arjun is a gamer, book lover and an all-round renaissance man)