If this is the first you’re hearing of Outer Wilds from me,maybe you want to stop by my Substack first. Or maybe you’d like to start hereand then see what else you can find.

However, if you’re coming from the other posts I’ve madeabout Outer Wilds, then let’s get to it.

Accessing the downloadable content for the video game Outer Wilds is so simple that Ihad to look it up. (this is what we call sarcasm). 

While other games give you a second menu or somethingnormal, this game goes full meta and invites you deeper into its universe. Asfor bang for your buck and whether it’s worth the price of admission, I’ll goon record saying I’ve never played any DLC that is half as memorable as this,because Echoes of the Eye is brimming with character, mysteries, puzzles, andenough new things to soothe that pain you have once you finish the main game.

Unlike the main game, Echoes of the Eye’s tone is muchdarker, with genuinely creepy moments that offer plenty of jump scares, whileexpanding and deepening an already rich lore. Whereas the main game is hopeful quite often, this chapter often feels and plays downrightLovecraftian and the stakes are just as drastic as in the main game, except youhave new hazards to worry about.

While Outer Wilds explores several planets within a solarsystem, Echoes explores a cloaked spaceship somewhere hidden in orbit of said solar system. Thefirst time you get past the veil and see the spaceship, it is a huge moment.Gravitationally, navigating around the vessel can be extremely tricky until you decipher how to approach it effectively. Once you get inside, the spacefeels so vast and constricted at the same time. It’s a marvel and you can seethat they fleshed out a story before they designed the rest of the game, whichseems to be the opposite of how they developed the main game. What results is anarrative heavy epilogue that becomes more so a sequel. You discover anotherrace of beings that explored this solar system. Very polished, very organized,and quite often, very much out to get you.

In the main game, you’re surviving against the elementsaround you. In the DLC, on more than one occasion, you are running like crazyin the dark trying to get away from creatures who have realized you are whereyou shouldn’t be. These moments of tension might not be to the liking of manypeople, though I found them extremely exciting.

As for the tone, it reminds me of the Room mobile phone games. Dark, ethereal,heavy. Quite often you find yourself discovering a new room or a new piece ofthe narrative that is unsettling. Quite often you see a sequence that kind ofrattles you and suddenly, there’s a flash flood or a super nova goes tabularasa on you so that you can get your bearings and dive back in to explore thatship.

The ship has several zones and rather than have its own distinctflavor like each of the planets, everything here feels connected just enough to lead you into a shadow world. Ifthis sounds a bit out there, it is. If it also sounds a bit complicated, you’realso right. 

Mechanics, narrative, gameplay, and puzzles are heavier and harderthan the main game. Whereas with Outer Wilds I was able to decipher roughly80% of the game, with this DLC, I needed help almost half the time. The cluesare there, but they’re subtle. And in some areas, you have to turn so many waysin the dark while avoiding sentries, that a walkthrough is recommended, because although it won’t be easy, it’ll be doable. In this game,making a sound draws attention and sentries are agile and will outwit you and force you to restart on several occasions.

But like I said above, the narrative is heavier, and withthat heaviness comes a rich story that shakes you as deeply as the main game,but in a different way. What the main game has better is that you have quite afew solutions to a couple of things while the DLC is very specific in when,how, and if you have to do something to get a solution or not. Although it wasfrustrating that I needed to ask or look for help, it never took away from thegame. And once the end credits roll for this second part, you still feel thatdesire for more, though have to applaud the team for going to the lengths theydid to present something so different while still maintaining the core of itsDNA.

From all I’ve posted, I think it shows that playing OuterWilds and its Downloadable chapter of Echoes in the Eye is one of the best andmost profound video game experiences I've ever had the privilege to ply. This is storytelling andexploration reimagined in ways that should invite artists of any medium tochallenge themselves and their audiences. These are games that rewardexploration, experimentation, curiosity, and painstaking attention to detail.These are not games merely developed to reach into your wallet. It’s an experiencethat reaches into your soul to shake your hand, pat you on the back, and wishyou well upon the journey of life.

Or maybe it’s just a video game.

To Héctor Álvarez, thank you for the game recommendation,brother. My apologies for taking so long though I wanted to write and createsomething worthy of the experience.

To the kind readers of this blog, my Substack, or my books,thank you as well. As a small thank you for tagging along, I mentioned therewas one more breadcrumb as a thank you for joining me on this little scavengerhunt. It’s the least I can do as thanks to everyone who’s joined me. Feel freeto share the link to the Substack, this blog, or just what’s below.

CLICK HERE For a thank you to my fellow dreamers.