Strap on your space suit and get into your rickety craft, because the highly-regarded Outer Wilds has finally gotten a release date on Steam. Following a very successful crowdfunding campaign on Fig, the game was one of several high-profile indie titles that became exclusive to the Epic Store back in mid-2019, which angered some backers at the time.
One of the most lauded games of 2019, Outer Wilds allows players to investigate a mini-solar system on the verge of collapse through a Majora's Mask-style time loop. The game snapped up Game of the Year awards from several major outlets, including Giant Bomb. In our review, critic Alessandro Barbosa called Outer Wilds poignant and emotionally affecting.
"Outer Wilds’ deeply captivating narrative and plentiful mysteries push you further into exploring its richly varied and stunning solar system," he wrote. "The time loop you’re trapped in lets you craft bite-sized expeditions that all end up telling their own stories, irrespective of whether you make a monumental discovery or simply encounter a playful interaction. Having a tool to neatly document your discoveries helps you slowly piece together a tale filled with charming writing, and one that presents its own open-ended questions that add emotional heft to the numerous exchanges you parse through during your travels. By letting you chart your own course and piece together its mystery at your own pace, Outer Wilds makes each of its expeditions feel incredibly personal and absolutely unmissable."