Outer Wilds: Archaeologist Edition is the best chance Nintendo Switch players have at experiencing a truly innovative game, albeit one that isn’t best presented on Nintendo’s little console that could. There’s quite a lot stacked against Outer Wilds thanks to how quickly it lets players do what they want and the clunkiness of the early game. Acquired tastes aside, it’s worth a try and even worth to complete. That said, if you want the best experience, you’re probably better off choosing the PC/XB/PS versions.
Space games are all the rage this year. It should be little surprise that Bethesda’s Starfield is probably at the forefront of players’ minds when you mention space travel and exploration. In its current state, some players ardently believe that it hasn’t yet reached its true potential in giving players the agency they deserve to simply explore and find something truly spectacular among the stars. It might be too big, too empty, or even too incomplete, but other games scratch the exploration itch quite well. They’re just…under the surface of breaking news articles that make their way to the front page of Reddit.
You needn’t look too far back in the archives to realize that Outer Wilds has quite a lot of what players hope to experience while playing a space-forward RPG. But Outer Wilds is not an RPG. It’s an adventure game that was originally released in 2019…and now it’s available on the Nintendo Switch along with its DLC.
Prior to writing this review, I took a gander at fellow Chump Eric’s initial coverage of Outer Wilds (XB). In it, he praises Mobius Digital’s stab at worldbuilding and roguelike exploration. Indeed, Outer Wilds exceeds in both these things, but I disagree with the notion of the game positioning its story in such a fashion that connects the player to its universe, encouraging them to do more. The story is obfuscated behind a dense veil of mystery and impermanence that interrupts players’ flow and requires them to backtrack before an inevitable doom.
Look, it’s totally fine for Eric and I to disagree on some of the intricacies of Outer Wilds, especially when attempting to evaluate it for review. We’re human beings, and disagreements imply that we evaluate games differently. Our experiences with the game are assuredly different. This doesn’t mean that either of our perspectives are wrong; our differing perspectives give you the opportunity to peek behind the veil to see what might be appealing to players versus what could (and should) be overlooked in the evaluation process. Regardless, I’m quite firm in my belief that Outer Wilds is a good game to consider playing if you truly want to play something new.
It’s just frustrating.
The first few hours of getting to know Outer Wilds’ planets, four-eyed aliens, and the extinct Nomai are nothing short of clunky. The first time I died, I thought I did something wrong. But I didn’t – I quickly learned that just like in real life, my character was a fragile being with only a blip of time to explore the world and figure out the secrets of the cosmos. Unlike real life, Outer Wilds gave me second, third, fourth, fifth, and so many more chances to continue exploring in my rickety crickety ship that I always ended up crash landing on a new planet. Yes, it was always a crash landing. No, in my 10 hours of playing, I could not perfect my interstellar space travel.
The Nintendo Joy-Cons’ joysticks did not assuage my journeys. Navigating with them proved to be exercises in patience and futility as I attempted to move about, jettisoning myself through space and around planets. The ship’s autopilot killed me once by setting my trajectory through the sun. This might be part of the learning experience with Outer Wilds, but it remains rough. I would have hoped that there could have been some UI improvements to accommodate the Switch’s controller shortcomings, not become exacerbated by them.
The Switch is not known to excel in graphical fidelity. Despite Outer Wilds being a relatively low-poly title, it looks and feels rough around the edges compared to footage recorded on other consoles and the PC. Some frame drops are to be expected, alongside with pixel blur and minor object clipping.
Getting the graphical drawbacks and controller limitations out of the way, Outer Wilds is worth trying if you haven’t already. In the past year, we’ve been treated to Starfield and The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition as RPGs that boast interstellar experiences with branching paths. These games gave me illusions of intergalactic choice. Outer Wilds separates itself from the pack by doing the bare minimum to get players up to speed on how to play, complete its puzzles, and explore its world. Instead of being told what to do, Outer Wilds allowed me to explore however I wanted; if I found something, I had the ability to proceed full speed ahead without being veered off course by restrictive gameplay loops and immersion-breaking game design choices.
Its playstyle and design will be appealing to specific kinds of players. As someone who prefers firmer hand-holding at the start of a game and firmer objectives before allowed off-leash, Outer Wilds felt overwhelming and confusing in the sense that I didn’t know what to do for quite a bit of time. Okay, I think I solved a puzzle on one planet…now what do I do? Where should I go next?
Usually, those questions are answered by me dying in-game from a failed jump, crash landing, or another existential hazard that wipes my current run and brings me back to my home world. Then I can go somewhere else. Maybe I’ll come across something new because of how in-game events emerge at very specific times, or maybe I’ll retrace my steps in an attempt to scour my previous runs in an attempt to find something I’ve missed.
Either way, Outer Wilds is interesting. It takes some time to take off, but it’s worth sticking with it to experience a storytelling experience like none other. You’ve probably noticed that I’ve been vague with describing its gameplay loop, story, and more: This is intentional. The less you know about Outer Wilds, the more it could delight and surprise you. I was fortunate to have insulated myself from spoilers despite the game being initially released in 2019. Now that I’m in the reviewer’s seat, it’s up to me to ensure that I spoil as little as possible.
I say all of this because, if you end up loving Outer Wilds, you’ll thank me for avoiding some of its best moments. And, if you enjoy the game to the point of completing it, you should be pleased to know that Archaeologist Edition comes with the Echoes of the Eye DLC that gives you more to explore and enjoy.
Outer Wilds: Archaeologist Edition is the best chance Nintendo Switch players have at experiencing a truly innovative game, albeit one that isn’t best presented on Nintendo’s little console that could. There’s quite a lot stacked against Outer Wilds thanks to how quickly it lets players do what they want and the clunkiness of the early game. Acquired tastes aside, it’s worth a try and even worth to complete. That said, if you want the best experience, you’re probably better off choosing the PC/XB/PS versions.
