voik

Outer Wilds. Endings of both the main game and the DLC can still get me to tear up a bit. I saw a post somewhere, don't remember, that said something along the lines of "Listening to the Outer Wilds OST is the only way I feel my feelings any more." It's about like that.

I have put hundreds of hours into RoR2 on PC, love the game. I recently purchased a Switch copy so I could play with a friend of mine who is console-only. Sadly, the port is still in a pretty bad place when I checked last (2-3 weeks ago).

I am not expecting the PC and console experience to be identical by any stretch, but I am talking about basic issues like the music on each stage cutting out after playing for only 10-15 seconds, wonky damage (Beetle Queens absolutely massacring us even on Rainstorm if we touched their projectile splash zones), and all the other miscellaneous issues from the patch like logbook being glitches, unlocks being unpredictable, etc.

I think it could potentially be fixed, but I would give them time to put out a few more bugfix patches before I considered a console purchase

I have not yet played Return of the Obra Dinn, but it is always high up on the list when I look for games like Outer Wilds. I'm a huge fan of Outer Wilds, so maybe the recommendation can work in reverse

From what I have heard, the deduction is not as intense as in Obra Dinn, but there is very little hand holding, and the whole game has been brilliantly designed so that it is driven entirely by your natural human curiosity. Once you get through the initial "tutorial" section (probably the roughest part of the game, push through!) the whole game is wide open. See something weird orbiting a distant planet? You can go straight there and start poking around. If you follow the leads that turn up there, you will eventually even figure out what it is, and why it is there. Do that enough and you'll eventually figure out the strange mystery of your home solar system.

Can't recommend it highly enough, but you only get to play it without knowing the secrets once, so go in as blind as you can. It took me 20-30 hours to "solve" the main game, maybe another 20 for the DLC, which is also well worth it

Man, we ended up setting up a wiki for all the ones from my last campaign... it's down at the moment, but here are a few I have saved on my phone:

"My companions and I are professional adventurers"

"Some of us more professional than others..."

"For no sexy reason, what does the pope look like?"

"Also, I'm not doing terrible! But I definitely just got stabbed."

Bard: "No, this is wholesome [Bard] moment! Anyway, how much money do you have?"

Sorcerer: "[Ranger], we are about to do some wacky-ass magic"

Ranger: "In that case, I would like to watch it from over there."

Sorcerer: "I will not be doing it. I will be joining you."

GM: "Divine and wild magic start pouring into and it's like... Have you ever licked a battery?"

GM: "Divine, chaos, and dragon magic flows through you—"

Bard: "And bardic from the inspiration!"

Ranger: "Oh I can add some ranger nature!"

Sorcerer: "And I have one that can help! I cast minor illusion to make a "do not disturb" sign."

"If I take one more step, it'll be the furthest I've ever been from home..."

"You didn't even have to step."

"If I take one more interdimensional vortex..."

"Your left or my left? You're an orb."

"I am."

"Float like a flowerpot, sting like a school bus."

That is exactly what I ended up doing! It was a blast, definitely would also recommend

Outer Wilds

If you're a naturally curious person, the odds are you will probably enjoy Outer Wilds. No other game I've played has ever had quite the same blend of mystery, conquering the unknown, and semi-realistic space exploration.

Could someone make another game like it? Not impossible, I suppose, but I think you would be hard pressed.

Should you keep playing the original? You really can't, one time through is all you get. Once you have discovered all the secrets and uncovered the mysteries, that is your journey through it. Still fun to visit every once in a while, though

The Chaos