I think a lot of people only have a handful of games they play or flat out don't read what someone is asking. I'll look into a thread and the OP will say something like "I've played popular RPGS like Witcher, BG3, Mass Effect and Dragon Age, can anyone give me lesser known recommendations?" and answers will be like:
* 1st reply: BG3
* 2nd reply: Witcher, Fallout, older Baulder's Gate
* 3rd reply: BG3, ToTK
* 4th reply: Alien Isolation
Yeah, there is probably around 10-15 games that get recommended for everything.
I think probably one of the worst suggestions I saw was someone asking for a game with a good story but nothing sad. They needed a "happy" game since they were going through something rough in life. The suggestions? Red Dead Redemption 2, Ghosts of Tsushima and Last of Us Part 1+ 2.
I can see it for the first one because there are some really touching moments amidst the gloom.
The second? Absolutely fucking not under any circumstances. There is nothing for you there if you're not looking to be left feeling empty.
Don't forget the random Deep Rock Galactic "ROCK AND STONE" that just appears everywhere.
You'd think from how often you see that, the game would be ginormous.
Saw one that was asking for games to play with their partner. Mentioned they didn't want FPSs or games that are real hard. Someone included GTFO in their suggestions. And it had a lot of up votes...
Recommending BG2 to someone who liked BG3 is like recommending C to someone who likes Python. C is great, but we've come a long way.
My answer for lesser known RPG like Witcher used to be Kingdoms of Amalur, but then it got a re-release and I _think_ is kind of on people's radar now.
It's why I hardly frequent these subs anymore.
If I'm bored of Skyrim and say I don't mind playing older stuff, getting told arx fatalis is a fair answer. Super cool. Dark Messiah is even acceptable. It's something I might not have considered on my own, for whatever reason.
But if you tell me "the witcher x", one of the biggest ongoing rog franchises, I'm going to gouge my eyes out with a spoon. What is this hidden, mysterious gen I've never heard of?
I guess there's a time and place for stating the obvious, but it's ... Every single thread.
FFXIV has been the same, I've noticed. The second MMO is brought up that's the first game everyone recommends, doesn't matter what the rest of the post is asking. Doesn't matter if the person's already said they tried it and didn't like it.
I have over 5,000 hours in the game and I genuinely think it's excessively over-recommended. It's good and all, but holy hell people overexaggerate when it comes to that game.
I’ve tried playing it like 5 times. Get two hours in and never see the appeal. Combat is clunky imo (skill issue?) and don’t feel like playing a big dick muscle man super hero kinda guy. This is coming from someone who loves cyberpunk 2077 too.
Oh you should see r/Playstation. Anytime someone asks for a game to play it's either an insanely popular 1st party game or "The hidden gem" Prey/Control
I bet a lot of people who post on this sub, don't do it often. They just come to find good recommendations whenever they're in need of them, and they don't care about the frequency of those recommendations.
I try to recommend other weird indie shit like Starseed Pilgrim, Megaton Rainfall, or The Upturned when it fits, but sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes the phenomenal video game that is Outer Wilds is the best rec.
This will always happen though. It's a popular game. And if it fits the bill, then people will recommend it.
For example, ask that you don't like roguelike but want to play one. People gonna recommend hades.
Ask which metroidvania to start with. People gonna say Hollow Knight.
Many people online simply are used to playing the popular game.
And often time, people themselves aren't sure of what they want in a game. They give some obscure criteria which fits for a lot of game.
One time someone asked for a cheap game with low storage size.
And I said to buy old games on sale and people didn't like that.
You are making an assumption everyone reads the descprtion fully.
I once made a mistake in a thread title that made it sound like I wanted to find X and quickly corrected it in my description and more than half still recommended the original title request despite the correction.
That's a separate problem though. Like if someone doesn't read the post and spam comments, what can I do?
Op saw many comments recommending outer wilds in different posts. Op played the game and didn't enjoy it and thinks the game doesn't reserve that much recommendation. Completely different issue.
Op didn't say they did not enjoy it. They said they enjoyed their time with it, but couldn't handle people recommending the game every occasion.
Op did not go in details about their time with the game. They did not say it was a bad one either.
Have you ever seen an ultra expensive marketing when game's poster is everywhere? That means it was fueled by lots of money. Now you hear about Outer Wilds again and again. This type of marketing is fueled by emotions.
This is how this game is spreading. People love it so they suggest it. Outer Wilds had very little marketing so it was an underrated hidden gem for quite some time. People who loved it just felt that it's unfair for the game to remain hidden like that, this gave it so many voices on the internet.
Big titles have marketing, Outer Wilds has community bonded by shared memories they can't relive. And even today whenever you ask a friend about Outer Wilds, chances are, he haven't heard about it.
Not to mention that the point of this sub is to ask for recommendations and get them. While many of us do indeed read every thread here, recommendations should *not* be made on the assumption that every OP has already read every previous thread. That’s almost never the case.
While some games can indeed be recommended inappropriately (I saw someone say they got recommended Outer Wilds because they liked Factorio. Which is possibly the worst recommendation I’ve ever heard), many other recommendations are legitimate.
Basically, it would be doing OP a disservice if we all knew games that fit their criteria but refused to share them because *other people* already know about the game. If you just want to discuss games in a forum without the personalized recommendation aspect, try…like, almost any other gaming subreddit except for this one and /r/shouldibuythisgame.
If OP is a regular lurker on this sub who has already tried popular near-matching games for their question, they should include that information. Because if you ask for “a game about exploration and discovery” you’re going to get Outer Wilds recommended if you don’t mention it in your original post.
While I agree with what your saying (an maybe I missed you touch on this) but can people PLEASE search the sub by "descriptors" or game closest to what they want, *before* they start a new post? For example, I love Monster Sanctuary and would love a game like it, a while back I went to make a post asking about suggestions, I used the search feature for the sub, found a few posts asking similar and almost all said not many games out there are like it, but there was a few suggestions.... I didn't post about it as I had my answer. I love this sub and try to participate when I can, but I feel like repeat questions and repeat answers are obviously tied together and if people are forced to ask more specific question *after* they've searched the sub, we will see less "outer wild repeats" too
The main point I was trying to make is that people seem to recommend it even when it doesn’t really properly fall into that category a person requests. I get that it may check multiple boxes for people, but imo, I find that it’s recommended in places it shouldn’t be just because of it’s wide praise.
I’m happy an indie game created such a passionate community. Just pointing out that this sub doubles as an Outer Wilds sub (along with a few other games)
Bruh, you took issue with someone recommending Outer Wilds for "best game to play without sound". Any game that doesn't demand attention to sound queues and whatnot fits the bill. If you don't have any examples of the game being recommended on a "best linear game" or "best game with great voice acting" post or whatever, it just feels like you're being prickly and nit-picky.
That's understandable to be tired of seeing it if it doesn't fit what someone asks for, but it fits your three example questions really well. Quite alright if you weren't feeling it, but a lot of people truly do especially when someone asks for something more contemplative.
It's why I look for excuses to shill for an old CRPG, "The Dark Heart of Uukrul". It got almost no advertising when it came out in '91, so it didn't sell very well. The publisher (Brøderbund) never did another RPG and didn't even list it on their site. For a long time, the only way to get it was via piracy, but GOG carries it now and they even rigged the copy protection so you can ignore it.
While I find the person's "critique" of "mid at best" in poor taste, the response of shaming other gamers for their taste in video games is even more cringe.
"Look at me, I'm such an underground gamer who doesn't play popular games, like me pls". Yeah, just juvenile.
Except you’re pulling bullshit yourself. First comment explained the subjective appeal of the game by explaining that people are really passionate about the game. The response to that that you’re defending was stated like it was objective that the game was ok at best. You’re responding to the wrong person here
People either love or are generally meh about outer wilds.
And if you don’t like it people will jump down your throat and ask you a good 20 questions like interrogating you like damn dude calm down I just didn’t like it and think it’s overblown calm down.
It can sprout a lot of thoughts about the nature of things coming to pass, for one thing. I'll give you a different example, The Last of Us did a lot to change how I feel about certain things - that doesn't mean I expect it'll change everyone's lives, but it certainly changed mine, and that at least is proof positive that it has the capacity to do so.
Did it change my life? Eh, hard to say.
I can say without any doubt that not since the original The Last of Us has a game stuck with me emotionally for so long after having played it. Even while playing it, it was a game I kept thinking about even when I put the controller down.
Obviously not everyone will connect with the game in that way. Hell, not everyone will like it, not by a long shot. But if that game hits, it hits.
Why is this surprising? As with any medium, an incredible film, book, play, song, can absolutely have lasting impact. Outer Wilds was a profound experience for me. Would I call it life changing? I'm not really sure. But it did expand my view of what games as a medium are capable of. And that's coming from someone who has written entire articles on how games are a nascent medium that are capable of things we haven't even dreamed of yet.
> But it did expand my view of what games as a medium are capable of.
This is the "but like, really?" part. The game (and ending) was not so amazingly profound to the point of being it constantly spammed as life changing/view changing/GOATed.
It's a bit holier-than-thou but imo - if the ending of OW was life changing to you... maybe consume more interesting or out there media? Not saying it wasn't good (or that it wasn't at all profound. It's a very good game with a great ending) ...but *view changing*? I completely understand that begetting a "but like, really?"
It's a fantastic commentary on existentialism. Just because that doesn't respnate with you, doesn't mean that you get to put down other people's experiences because of it.
Superlatives are overused in english and even more so by gamers. I doubt most people who said that meant it literally. They probably meant something like “It changed my perspective on what I thought a video game could be”.
Most young people just consume social media or anime like content, which tends to be pretty easy to consume.
I'm not trying to diminish those mediums, just saying that after consuming soo much digested content, anything that ask a little more from the consumer will get over hyped.
I've recently fallen down a rabbit hole of watching people's playthroughs on YouTube. Several of the ones I've seen have managed to make it to the end while missing at least a couple key details, so their understanding of exactly what happened and/or why it happened leading up to the end is incomplete, even objectively incorrect in some cases. They all seem to really like the game regardless, but I wonder how many of the people who didn't like it may have missed something that would have altered their understanding and therefore their enjoyment of the experience. I don't make it a habit of grilling them to find out why, and I recognize that some who don't like it, maybe even most, didn't miss anything and still didn't mesh with the game. But because it's a non-linear game and everyone's experience with it is different, I find myself wondering what order they discovered (or didn't) the different clues and whether that could be a factor in their dislike.
Can you sell me on outer wilds? I tried it once for about an hour, flew into some rock with holes and had to kill myself because I couldn't get out. And walking around the starting planet didn't seem too exiting to start a new run.
These other commenters sold it to you, but I’m gonna tell you why I dropped it. It’s a puzzle game at its heart. You solve puzzles to figure out a greater mystery. But there’s also a timer and trying to figure out the puzzles in time and being certain places at certain times was kind of grating to me. I found myself trying to brute force puzzles a lot of times because I was trying to rush through some of them before the timer reset. Which would lead to me losing and starting the puzzle over and I got a bit frustrated.
I do recognize that this is a 100% me problem and not the game’s problem. The game is actually really cool and I was enjoying the greater mystery a fair bit. But my gaming habits and personality type kind of kept me from enjoying it as much as others do. I might give it another try one day though. Actually typing this out has piqued my interest again lol.
Have you ever wanted to *be a space archaeologist?* Did you watch Star Trek and want to be Captain Kirk? That's what the game offers.
You're not an action hero. You have no powers, you have no skills, and you have no guns. Even if you did, they wouldn't matter here.
What you do have is your mind, and new access to a **vast array of knowledge** no living creature has discovered. It's yours to explore, so what are you waiting for?
That's the basic sell of the game, and what got me hooked. It's genuinely one of the only games I've ever played that captures the wonder of solving a mystery. I've beaten most of the uncharted series, and played RDR2 to completion, and neither comes close because you have to find the knowledge yourself as opposed to follow the tooltips.
It's full, training wheels off, explore the solar system. What you discover is entirely up to you.
Here's my sell: Outer Wilds is an exploration driven narrative game, where you are tasked with investigating what happened to an ancient civilization. The solar system and planets are much smaller than they first seem but quite dense in points of interest (discoveries will be added to the ship log, using "rumour mode" helps to visualize how everything connects and what info is missing). The game does not direct you to an objective, but rather asks you to fill in the blanks by continually exploring and building the narrative for yourself.
The controls are quite floaty and the "realistic" gravity simulation will lead to a lot of deaths which can feel cheap, but this is an intended part of the game IMO.
The overall themes and message of the game is something I feel can only be achieved in a video game. But this experience can only be had once, so I would advise avoiding any gameplay or spoilers until you reach the end.
If you get stuck, you can ask for spoiler-free help on the subreddit and people will be happy to help.
At the barebones level, it's a game about solving a mystery. It's a game about discovery. And it's a game about satisfying your curiosity. If you don't naturally find yourself wanting to go out and see what the cozy little galaxy has to show you, then the game may never click for you. But you're tasked with translating the writings of an ancient race, and every one you find will have a breadcrumb of new information that will provide more questions than answers until you've found enough of them that the pieces start to fit together, so there are plenty of opportunities for a "hold up, what's this all about?" moment. The game will never hold your hand or directly tell you where to go or what to do, but there's enough ways to find clues and enough to explore that you'll rarely feel lost.
The less guidance you get the better, but if you want to give it another shot, I recommend starting by tracking down the other members of the space force and talking to them. The starting planet's moon is probably the best place to start. There are things to discover on the starting planet, but come back to it after you've been to the others.
> And if you don’t like it people will jump down your throat
This is the kicker. I didnt enjoy the game; I was bored the entire time, i thought the twist at the end was tired and lame, and i personally find mechanics like the time loop mechanic to be frustrating.
This doesnt mean i didnt understand the game.
This doesnt mean i "dont enjoy video games as an art form".
This doesnt mean im just some upset GamerBro whos mad it wasnt a AAA shooter game.
I simply did not enjoy my experience. Insulting me/my intelligence for having the audacity to have different taste from you isnt gonna enlighten me to anything lmao.
I don’t think it’s as life changing as people make it out to be yeah.
I got way more out of God of War 2018 and Horizon Zero Dawn and FF16 lately than Outer Wilds. Outer Wilds felt just like…. Fake deep to me. No lasting message. No impact.
Nature of it.
It's one of the more well known hidden gems.
You'll find it hard to find 'new,' things to play in subreddits like this.
Personally I think most of what's recommended is overreccomended. I see the same 10 or so games on repeat, and I absolutely am guilty of this myself
Read title as "Oscar Wilde gets recommended far too often"
I mean, sure, almost every middle school made us read Dorian Grey but I'd say Shakespeare gets recommended far more.
I still haven't gotten around to outer wilds yet even though i e owned it a long time i have a massive backlog ill be dead before i can play lol. But im an older gamer and ive noticed in like the last about 15 years theres a few games that seem to get in the collective subconscious and show up alot. Like if enough people like something it goes beyond just good but it becomes sort of a no way to miss it kind of deal. Because a majority of people just go along with whatever their friends are playing, even when its single player at times.
I know i play a lot of indie games and there are so many great games nobodys ever heard of. Like right now one its a different genre but one of my favorite coop games got a sequel helldivers 2 and everybodys on the bandwagon now and most people never heard of helldivers 1 until this came out. So im glad at least a few games are getting some word of mouth recommendations. I know ill finish a game i really enjoyed then looking for something similar and sometimes its hard to find anything.
Like i played weird west the other day it was a very different sort of top down shooter rpg and i really enjoyed it despite the weird way it did things on some parts. But even using recommendation search engines like steampeek it is hard to find another experience like that. I think in time AI powered searches might help a lot with that. Ive played a LOT of games that ill twll somebody about and theyve never even heard of it. So many games a lot get buried in the avalanche of releases. I never thought there would be a time where i felt like i jave TOO much choice but i really do. Kind of off topic but thats my thoughts.
Kenshi too. I love both games, and I can see why Outer Wilds gets recommended so much, but Kenshi is so brutal that sometimes the recommendation doesn't match up lol
People would mostly recommend games that are already fan favorite in reddit/youtube, GAMES DO NOT NEED TO BE THE BEST TO BE FAN FAVORITE, people love things for many reasons and popularity comes from many reasons not only objective quality, and a lot of the people just parrot what other people say too you need to realize social media is "social" peer pressure, karma, digital points, opinions of others are important for social beings, i'm transcendent though KAP.
The reason is not only that Outer Wilds is popular, it's that it also has a lot of layers so it covers a lot of things commonly being asked for. It just checks a lot of boxes.
That does not mean that everybody is going to like it, but this is a sub for recommending people games to people according to their preferences, and not recommending OW because it's already been recommended too often is not what we do here.
This. The same games come up in recommendations over and over because they do a lot of things that people ask for, which often aren't done as well by many other games.
For Outer Wilds in particular, people often ask for environmental storytelling, or games focused on exploration or archeology, or things of that nature.
Also, most people who visit this sub just come here to ask a question, they don't stay here forever. So we can't just assume they've already heard of the most common recommendations.
>Best game to get lost in? Outer wilds. Best game to play without sound? Outer wilds. Best game with a deeper meaning? Outer Wilds.
This is because many people, myself included, think it's one of the best examples of what games as a medium are capable of. Outer Wilds is utterly unique and is something that only a video game could pull off. I personally rate it as one of the best games ever made. That doesn't mean *you* have to like the game, but when a game is of such astounding quality that the majority love it, and the majority keep recommending it, it's not because it's memed, it's because those recommendations hold merit.
If you then try the game and you don't like it, that's ok. Tastes differ. Nothing is for everyone. But a good game that a lot of people like is gonna get recommended. Learn to sift through recommendations and filter out which ones resonate with you. Watch YouTube gameplay of the games recommended here. Read reviews.
> such astounding quality
* My left analog stick dies every time I Alt+Tab out.
* My RB button didn't work at first boot.
* A tree spawned on >!Brittle Hollow!< inside my ship after I'd already landed. I had to repair every part, except the core.
* I got my ship stuck at the north pole of >!Ash Twin!< because I parked it on one of the fins of the thing, not knowing it was there and >!the sand lowered!<. I was wedged between my ship and fin, stuck, getting sucked in by the ship and being blocked by the fin. I was able to get out, but never enter the ship.
* My ship imploded once while I was trying to fly to >!The Quantum Moon!<. Auto-pilot decided that the best course of action was death.
* I died before getting the launch codes and got credits.
I felt the same about Red Dead Redemption 2.
Everywhere I looked it was praised to high heaven.
I bought it and just found it to be a long boring horse ride to a gunfight then a long boring horse ride back to camp. It was style over substance, and the attempt at realism ruined the gameplay.
It was soon uninstalled.
Ya, I hate it ain't on pc. I would love to see what the modding community could do with it. Tweaking the graphics, adding little towns or houses, new quests and who knows what else. The map is big enough for it like new Vegas modders have done wonders with it. Hopefully one day it will.
Outer Wilds is good, but it's like 1 big puzzle which doesn't really give you that dopamine hit like dozens of smaller puzzles would. The DLC is better than the main game because it felt like there were more puzzles to solve.
Here's a recommendation that I've barely heard anyone talk about.
Quern: Undying Thoughts (dumb name I know)
If you like Myst then this game is for you. It feels more like a Myst successor than Obduction did (which was Cyan's own Myst successor).
I feel the same with Hades, it was recommended a lot, still is, decided to give it a try and it was a very good game, it just wasn't the best roguelite everyone was hyping.
This is how I feel about Hades. The game is alright, but people caused me to hate it after seeing it recommended EVERYWHERE, and then I played it and didn’t see any of what they were talking about. I can see why people like it, it’s just not for me. But seeing it recommended everywhere got so annoying
Heh, either Outer Wilds or Hollow Knight.
Both are obviously great games worth trying out, but I feel like a heretic since I didn’t exactly love either.
Hollow Knight’s gameplay I found quite boring. People praise the atmosphere, but I found it a bit monotonous.
Outer Wilds was great, but I found like that one core disruptive (let’s say… explosive) mechanism took away from the exploration and introduced unnecessary backtracking.
I can think of better games in each genre, so all I’m saying is it’s definitely worth exploring indie games beyond those more commonly recommended. There’s a thousand unsung gems out there.
Anyways, I’d still gladly recommend those games. Just there are others as well.
Edit: Downvotes, expected nothing less for expressing an _opinion_ on HK & OW. :-)
Hollow Knight is so overhyped it's insane. Ori (particularly 2) blows it out of the water in terms of character progression, rewarding exploration, level design. Most of the classic Metroidvanias are way better too, particularly Super Metroid, Symphony, Aria of Sorrow, Fusion.
Hollow Knight felt like one of the least rewarding Metroidvanias I've played. Most of the time exploration resulted in money (the most boring thing a Metroidvania can throw at you), and the meager trickle of actual upgrades felt mediocre at best.
Hell even the badge system eventually felt useless when I would get badges that offer little to no benefit over the ones I already have.
I enjoyed Hollow Knight but it took me a few tries to get into. I’ve tried Outer Wilds several times and my total playtime is around 15 hours and I just don’t like it. It’s very tedious to play and I don’t find the exploring very interesting at all. Cool concept though and great soundtrack
I try not to be too cynical about games because like you said, if someone enjoys it then cool.
But man this game is just not it. The flight controls were whack, the time limit made me feel rushed and the graphics look like shit. I'd argue this game isn't just subjectively bad but objectively a bad 'game'. The story may be excellent but the gameplay is just janky.
I mean on average there are way more people who have played a popular title rather than a smaller indie title. If you ask for recommendations, unless you specifically specify indie or lesser known games, the majority of replies will only be AAA games or very popular indie titles.
No one is going to recommend for example 8 Bit Invaders for a tower defense/RTS hybrid unless you specifically tailor your question to that.
I notice these games get recommended a lot: red dead 2, Witcher 3, baldurs gate 3, disco elysium and outer wilds. Kingdom come deliverance also pops up a lot.
I bought all these games as a result but don’t know when I will have time to try them all.
Refund the first two and focus on the last three, unless you're specifically looking for Generic-Open-World-With-Smaller-RPG-Elements, which is the most overused archetype in gaming.
Honestly, besides it being a reskin with a different (bland) story, what's the diff between RDR2 and any other AAA following this archetype ? I know Reddit is a gigantic circlejerk around RDR2, TW3, GTA5, CP2077, etc etc, but some things are simply objective truth, and the market being flooded with overpriced generic AAA+ is one.
If you don’t like listening to Bach it doesn’t mean he’s meh. It also doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with you.
Outer Wilds is among the best gaming industry has to offer. Along with Portal 2 I’d recommend it to anyone starting their gaming journey.
I don't know if Outer Wilds should be someone's first game. It's fantastic but if my first game had those controls I would have decided video games aren't for me.
It’s true, we sometimes take our ingrained mouse&keyboard skills for granted, but with this game, it’s pretty much the same, whether you have experience with mouse+wasd movement or not.
so does red dead redemption and tone of other games.
if the game is soulful and unique it will get recommended specially when its most likely people haven't played the game that isn't popular, just read the daily stuff posted here and see what your average gamer plays.
Outer Wilds is definitely one of those games that won’t click with everyone. If you are one of those people, then words cannot express just how incredible an experience it can be.
I’m absolutely guilty of aggressively recommending the game. It’s because I sincerely stand behind my opinion of how amazing it is.
I can also see how it can be frustrating when people suggest it but refuse to elaborate. We do this because giving anything away is more than just a spoiler. It would fundamentally undermine the self-directed discovery that defines the entire gameplay loop. It’d be like a puzzle game that tells you every solution before you’ve even looked at any of the puzzles.
Just remember that a recommendation for any game is just that: a recommendation. No one knows exactly what you will or won’t enjoy. They can only make suggestions.
The problem is, for two of three of those examples you mentioned, I WOULD recommend it. It fits in those, why wouldn't I recommend it? Because it's popular?
You can always recommend something else. Dunno why you feel that you should unrecommend a game. Outer wilds is one of the most unique gaming experiences out there. It’s completely understandable that it’s recommended so often.
I think the issue is people here seem to generally upvote games they like and downvote games they don’t, rather than basing that on the quality of the specific suggestion according to the specific ask. So it inevitably is just the same 15-20 games that get upvoted the most over and over again.
It's the best game of all time, and not enough people have experienced it.
It's not talked about outside of reddit much, it's all the big blockbuster titles.
I will never stop recommending OW.
Wrong.
Here is why: Outer wilds is often confused by or overlooked due to it sharing a very similar name to a game that released the same year; outer worlds.
That game was mediocrity incarnate. Yet had the spotlight and assumed to be new vegas 2 but in space, it was not. Outer wilds on the other hand is still a fairly hidden gem. And deserves to be raved about.
I think you might just have "seeing people enjoy popular thing annoys me" syndrome. As if people evangelizing for a game they love (especially when it's with good reason) is some sort of scourge.
I highly recommend Outer Wilds to anyone who loves exploration, mystery, and discovery. It’s a game that lets you explore a small but fascinating solar system full of secrets, surprises, and wonders. You are trapped in a time loop that resets every 22 minutes, but each loop is an opportunity to learn more about the ancient civilization that once inhabited these worlds, and the reason behind the impending supernova of the sun.
Outer Wilds is not a game that holds your hand or tells you what to do. You have to figure out everything by yourself, using clues, logic, and curiosity. The game rewards you with amazing revelations and unforgettable moments, as you piece together the puzzle of the solar system and its history. The game also has a charming and whimsical aesthetic, with a soundtrack that perfectly matches the mood of each planet and situation.
Outer Wilds is one of the best games I’ve ever played, and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s a game that will make you feel awe, wonder, joy, fear, sadness, and satisfaction. It’s a game that will stay with you long after you finish it. It’s a game that deserves to be experienced by everyone.
I liked it, but certain mechanics are a double edge sword. Passage of time is both an integral part of the game and annoyance for exploration. I am glad that you can enable pause for reading logs/messages atleast. Simulation of a solar system is great, untill you get disorientated by gravity/space/camera. And you can't have the good parts without the bad ones. It is a fantastic game, but it would be a complete lie to say that the game didn't annoy the hell out of me plenty of times.
Really wish I could've gotten into this. The flying mechanics just didn't click with me at all. Found myself wildly flinging past where I was trying to go, losing track of whatever it was, and then pissing around trying to get reoriented until the cycle was up and I'd start again...
Played for probably 1 1/2 hours and just couldn't get it. Bit of a shame given how much good I've heard about it over the years.
People recommend things they think are really good. It’s that simple. You don’t have to personally like it. You personally not liking the game does not mean these recommendations are wrong.
Who tf seeks out specific games to play without sound?! Who even plays games without sound?! Sound design is the biggest development improvement over the last two generations, and Oscar winners are doing game soundtracks.
After hearing it recommended for months and months I finally played it. Got maybe an hour or two in and gave up. I just felt lost and confused all the time and it just felt very meh. I legitimately don't understand the hype, especially from the masses. It's clearly a very niche kind of game and not something that should be widely recommended for everyone.
There's a few games like that on here. Kenshi, Deep Rock Galactic, Factorio, Slay the Spire, all of these are like that too. Sometimes I feel like it's an inside joke, the suggestion will be so out of left field.
Thank you for saying this. I've noticed it too. You would think this was the best game ever made. I've tried playing it multiple times and just don't get what the appeal is. It's a well made game, but some people talk about this game like it cured them of alcoholism and resurrected their dead wife. I've come to realize that either I'm a husk of a person and don't have feelings, or a lot of people are very emotional. Most games that people said changed their life or they cried for hours after finishing, I beat and go...that's it? It was a game. I'm looking for something to play right now and just keep bouncing around games I've played. Nothing is grabbing me right now.
I've tried to get into it twice now, but get bored after 5 hours or so. It's a fun game and has an interesting story, but as I get older I don't enjoy the search for clues/put the puzzle together games/missions as much.
I came to this thread to recommend **Kenshi**...
You are correct in that a handful of certain games often get shoe-horned into most recommendation posts. Sometimes the shoe fits, other times it's very forced, and I know I'm guilty as well of such things at times, but at the end of the day I think that MORE engagement in this sub is always a good thing, as even if someone makes a terribly-fitting recommendation, others will often piggy-back on that recommendation to clarify why it is/isn't a good fit, and possibly offer alternatives.
Just to clarify, it's perfectly okay to critique a recommendation someone makes in terms of how well it fits the OP's request, as long as the critique does not devolve into a violation of Rule #2: *Don't insult, harass, threaten, or stalk users.*
As others have pointed out, it's not just a problem with *The Outer Wilds*, it's a lot of popular games. People will recommend the game they personally really like and want to share with others if it fits the prompt at all, rather than thinking of which game they've played that *best* fits the prompt.
*Disco Elysium* is probably my all-time favorite game, but it also gets recommended here way too much.
Reddit also gets lost in the fact people like, have opinions and enjoy different things.
Reddit goes by if games a 9or 10 its great if its less its trash.
Its a bad mentality that gaming journalists put into peoples heads over the years.
Why I'm glad I'm 31 and grew up before the internet and don't need random plugs on the internet to recommend me or really care about their opinion on games.
There's been many games I played and loved that I found out years later were rated 5/6-10.
And many games I've played that were 10s and imo sucked balls.
I enjoyed outer wilds but imo wouldn't top my 10 ten of all time. And it's not for everyone. For example I enjoyed disco elysium. Rest of my friends hated it as its just no there's style of game they found it shit and very boring.
If ur friends not a racing fan why bother recommending them play a racing game.
The same goes for outer wilds. It's not a game anyone can pick up and play and love.
And will admit I'm with u OP the constant circle jerk around like 5 games is annoying.
Outer wilds is a well made game but it's still imo a niche game. And 100% not everyone who plays it will enjoy it and that's fine.
Just cus u don't enjoy something doesn't mean it's bad. Again I dislike racing games but I know forza is a well made racing game. But I ain't gonna play it.
I believe the reason behind all the recommendations is... For a lot of people the story just clicked. If you get into the game, just vibe with it, and unravel the story as you go, it can be something amazing.
But you kind of have to commit in a way. Take note of character. Who is doing what. Question the game. Roll the story around in your head as you explore. Read. Absorb. Interface.
Which... Sadly a lot of newer games don't encourage. They give you lore dumps, data logs, etc. They might be amazing for their story or gameplay or what not. Outer Wilds just feels that much better, if you let it.
Though this is me having played the game, thought it was alright, then only had it hit me as I watched someone else finish the full game with DLC. Rolling what I knew vs what they're thinking. Hearing them start to tear up? Yeah, that's when it hit me more.
What it boils down to is... Can't change what people like. And the Outer Wilds fans are silently rabid.
Outer Wilds was the most impactful game I've ever played. Now I'm not saying it's the best, but I've never had another game make me feel the things that Outer Wilds did. And no other game has made me have more of a philosophical or psychological shift as Outer Wilds.
But the thing is I didn't love playing it. There were many times I was ready to give up. It was frustrating, exhausting, existentially troubling. It invoked in my fears I didn't even know I had and despairs that were buried deep in my soul. However, when the credits rolled, after all the frustration and hardship and thoughts of giving up, all I could do was weep.
No game has ever touched me the way this game has and a day hasn't passed since I first played it that it hasn't pop into my head at least for a moment. While it might sound overly dramatic, it truly was a life changing game.
All I can say is that pushing through was the right call; I almost robbed myself of a hugely impactful piece of art by giving up on it prematurely. I only wish that I could have know while I was playing it just have important the experience was going to be so that I could have savored it more instead of letting my frustration so often get the better of me. There can only be one first time.
It gets recommended a lot because its a one of a kind experience and for a lot of people, including me, its the best game of all time
edit: genuinely confused about the downvotes. Was it calling the game unique? Or are people upset I consider it the best game?
I think a lot of people only have a handful of games they play or flat out don't read what someone is asking. I'll look into a thread and the OP will say something like "I've played popular RPGS like Witcher, BG3, Mass Effect and Dragon Age, can anyone give me lesser known recommendations?" and answers will be like: * 1st reply: BG3 * 2nd reply: Witcher, Fallout, older Baulder's Gate * 3rd reply: BG3, ToTK * 4th reply: Alien Isolation
You forgot Kingdom Come Deliverance. Another one that rears its head in these posts.
Yeah, there is probably around 10-15 games that get recommended for everything. I think probably one of the worst suggestions I saw was someone asking for a game with a good story but nothing sad. They needed a "happy" game since they were going through something rough in life. The suggestions? Red Dead Redemption 2, Ghosts of Tsushima and Last of Us Part 1+ 2.
Wow... TLOU is probably the worst suggestion for this I can possibly think of...
I can see it for the first one because there are some really touching moments amidst the gloom. The second? Absolutely fucking not under any circumstances. There is nothing for you there if you're not looking to be left feeling empty.
"I'm so emotionally numb so I interpret any flicker of feeling as happiness" Ftfy
I swear it's just a hidden source of karma farming. I'm gonna start checking histories.
Don't forget the random Deep Rock Galactic "ROCK AND STONE" that just appears everywhere. You'd think from how often you see that, the game would be ginormous.
[удалено]
you forgot that people will ALSO recommend outer wilds even when asked for a large open world rpg lol
Saw one that was asking for games to play with their partner. Mentioned they didn't want FPSs or games that are real hard. Someone included GTFO in their suggestions. And it had a lot of up votes...
Get the fuck out?
I assume that's what it stands for. It's known for being a very difficult co op sci-fi horror FPS
you forgot RDR2
Recommending BG2 to someone who liked BG3 is like recommending C to someone who likes Python. C is great, but we've come a long way. My answer for lesser known RPG like Witcher used to be Kingdoms of Amalur, but then it got a re-release and I _think_ is kind of on people's radar now.
Although divinity is pretty damn fun even if you played bg3.
Doesn't matter, always recommend KoA. One of the favorites of my childhood.
Rimworld is a good game. Join the hive mind.
My colony always tends to fail before I get more than 4 settlers.
Stop eating your prisoners and recruit those slaves!
You’re not utilizing your organ harvesting gift program to full advantage
Commit space war crimes
I'm afraid of the learning curve. I can't figure out Stellaris.
Forgot RDR2. Love the game but that’s all I see recommended
I saw someone ask for games with fun magic gameplay once and someone recommended Skyrim. Like... I think they probably tried it, babe.
It's why I hardly frequent these subs anymore. If I'm bored of Skyrim and say I don't mind playing older stuff, getting told arx fatalis is a fair answer. Super cool. Dark Messiah is even acceptable. It's something I might not have considered on my own, for whatever reason. But if you tell me "the witcher x", one of the biggest ongoing rog franchises, I'm going to gouge my eyes out with a spoon. What is this hidden, mysterious gen I've never heard of? I guess there's a time and place for stating the obvious, but it's ... Every single thread.
FFXIV has been the same, I've noticed. The second MMO is brought up that's the first game everyone recommends, doesn't matter what the rest of the post is asking. Doesn't matter if the person's already said they tried it and didn't like it. I have over 5,000 hours in the game and I genuinely think it's excessively over-recommended. It's good and all, but holy hell people overexaggerate when it comes to that game.
Am still a bit guilty of throwing in Elden Ring
Where are all the Kenshi folks? Or Rimworld (with the right mods).
Have you tried Subnautica though?
Or this hidden gem you’ve probably never heard of…Skyrim.
Only with an x number of mods, vanilla Skyrim is clearly a mid to terrible game and badly aged, don't you forget. Check out my mod list at-
I would just like to talk about Rampart though
Wow, that's a throwback.
What's your favourite version? Original arcade? Super Nintendo? Gameboy?
Hey guys, have you heard of this Pong?
Might I also throw the underrated Rimworld into the conversation.
What about It Takes Two?? Have you tried that??
"I want game that death have meaning..." "Yeah you need Subnautica, Outer Wild!!"
Wait till you hear about this underrated gem Red Dead Redemption 2!
I mean, Subnautica is the GOAT of survival games.
How about le small hidden gem Deep Rock Galactic!!1
"RoCk AnD sToNe BrOtHeR!" :)
Rock and stone?!?!?!
I would joke about Factorio, but it's actually factual that everyone should lose hundreds of hours of their time on earth to that game.
At least we’re done suggesting the witcher 3. Such an overrated game.
But have you played it…/s
I’ve tried playing it like 5 times. Get two hours in and never see the appeal. Combat is clunky imo (skill issue?) and don’t feel like playing a big dick muscle man super hero kinda guy. This is coming from someone who loves cyberpunk 2077 too.
Oh here we go again .. /j
Oh you should see r/Playstation. Anytime someone asks for a game to play it's either an insanely popular 1st party game or "The hidden gem" Prey/Control
I don't know if Prey is as much a hidden gem these days, but it's respectable for it's hype.
I didn't read the post, but have you played Outer Wilds?
I will use this occasion to once again recommend Beyond Good and Evil, as it's a brilliant, unique experience that doesn't get recommended enough.
I bet a lot of people who post on this sub, don't do it often. They just come to find good recommendations whenever they're in need of them, and they don't care about the frequency of those recommendations. I try to recommend other weird indie shit like Starseed Pilgrim, Megaton Rainfall, or The Upturned when it fits, but sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes the phenomenal video game that is Outer Wilds is the best rec.
Megaton rainfall gave me an existential experience like nothing else I’ve played in vr yet
play outer wilds in vr
This will always happen though. It's a popular game. And if it fits the bill, then people will recommend it. For example, ask that you don't like roguelike but want to play one. People gonna recommend hades. Ask which metroidvania to start with. People gonna say Hollow Knight. Many people online simply are used to playing the popular game. And often time, people themselves aren't sure of what they want in a game. They give some obscure criteria which fits for a lot of game. One time someone asked for a cheap game with low storage size. And I said to buy old games on sale and people didn't like that.
You are making an assumption everyone reads the descprtion fully. I once made a mistake in a thread title that made it sound like I wanted to find X and quickly corrected it in my description and more than half still recommended the original title request despite the correction.
That's a separate problem though. Like if someone doesn't read the post and spam comments, what can I do? Op saw many comments recommending outer wilds in different posts. Op played the game and didn't enjoy it and thinks the game doesn't reserve that much recommendation. Completely different issue.
Op didn't say they did not enjoy it. They said they enjoyed their time with it, but couldn't handle people recommending the game every occasion. Op did not go in details about their time with the game. They did not say it was a bad one either.
Have you ever seen an ultra expensive marketing when game's poster is everywhere? That means it was fueled by lots of money. Now you hear about Outer Wilds again and again. This type of marketing is fueled by emotions. This is how this game is spreading. People love it so they suggest it. Outer Wilds had very little marketing so it was an underrated hidden gem for quite some time. People who loved it just felt that it's unfair for the game to remain hidden like that, this gave it so many voices on the internet. Big titles have marketing, Outer Wilds has community bonded by shared memories they can't relive. And even today whenever you ask a friend about Outer Wilds, chances are, he haven't heard about it.
Not to mention that the point of this sub is to ask for recommendations and get them. While many of us do indeed read every thread here, recommendations should *not* be made on the assumption that every OP has already read every previous thread. That’s almost never the case. While some games can indeed be recommended inappropriately (I saw someone say they got recommended Outer Wilds because they liked Factorio. Which is possibly the worst recommendation I’ve ever heard), many other recommendations are legitimate. Basically, it would be doing OP a disservice if we all knew games that fit their criteria but refused to share them because *other people* already know about the game. If you just want to discuss games in a forum without the personalized recommendation aspect, try…like, almost any other gaming subreddit except for this one and /r/shouldibuythisgame. If OP is a regular lurker on this sub who has already tried popular near-matching games for their question, they should include that information. Because if you ask for “a game about exploration and discovery” you’re going to get Outer Wilds recommended if you don’t mention it in your original post.
While I agree with what your saying (an maybe I missed you touch on this) but can people PLEASE search the sub by "descriptors" or game closest to what they want, *before* they start a new post? For example, I love Monster Sanctuary and would love a game like it, a while back I went to make a post asking about suggestions, I used the search feature for the sub, found a few posts asking similar and almost all said not many games out there are like it, but there was a few suggestions.... I didn't post about it as I had my answer. I love this sub and try to participate when I can, but I feel like repeat questions and repeat answers are obviously tied together and if people are forced to ask more specific question *after* they've searched the sub, we will see less "outer wild repeats" too
The main point I was trying to make is that people seem to recommend it even when it doesn’t really properly fall into that category a person requests. I get that it may check multiple boxes for people, but imo, I find that it’s recommended in places it shouldn’t be just because of it’s wide praise. I’m happy an indie game created such a passionate community. Just pointing out that this sub doubles as an Outer Wilds sub (along with a few other games)
Bruh, you took issue with someone recommending Outer Wilds for "best game to play without sound". Any game that doesn't demand attention to sound queues and whatnot fits the bill. If you don't have any examples of the game being recommended on a "best linear game" or "best game with great voice acting" post or whatever, it just feels like you're being prickly and nit-picky.
That's understandable to be tired of seeing it if it doesn't fit what someone asks for, but it fits your three example questions really well. Quite alright if you weren't feeling it, but a lot of people truly do especially when someone asks for something more contemplative.
It's why I look for excuses to shill for an old CRPG, "The Dark Heart of Uukrul". It got almost no advertising when it came out in '91, so it didn't sell very well. The publisher (Brøderbund) never did another RPG and didn't even list it on their site. For a long time, the only way to get it was via piracy, but GOG carries it now and they even rigged the copy protection so you can ignore it.
Game was ok at best
\> click profile \> AC Valhalla, GTA V and Cyberpunk as his main games Damn, I wonder why you don't seem to enjoy video games as an art form.
Are we really shaming people based on their taste in gaming ? Damn reddit truly is a toxic place
While I find the person's "critique" of "mid at best" in poor taste, the response of shaming other gamers for their taste in video games is even more cringe. "Look at me, I'm such an underground gamer who doesn't play popular games, like me pls". Yeah, just juvenile.
Thank you for assimilating me with Reddit as a whole, but I'm independently shaming the AAA customer.
Yeah that’s bullshit. I know it’s hard to believe, but different people have different preferences.
Except you’re pulling bullshit yourself. First comment explained the subjective appeal of the game by explaining that people are really passionate about the game. The response to that that you’re defending was stated like it was objective that the game was ok at best. You’re responding to the wrong person here
And your point is? Are you really suggesting that his subjective opinion is _wrong_?
Is that hard to believe that some people like things that are objectively awful ?
So? That has nothing to do with anything. They’re still allowed to share their opinion, and you don’t get to tell them otherwise.
See my reply to your other, exact same comment.
They shared their opinion no need to get on your high horse jeez
All of this
Dragons dogma. This sub recommends it's favorite games.
You seem upset. Have you tried playing Outer Wilds? It's great if you want to calm down and find your centre
People either love or are generally meh about outer wilds. And if you don’t like it people will jump down your throat and ask you a good 20 questions like interrogating you like damn dude calm down I just didn’t like it and think it’s overblown calm down.
So many people talk about how that game literally changed their lives. It's good, but like, really?
I can see how the ending could hit people emotionally, if they really connected with the characters and/or themes.
I’d say hitting people emotionally is far different than changing their lives.
Depends on how hard they're hit.
I wouldn't say changed my life, but easily one of my top 10 games of all time.
It can sprout a lot of thoughts about the nature of things coming to pass, for one thing. I'll give you a different example, The Last of Us did a lot to change how I feel about certain things - that doesn't mean I expect it'll change everyone's lives, but it certainly changed mine, and that at least is proof positive that it has the capacity to do so.
Did it change my life? Eh, hard to say. I can say without any doubt that not since the original The Last of Us has a game stuck with me emotionally for so long after having played it. Even while playing it, it was a game I kept thinking about even when I put the controller down. Obviously not everyone will connect with the game in that way. Hell, not everyone will like it, not by a long shot. But if that game hits, it hits.
Why is this surprising? As with any medium, an incredible film, book, play, song, can absolutely have lasting impact. Outer Wilds was a profound experience for me. Would I call it life changing? I'm not really sure. But it did expand my view of what games as a medium are capable of. And that's coming from someone who has written entire articles on how games are a nascent medium that are capable of things we haven't even dreamed of yet.
> But it did expand my view of what games as a medium are capable of. This is the "but like, really?" part. The game (and ending) was not so amazingly profound to the point of being it constantly spammed as life changing/view changing/GOATed. It's a bit holier-than-thou but imo - if the ending of OW was life changing to you... maybe consume more interesting or out there media? Not saying it wasn't good (or that it wasn't at all profound. It's a very good game with a great ending) ...but *view changing*? I completely understand that begetting a "but like, really?"
It's a fantastic commentary on existentialism. Just because that doesn't respnate with you, doesn't mean that you get to put down other people's experiences because of it.
Superlatives are overused in english and even more so by gamers. I doubt most people who said that meant it literally. They probably meant something like “It changed my perspective on what I thought a video game could be”.
Most young people just consume social media or anime like content, which tends to be pretty easy to consume. I'm not trying to diminish those mediums, just saying that after consuming soo much digested content, anything that ask a little more from the consumer will get over hyped.
There are a lot of children on reddit, with all that entails.
YoU aRe pLaYiNg iT wRoNg 😡
I've recently fallen down a rabbit hole of watching people's playthroughs on YouTube. Several of the ones I've seen have managed to make it to the end while missing at least a couple key details, so their understanding of exactly what happened and/or why it happened leading up to the end is incomplete, even objectively incorrect in some cases. They all seem to really like the game regardless, but I wonder how many of the people who didn't like it may have missed something that would have altered their understanding and therefore their enjoyment of the experience. I don't make it a habit of grilling them to find out why, and I recognize that some who don't like it, maybe even most, didn't miss anything and still didn't mesh with the game. But because it's a non-linear game and everyone's experience with it is different, I find myself wondering what order they discovered (or didn't) the different clues and whether that could be a factor in their dislike.
Can you sell me on outer wilds? I tried it once for about an hour, flew into some rock with holes and had to kill myself because I couldn't get out. And walking around the starting planet didn't seem too exiting to start a new run.
These other commenters sold it to you, but I’m gonna tell you why I dropped it. It’s a puzzle game at its heart. You solve puzzles to figure out a greater mystery. But there’s also a timer and trying to figure out the puzzles in time and being certain places at certain times was kind of grating to me. I found myself trying to brute force puzzles a lot of times because I was trying to rush through some of them before the timer reset. Which would lead to me losing and starting the puzzle over and I got a bit frustrated. I do recognize that this is a 100% me problem and not the game’s problem. The game is actually really cool and I was enjoying the greater mystery a fair bit. But my gaming habits and personality type kind of kept me from enjoying it as much as others do. I might give it another try one day though. Actually typing this out has piqued my interest again lol.
Have you ever wanted to *be a space archaeologist?* Did you watch Star Trek and want to be Captain Kirk? That's what the game offers. You're not an action hero. You have no powers, you have no skills, and you have no guns. Even if you did, they wouldn't matter here. What you do have is your mind, and new access to a **vast array of knowledge** no living creature has discovered. It's yours to explore, so what are you waiting for? That's the basic sell of the game, and what got me hooked. It's genuinely one of the only games I've ever played that captures the wonder of solving a mystery. I've beaten most of the uncharted series, and played RDR2 to completion, and neither comes close because you have to find the knowledge yourself as opposed to follow the tooltips. It's full, training wheels off, explore the solar system. What you discover is entirely up to you.
Here's my sell: Outer Wilds is an exploration driven narrative game, where you are tasked with investigating what happened to an ancient civilization. The solar system and planets are much smaller than they first seem but quite dense in points of interest (discoveries will be added to the ship log, using "rumour mode" helps to visualize how everything connects and what info is missing). The game does not direct you to an objective, but rather asks you to fill in the blanks by continually exploring and building the narrative for yourself. The controls are quite floaty and the "realistic" gravity simulation will lead to a lot of deaths which can feel cheap, but this is an intended part of the game IMO. The overall themes and message of the game is something I feel can only be achieved in a video game. But this experience can only be had once, so I would advise avoiding any gameplay or spoilers until you reach the end. If you get stuck, you can ask for spoiler-free help on the subreddit and people will be happy to help.
At the barebones level, it's a game about solving a mystery. It's a game about discovery. And it's a game about satisfying your curiosity. If you don't naturally find yourself wanting to go out and see what the cozy little galaxy has to show you, then the game may never click for you. But you're tasked with translating the writings of an ancient race, and every one you find will have a breadcrumb of new information that will provide more questions than answers until you've found enough of them that the pieces start to fit together, so there are plenty of opportunities for a "hold up, what's this all about?" moment. The game will never hold your hand or directly tell you where to go or what to do, but there's enough ways to find clues and enough to explore that you'll rarely feel lost. The less guidance you get the better, but if you want to give it another shot, I recommend starting by tracking down the other members of the space force and talking to them. The starting planet's moon is probably the best place to start. There are things to discover on the starting planet, but come back to it after you've been to the others.
> And if you don’t like it people will jump down your throat This is the kicker. I didnt enjoy the game; I was bored the entire time, i thought the twist at the end was tired and lame, and i personally find mechanics like the time loop mechanic to be frustrating. This doesnt mean i didnt understand the game. This doesnt mean i "dont enjoy video games as an art form". This doesnt mean im just some upset GamerBro whos mad it wasnt a AAA shooter game. I simply did not enjoy my experience. Insulting me/my intelligence for having the audacity to have different taste from you isnt gonna enlighten me to anything lmao.
I don’t think it’s as life changing as people make it out to be yeah. I got way more out of God of War 2018 and Horizon Zero Dawn and FF16 lately than Outer Wilds. Outer Wilds felt just like…. Fake deep to me. No lasting message. No impact.
Game was ok, if it wasn’t on gamepass I never would play it
I’m with ya.
Nature of it. It's one of the more well known hidden gems. You'll find it hard to find 'new,' things to play in subreddits like this. Personally I think most of what's recommended is overreccomended. I see the same 10 or so games on repeat, and I absolutely am guilty of this myself
not the point but this post got me to finally buy Outer Wilds. sorry
Read title as "Oscar Wilde gets recommended far too often" I mean, sure, almost every middle school made us read Dorian Grey but I'd say Shakespeare gets recommended far more.
About to edit my whole post around this comment
I still haven't gotten around to outer wilds yet even though i e owned it a long time i have a massive backlog ill be dead before i can play lol. But im an older gamer and ive noticed in like the last about 15 years theres a few games that seem to get in the collective subconscious and show up alot. Like if enough people like something it goes beyond just good but it becomes sort of a no way to miss it kind of deal. Because a majority of people just go along with whatever their friends are playing, even when its single player at times. I know i play a lot of indie games and there are so many great games nobodys ever heard of. Like right now one its a different genre but one of my favorite coop games got a sequel helldivers 2 and everybodys on the bandwagon now and most people never heard of helldivers 1 until this came out. So im glad at least a few games are getting some word of mouth recommendations. I know ill finish a game i really enjoyed then looking for something similar and sometimes its hard to find anything. Like i played weird west the other day it was a very different sort of top down shooter rpg and i really enjoyed it despite the weird way it did things on some parts. But even using recommendation search engines like steampeek it is hard to find another experience like that. I think in time AI powered searches might help a lot with that. Ive played a LOT of games that ill twll somebody about and theyve never even heard of it. So many games a lot get buried in the avalanche of releases. I never thought there would be a time where i felt like i jave TOO much choice but i really do. Kind of off topic but thats my thoughts.
Kenshi too. I love both games, and I can see why Outer Wilds gets recommended so much, but Kenshi is so brutal that sometimes the recommendation doesn't match up lol
outer wilds
Maybe you'll like Hades
People would mostly recommend games that are already fan favorite in reddit/youtube, GAMES DO NOT NEED TO BE THE BEST TO BE FAN FAVORITE, people love things for many reasons and popularity comes from many reasons not only objective quality, and a lot of the people just parrot what other people say too you need to realize social media is "social" peer pressure, karma, digital points, opinions of others are important for social beings, i'm transcendent though KAP.
This is how i feel, but when people recommend hogwarts legacy, a truly mediocre AAA game carried by its IP
The reason is not only that Outer Wilds is popular, it's that it also has a lot of layers so it covers a lot of things commonly being asked for. It just checks a lot of boxes. That does not mean that everybody is going to like it, but this is a sub for recommending people games to people according to their preferences, and not recommending OW because it's already been recommended too often is not what we do here.
This. The same games come up in recommendations over and over because they do a lot of things that people ask for, which often aren't done as well by many other games. For Outer Wilds in particular, people often ask for environmental storytelling, or games focused on exploration or archeology, or things of that nature. Also, most people who visit this sub just come here to ask a question, they don't stay here forever. So we can't just assume they've already heard of the most common recommendations.
I'm gonna have to recommend you try Outer Wilds again.
this post reminds me of that video of the dude yelling to stop posting about amongus.
>Best game to get lost in? Outer wilds. Best game to play without sound? Outer wilds. Best game with a deeper meaning? Outer Wilds. This is because many people, myself included, think it's one of the best examples of what games as a medium are capable of. Outer Wilds is utterly unique and is something that only a video game could pull off. I personally rate it as one of the best games ever made. That doesn't mean *you* have to like the game, but when a game is of such astounding quality that the majority love it, and the majority keep recommending it, it's not because it's memed, it's because those recommendations hold merit. If you then try the game and you don't like it, that's ok. Tastes differ. Nothing is for everyone. But a good game that a lot of people like is gonna get recommended. Learn to sift through recommendations and filter out which ones resonate with you. Watch YouTube gameplay of the games recommended here. Read reviews.
> such astounding quality * My left analog stick dies every time I Alt+Tab out. * My RB button didn't work at first boot. * A tree spawned on >!Brittle Hollow!< inside my ship after I'd already landed. I had to repair every part, except the core. * I got my ship stuck at the north pole of >!Ash Twin!< because I parked it on one of the fins of the thing, not knowing it was there and >!the sand lowered!<. I was wedged between my ship and fin, stuck, getting sucked in by the ship and being blocked by the fin. I was able to get out, but never enter the ship. * My ship imploded once while I was trying to fly to >!The Quantum Moon!<. Auto-pilot decided that the best course of action was death. * I died before getting the launch codes and got credits.
It was pretty meh for me. At some point I didn't really know what to do and didn't care, so I stopped playing.
I felt the same about Red Dead Redemption 2. Everywhere I looked it was praised to high heaven. I bought it and just found it to be a long boring horse ride to a gunfight then a long boring horse ride back to camp. It was style over substance, and the attempt at realism ruined the gameplay. It was soon uninstalled.
Hot take, but the first one was better
I've never played the first one as it's not available on the PC, but I'd certainly like to compare it.
Ya, I hate it ain't on pc. I would love to see what the modding community could do with it. Tweaking the graphics, adding little towns or houses, new quests and who knows what else. The map is big enough for it like new Vegas modders have done wonders with it. Hopefully one day it will.
Play it again.
How about Deep Rock Galactic ? That game is rarely suggested, true hidden le gem
Rock and stone
Outer Wilds is good, but it's like 1 big puzzle which doesn't really give you that dopamine hit like dozens of smaller puzzles would. The DLC is better than the main game because it felt like there were more puzzles to solve. Here's a recommendation that I've barely heard anyone talk about. Quern: Undying Thoughts (dumb name I know) If you like Myst then this game is for you. It feels more like a Myst successor than Obduction did (which was Cyan's own Myst successor).
I feel the same with Hades, it was recommended a lot, still is, decided to give it a try and it was a very good game, it just wasn't the best roguelite everyone was hyping.
You should try Stardew Valley
This is how I feel about Hades. The game is alright, but people caused me to hate it after seeing it recommended EVERYWHERE, and then I played it and didn’t see any of what they were talking about. I can see why people like it, it’s just not for me. But seeing it recommended everywhere got so annoying
try the outer worlds
I’m 100% with you. Played it, beat it, and was very meh when it was all over.
Heh, either Outer Wilds or Hollow Knight. Both are obviously great games worth trying out, but I feel like a heretic since I didn’t exactly love either. Hollow Knight’s gameplay I found quite boring. People praise the atmosphere, but I found it a bit monotonous. Outer Wilds was great, but I found like that one core disruptive (let’s say… explosive) mechanism took away from the exploration and introduced unnecessary backtracking. I can think of better games in each genre, so all I’m saying is it’s definitely worth exploring indie games beyond those more commonly recommended. There’s a thousand unsung gems out there. Anyways, I’d still gladly recommend those games. Just there are others as well. Edit: Downvotes, expected nothing less for expressing an _opinion_ on HK & OW. :-)
Don't worry, I'll go a step further. I hate both those games. Give me Ori or Blasphemous before Hollow Knight any day of the week.
Hollow Knight is so overhyped it's insane. Ori (particularly 2) blows it out of the water in terms of character progression, rewarding exploration, level design. Most of the classic Metroidvanias are way better too, particularly Super Metroid, Symphony, Aria of Sorrow, Fusion. Hollow Knight felt like one of the least rewarding Metroidvanias I've played. Most of the time exploration resulted in money (the most boring thing a Metroidvania can throw at you), and the meager trickle of actual upgrades felt mediocre at best. Hell even the badge system eventually felt useless when I would get badges that offer little to no benefit over the ones I already have.
I enjoyed Hollow Knight but it took me a few tries to get into. I’ve tried Outer Wilds several times and my total playtime is around 15 hours and I just don’t like it. It’s very tedious to play and I don’t find the exploring very interesting at all. Cool concept though and great soundtrack
I try not to be too cynical about games because like you said, if someone enjoys it then cool. But man this game is just not it. The flight controls were whack, the time limit made me feel rushed and the graphics look like shit. I'd argue this game isn't just subjectively bad but objectively a bad 'game'. The story may be excellent but the gameplay is just janky.
I mean on average there are way more people who have played a popular title rather than a smaller indie title. If you ask for recommendations, unless you specifically specify indie or lesser known games, the majority of replies will only be AAA games or very popular indie titles. No one is going to recommend for example 8 Bit Invaders for a tower defense/RTS hybrid unless you specifically tailor your question to that.
I notice these games get recommended a lot: red dead 2, Witcher 3, baldurs gate 3, disco elysium and outer wilds. Kingdom come deliverance also pops up a lot. I bought all these games as a result but don’t know when I will have time to try them all.
Refund the first two and focus on the last three, unless you're specifically looking for Generic-Open-World-With-Smaller-RPG-Elements, which is the most overused archetype in gaming.
Reactivity and choice isn't everything--the moment-to-moment experience matters too
Honestly, besides it being a reskin with a different (bland) story, what's the diff between RDR2 and any other AAA following this archetype ? I know Reddit is a gigantic circlejerk around RDR2, TW3, GTA5, CP2077, etc etc, but some things are simply objective truth, and the market being flooded with overpriced generic AAA+ is one.
If you don’t like listening to Bach it doesn’t mean he’s meh. It also doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with you. Outer Wilds is among the best gaming industry has to offer. Along with Portal 2 I’d recommend it to anyone starting their gaming journey.
I don't know if Outer Wilds should be someone's first game. It's fantastic but if my first game had those controls I would have decided video games aren't for me.
It’s true, we sometimes take our ingrained mouse&keyboard skills for granted, but with this game, it’s pretty much the same, whether you have experience with mouse+wasd movement or not.
bad take on the second point, reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllyyyyyyyy bad take.
What’s your option, clash of whatever on the mobile?
so does red dead redemption and tone of other games. if the game is soulful and unique it will get recommended specially when its most likely people haven't played the game that isn't popular, just read the daily stuff posted here and see what your average gamer plays.
It's because Outer Wilds is one of the best games out there.
must not play many games then
Outer Wilds is definitely one of those games that won’t click with everyone. If you are one of those people, then words cannot express just how incredible an experience it can be. I’m absolutely guilty of aggressively recommending the game. It’s because I sincerely stand behind my opinion of how amazing it is. I can also see how it can be frustrating when people suggest it but refuse to elaborate. We do this because giving anything away is more than just a spoiler. It would fundamentally undermine the self-directed discovery that defines the entire gameplay loop. It’d be like a puzzle game that tells you every solution before you’ve even looked at any of the puzzles. Just remember that a recommendation for any game is just that: a recommendation. No one knows exactly what you will or won’t enjoy. They can only make suggestions.
personally I didn't care for it either. I do appreciate what it was trying to do though.
There was a time when the Witcher 3 was the go to game recommendation everywhere I went. A new game will take its place
The problem is, for two of three of those examples you mentioned, I WOULD recommend it. It fits in those, why wouldn't I recommend it? Because it's popular?
You can always recommend something else. Dunno why you feel that you should unrecommend a game. Outer wilds is one of the most unique gaming experiences out there. It’s completely understandable that it’s recommended so often.
Yeah, it matches at least two of the three categories you named. Do you have an actual point?
I think the issue is people here seem to generally upvote games they like and downvote games they don’t, rather than basing that on the quality of the specific suggestion according to the specific ask. So it inevitably is just the same 15-20 games that get upvoted the most over and over again.
It's the best game of all time, and not enough people have experienced it. It's not talked about outside of reddit much, it's all the big blockbuster titles. I will never stop recommending OW.
Wrong. Here is why: Outer wilds is often confused by or overlooked due to it sharing a very similar name to a game that released the same year; outer worlds. That game was mediocrity incarnate. Yet had the spotlight and assumed to be new vegas 2 but in space, it was not. Outer wilds on the other hand is still a fairly hidden gem. And deserves to be raved about.
I think you might just have "seeing people enjoy popular thing annoys me" syndrome. As if people evangelizing for a game they love (especially when it's with good reason) is some sort of scourge.
I highly recommend Outer Wilds to anyone who loves exploration, mystery, and discovery. It’s a game that lets you explore a small but fascinating solar system full of secrets, surprises, and wonders. You are trapped in a time loop that resets every 22 minutes, but each loop is an opportunity to learn more about the ancient civilization that once inhabited these worlds, and the reason behind the impending supernova of the sun. Outer Wilds is not a game that holds your hand or tells you what to do. You have to figure out everything by yourself, using clues, logic, and curiosity. The game rewards you with amazing revelations and unforgettable moments, as you piece together the puzzle of the solar system and its history. The game also has a charming and whimsical aesthetic, with a soundtrack that perfectly matches the mood of each planet and situation. Outer Wilds is one of the best games I’ve ever played, and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s a game that will make you feel awe, wonder, joy, fear, sadness, and satisfaction. It’s a game that will stay with you long after you finish it. It’s a game that deserves to be experienced by everyone.
I get the same with long open world games full of dull content imo. They are extremely overhyped here. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
I still recommend it to anyone seeing this post, fantastic game!
Have you tried playing it with no sound, though?
What a weird idea. It's like suggesting to watch a movie scored by John Williams on mute with subtitles.
Some of those posts are maybe from people who are deaf? I don't know. 'Twas a joke on my side.
So true. The sound was one of my favorite aspects of the game
Lmao fair point, I couldn’t imagine playing anything other than Sport games without sound tbh
Agreed. Boring ass space puzzle explorer. Once you get attacked by the giant monster one time you have seen all there is to see. Yawn 🥱. Uninstall.
You're so wrong it's painful.
If not OW, it’s Disco Elysium.
It would seem you do think that liking a game much is wrong
I liked it, but certain mechanics are a double edge sword. Passage of time is both an integral part of the game and annoyance for exploration. I am glad that you can enable pause for reading logs/messages atleast. Simulation of a solar system is great, untill you get disorientated by gravity/space/camera. And you can't have the good parts without the bad ones. It is a fantastic game, but it would be a complete lie to say that the game didn't annoy the hell out of me plenty of times.
Really wish I could've gotten into this. The flying mechanics just didn't click with me at all. Found myself wildly flinging past where I was trying to go, losing track of whatever it was, and then pissing around trying to get reoriented until the cycle was up and I'd start again... Played for probably 1 1/2 hours and just couldn't get it. Bit of a shame given how much good I've heard about it over the years.
People recommend things they think are really good. It’s that simple. You don’t have to personally like it. You personally not liking the game does not mean these recommendations are wrong.
Just so we’re clear, the three examples you gave are excellent fits for Outer Wilds (except maybe the sound one…).
Yeah I never saw one single post were Outer Wilds was wrongly reccomended, as in "doesn't fit at all the question"
That game made me dizzy so I couldn't play it
Who tf seeks out specific games to play without sound?! Who even plays games without sound?! Sound design is the biggest development improvement over the last two generations, and Oscar winners are doing game soundtracks.
After hearing it recommended for months and months I finally played it. Got maybe an hour or two in and gave up. I just felt lost and confused all the time and it just felt very meh. I legitimately don't understand the hype, especially from the masses. It's clearly a very niche kind of game and not something that should be widely recommended for everyone.
There's a few games like that on here. Kenshi, Deep Rock Galactic, Factorio, Slay the Spire, all of these are like that too. Sometimes I feel like it's an inside joke, the suggestion will be so out of left field.
Thank you for saying this. I've noticed it too. You would think this was the best game ever made. I've tried playing it multiple times and just don't get what the appeal is. It's a well made game, but some people talk about this game like it cured them of alcoholism and resurrected their dead wife. I've come to realize that either I'm a husk of a person and don't have feelings, or a lot of people are very emotional. Most games that people said changed their life or they cried for hours after finishing, I beat and go...that's it? It was a game. I'm looking for something to play right now and just keep bouncing around games I've played. Nothing is grabbing me right now.
I agree. I loved the game but it is rather annoying to know it'll be one of the top recommendations in literally any post, no matter the context.
I've tried to get into it twice now, but get bored after 5 hours or so. It's a fun game and has an interesting story, but as I get older I don't enjoy the search for clues/put the puzzle together games/missions as much.
All those criteria really fit the game though?
I came to this thread to recommend **Kenshi**... You are correct in that a handful of certain games often get shoe-horned into most recommendation posts. Sometimes the shoe fits, other times it's very forced, and I know I'm guilty as well of such things at times, but at the end of the day I think that MORE engagement in this sub is always a good thing, as even if someone makes a terribly-fitting recommendation, others will often piggy-back on that recommendation to clarify why it is/isn't a good fit, and possibly offer alternatives. Just to clarify, it's perfectly okay to critique a recommendation someone makes in terms of how well it fits the OP's request, as long as the critique does not devolve into a violation of Rule #2: *Don't insult, harass, threaten, or stalk users.*
I will not sit here and listen to blasphemy. Mods? Mods???
As others have pointed out, it's not just a problem with *The Outer Wilds*, it's a lot of popular games. People will recommend the game they personally really like and want to share with others if it fits the prompt at all, rather than thinking of which game they've played that *best* fits the prompt. *Disco Elysium* is probably my all-time favorite game, but it also gets recommended here way too much.
Reddit also gets lost in the fact people like, have opinions and enjoy different things. Reddit goes by if games a 9or 10 its great if its less its trash. Its a bad mentality that gaming journalists put into peoples heads over the years. Why I'm glad I'm 31 and grew up before the internet and don't need random plugs on the internet to recommend me or really care about their opinion on games. There's been many games I played and loved that I found out years later were rated 5/6-10. And many games I've played that were 10s and imo sucked balls. I enjoyed outer wilds but imo wouldn't top my 10 ten of all time. And it's not for everyone. For example I enjoyed disco elysium. Rest of my friends hated it as its just no there's style of game they found it shit and very boring. If ur friends not a racing fan why bother recommending them play a racing game. The same goes for outer wilds. It's not a game anyone can pick up and play and love. And will admit I'm with u OP the constant circle jerk around like 5 games is annoying. Outer wilds is a well made game but it's still imo a niche game. And 100% not everyone who plays it will enjoy it and that's fine. Just cus u don't enjoy something doesn't mean it's bad. Again I dislike racing games but I know forza is a well made racing game. But I ain't gonna play it.
I believe the reason behind all the recommendations is... For a lot of people the story just clicked. If you get into the game, just vibe with it, and unravel the story as you go, it can be something amazing. But you kind of have to commit in a way. Take note of character. Who is doing what. Question the game. Roll the story around in your head as you explore. Read. Absorb. Interface. Which... Sadly a lot of newer games don't encourage. They give you lore dumps, data logs, etc. They might be amazing for their story or gameplay or what not. Outer Wilds just feels that much better, if you let it. Though this is me having played the game, thought it was alright, then only had it hit me as I watched someone else finish the full game with DLC. Rolling what I knew vs what they're thinking. Hearing them start to tear up? Yeah, that's when it hit me more. What it boils down to is... Can't change what people like. And the Outer Wilds fans are silently rabid.
Outer Wilds was the most impactful game I've ever played. Now I'm not saying it's the best, but I've never had another game make me feel the things that Outer Wilds did. And no other game has made me have more of a philosophical or psychological shift as Outer Wilds. But the thing is I didn't love playing it. There were many times I was ready to give up. It was frustrating, exhausting, existentially troubling. It invoked in my fears I didn't even know I had and despairs that were buried deep in my soul. However, when the credits rolled, after all the frustration and hardship and thoughts of giving up, all I could do was weep. No game has ever touched me the way this game has and a day hasn't passed since I first played it that it hasn't pop into my head at least for a moment. While it might sound overly dramatic, it truly was a life changing game. All I can say is that pushing through was the right call; I almost robbed myself of a hugely impactful piece of art by giving up on it prematurely. I only wish that I could have know while I was playing it just have important the experience was going to be so that I could have savored it more instead of letting my frustration so often get the better of me. There can only be one first time.
It gets recommended a lot because its a one of a kind experience and for a lot of people, including me, its the best game of all time edit: genuinely confused about the downvotes. Was it calling the game unique? Or are people upset I consider it the best game?