Outer Wilds
Released: 5/30/2019
Score Breakdown
86.0
Critic Average
15 reviews
N/A
Steam User Score
89
Metacritic User Score
1,821 reviews
Disparity Breakdown
86 vs 89
Average of both sources
Review Disparities
Each point represents a critic review. Hover for details. Positive = critic higher than users. Negative = critic lower.
12/17/2023
Late Review“If you can overlook the technical challenges – and we could – Outer Wilds remains a wondrous experience on Switch. With almost no gating and a free rein to investigate a rich corner of the universe, it captures the quest for learning in the most direct way possible: the only reward for progress is knowledge. Starting with no information at all, you come to understand the intricacies of this little solar system better than its inhabitants. Having soared through such an epic, introspective, and existentially inquisitive adventure, we probably came to understand ourselves a little more, too.”
90
90/100
12/11/2023
Late Review“Also on Nintendo Switch, just like on other gaming platforms, Outer Wilds is a visual and profound spectacle that goes far beyond expectations. It is a dense and emotionally charged journey, capable of bonding the player and showing how creativity can actually give an experience waiting to be discovered.”
90
90/100
12/11/2023
Late Review“Outer Wilds: Archeologist Edition on the Switch is obviously lacking in its graphical presentation and controls remain as trying as ever. But the call to explore, discover and find a story remains a solid call to take up the game. But for the best and most immersive experience, other consoles or PC are your best bet.”
70
70/100
10/5/2022
Late Review“Outer Wilds is an indie space exploration game, with a fascinating and deadly mystery to unravel at the heart of the universe. The experience is both addicting and charming.”
90
90/100
7/16/2019
Launch Window“At its core, Outer Wilds is a game about exploration, knowledge and experimentation. It's the sum of all those parts and more, perfectly blending them together to create one of the most fascinating games of this generation. Outer Wilds proves a micro - as opposed to a macro - take on space exploration works just as well, if not better.”
90
90/100
6/27/2019
Launch Window“Outer Wilds is good-looking and quite unique in its subgenre, and there's a compelling, intriguing mystery to solve that will keep you guessing as you progress across the galaxy”
80
80/100
6/17/2019
Launch Window“Outer Wilds is one of the greatest surprises we have received. A game that mixes exploration with a Groundhog Day-like scheme and a charismatic narrative to give, as a result, something truly unique. A hidden gem that everyone should try.”
92
92/100
6/9/2019
Launch Window“Outer Wilds is a poignant space explorer with an emotionally engrossing tale set across a condensed but wildly surprising solar system.”
90
90/100
6/3/2019
Launch Window“Outer Wilds offers an incredible world filled with memorable moments, but the experience is hamstrung by poorly implemented puzzles and wonky systems”
78
78/100
6/2/2019
Launch Window“Outer Wild is a brilliant Sundance Sci-Fi experience, with a perfect balance between space exploration, mystery solving and storytelling. The solar system designed by Mobius Digital is an outstanding playground, full of odd surprises and unique events. Above all, is a place worth to explore and it's perfectly integrated into the time loop structure of the game. If you love to feel a genuine sense of discovery and adventure, it's definitely your game.”
87
87/100
5/30/2019
Launch Window“Exploring the uncharted worlds of Outer Wilds feels like a true adventure in ways most games never achieve.”
84
84/100
5/30/2019
Launch Window“There's a twofold joy to Outer Wilds - the thrill of discovery itself, as you slowly decipher the variables that swirl around each not-so-distant world, and of seeing that thrill reflected in a phrase scribbled centuries ago by some castaway alien boffin.”
80
80/100
5/29/2019
Early Review“Outer Wilds proves there's still a sense of genuine adventure to be gained from games that commit to a set, fixed structure and design, rather than the kind of sprawling, endless expanses many contemporary titles set out to become. Playing it brought to mind my favorite bits of Dr. Seuss' Oh, The Places You'll Go...except with more of the sun exploding. ”
90
90/100
5/29/2019
Early Review“Beneath its charming and inventive worlds, Outer Wilds hides a cleverly unfolding mystery.”
89
89/100
5/29/2019
Early Review“As someone who loves adventure and puzzle games, Outer Wilds was a match made in heaven. ”
90
90/100
