The 85 OpenCritic Open-World Game That Puts a Premium on Discovery Instead of Checklists (coughUbisoftcough)

Open-world games have continued to grow in popularity for the past two decades, but that doesn’t mean they always nail the formula. I am particularly picky about open-world games. When open exploration is nailed, it can make for a truly incredible experience. A few of my favorites over the years have been No Man’s Sky, The Witcher 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Some of the best open-world games of the past decade have focused solely on allowing for exploration instead of checklists, which is a problem that a lot of Ubisoft games, specifically, have faced over the years. It’s not that the Ubisoft formula is necessarily bad, it’s just overly repetitive. There is one particular game that continues to be a masterclass in what free exploration should look like, though: Outer Wilds.

Developed by Mobius Digital, Outer Wilds‘ story packs a lot into a simple premise. Players are let loose to explore a planetary system as they see fit, but there’s one twist. The world is stuck in a 22-minute time loop. So, once time is up, the main character is transported back to where they started. The protagonist is a member of their society’s space program, and it’s up to them to get to the bottom of this strange time loop. This requires a lot of open-ended exploration in short bursts of time, and it’s still one of the best uses of an open world in gaming.

In Outer Wilds, Every Single Minute Counts

22 minutes isn’t a lot of time to find new pieces of Outer Wilds‘ puzzle, but that’s what makes it so much fun. Players progress through the story based on how their journey guides them, and this can quickly take the protagonist to some surprising areas and planets. Alien structures, hidden caves, storms, and unlocking secret passages reveal unexpected paths that need to be cherished before time runs out. Outer Wilds‘ exploration doesn’t hold players’ hands, either. Gamers who enjoy objectives may find its exploration odd or daunting at first, but it’s a world well worth jumping into headfirst.

There is No Right or Wrong Path in Outer Wilds

Whatever path a player chooses is the right direction to go. It’s incredibly freeing once you allow the game to lead you. Letting go and fully accepting Outer Wilds‘ gameplay loop requires players not to think too hard about where they’re going and instead to embrace the journey, which is a lot easier said than done. This is truly genuine exploration, though. No markers or checkpoints are needed. Just like in real life, the character can simply go wherever they please and uncover unexpected gems along the way. Puzzles in Outer Wilds can pop up out of nowhere, often with only minutes to figure them out. It’s not only sweat-inducing for such a peaceful game, but immersive, too. It really helps put players in the shoes of the protagonist as the mission to solve the time loop becomes far more complicated with each discovery.

Image via Annapurna Interactive

Outer Wilds’ Open World Brings an Awe-Inspiring Mystery to Life

The biggest issue with the Ubisoft checklist formula is that it keeps its games’ worlds from feeling fully believable. Of course, games like Ghost of Tsushima have a similar checklist-like pathway, but that game does enough differently that the objectives blend in better with the environment and story. For example, in Ghost of Tsushima, the wind guides Jin to his next location. With many Ubisoft games, players have to follow markers and an immersion-breaking UI. It’s hard to get lost in the world when markers are taking up the screen. Granted, Assassin’s Creed Shadows was an improvement, but Skull and Bones was overkill.

Outer Wilds forcing players to learn as they go means there’s no way to know which way a path is going to take the main character. Because of this, the world truly feels lived in. Players are experiencing every moment at the same time as the character, instead of knowing what the next objective is going to be. Open-world games without maps are hard to effectively pull off, but Outer Wilds‘ time loop ultimately helps its directionless approach be less intimidating and more comforting.

One of Outer Wilds‘ most charming mechanics is the Signalscope. This device works as both a signal receiver and a telescope. Throughout the main character’s exploration, it can be used to pick up the signal of other travelers across the solar system, specifically the music they play. Music plays a vital role in Outer Wilds, and the Signalscope can bring these signals together to form a cohesive song.

Once Outer Wilds’ Puzzle is Pieced Together, Players Get to Experience a Rewarding and Thought-Provoking End-Game

This is a spoiler-free Outer Wilds article, but the time-limited exploration eventually has an awe-inspiring finale. Trying to make sense of everything can be a little overwhelming at first. But by the end of the game’s story, Outer Wilds‘ main theme is made clear in a mind-bending conclusion that will have the player contemplating existence itself. Even if there were markers and hand-holding along the way, it would still be a beautiful ending. However, the fact that players really have to work for the conclusion by figuring it out themselves is what makes Outer Wilds so much more rewarding than the average open-world game.

There have been some great open-world puzzle games over the years, but Outer Wilds uses it not only as a way to encourage exploration, but also to tell a heartfelt story that stays in players’ minds for days after finishing it. Without the exploration, the story may simply not have had the same impact. Outer Wilds‘ narrative leaves a mark that a lot of Point-A-to-Point-B objective-based gameplay simply lacks. True exploration is what makes an open world worth spending hours in. Outer Wilds‘ time loop may only allow players to explore 22 minutes at a time, but it makes every moment feel meaningful.

Of course, a completely free world may not be for everyone. Some prefer marking off checklists and completing objectives. However, for those who want to experience a beautiful exploration-based mystery, Outer Wilds‘ unique gameplay demonstrates that it’s an open-world game in its purest form.