My Honest Opinions On Echoes of the Eye

Hello everyone! I finally finished Echoes of the Eye! After I was done I had so many different ideas and concepts swirling around in my head I figured Id write them down and share them! They are a bit all over the place. But hopefully you understand and enjoy anyway lol!
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[@heckbrother8242]

I just realized as I was watching this that the strangers had their own simulation, but we had one too. We could have chosen to stay in the time loop forever, just as the strangers stayed in their simulation forever. But because we and the prisoner are brave enough to accept death and see what's next, we see realty for what it really is. I think we all had that moment where we were staring at the warp core, contemplating if removing it is a good idea.

[@BarbaricCrafter1]

I love this parallel! This explains exactly why meeting the Prisoner is such an emotional point of the game, and why their final message was so important - they know exactly what it is that we are going through.

[@JShortsFR]

You say that like I didn’t immediately take out the warp core before fully understanding the implications until AFTER I died by supernova and got a game over.

[@BarbaricCrafter1]

@@JShortsFR When I realized that I had to take out the warp core, I didn't know if I had the strength to do it. But I did, I tried to go as fast as possible, and I made it to the last tunnel of Dark Bramble, forgetting about the 4th anglerfish right before the spacecraft. It swallowed me and I just about cried because for some reason I thought taking the warp core would delete my save.

[@crfrando7315]

Wow I didnt even realize how similar we were to the prisoner

[@benjaminradez2679]

@@JShortsFR same lmao, but it was more like I took it out, thinking I had to bring it to the Naomi on the quantum moon, then wondering why I wasn’t getting looped back after the sky went dark.

[@leftovernoise]

The reveal when you first drop down into the stranger was so breathtaking for me. my jaw was on the floor

[@leftovernoise]

Also almost shat myself when the dam broke

[@pablozurita2996]

Same

[@oceanman2811]

Same

[@ec517]

same (3)

[@skii_mask_]

I literally said out loud "oh my god they fucking did it. this is gonna kick ass."

[@flamingjockeys]

I think the moment in the DLC that hit the hardest for me was when I looked at one of the slides in the dream world and find out what the Strangers had to do to construct their ship to travel to the Eye. The same slide in the normal world specifically has that portion burnt out, so it didn't even occur to me why they couldn't just cut their losses and go back home.

[@rachellewis6641]

My most impactful moment was the construction of the eye signal blocker. That ignorance, that impulsivity, angered and hit me to my core.

[@Ri-ver]

@@rachellewis6641 I have a hard time understanding why they hid the eye tbh. Why not just run away from it?

[@Dastsabre]

@@Ri-ver someone else might find it and activate it, like say the nomai

[@loopyloo413]

What do you think of the discussion around the frustrations caused by the horror segments? i do like the interpretation of pushing through fear to find the solution, but i think i agree more with the sentiment that the dark world was frustrating to navigate, and that the tools you need to make navigation easier and more fun are hidden at the *end* of said segments. i got turned around very easily trying to figure out where to go in the swampy area next to the music hall for example.

[@someguyoutthere110]

The movement was one of my favorite parts of the base game so I definitely agree that the simulation sections felt frustrating. It was like playing a Mario game where they take away your ability to jump.

[@jerrodshack7610]

I felt that the inconsistency of the AI in those sections was a bit annoying. Near the end, I felt I was learning nothing new and just wasting time fighting against the mechanics to move on.

[@Greenpixel16]

I think they should've made alternative routes a bit more viable. I liked coming up with plans to avoid the owlks (like waiting for the bridge to snuff out their artifacts) but for the starlit cove, once their artifacts go out, you only have like 2 minutes to get down to the forbidden archives. I kinda wish it happened a bit earlier in the loop instead.

[@tahunuva4254]

Yeah I quit it at the stealth segment, and now I'm just here to read what happens. Fuck that shit.

[@sixish]

Wrapped up the story earlier today and finished off the achievements an hour ago. I really disliked the stealth segments mechanically but found it manageable after you get told about the lantern-trick. I liked the Reduced Frights option too but I really wish they didn't plaster it on the opening menu and create unnecessary paranoia. I definitely preferred getting to know the Nomai through texts in the main game as opposed to the Owlks through reels, but what sealed the deal for me with this story-telling method was the amazing soundtrack accompanying the reels, and the use of segmenting the music into certain slides on the reel. Like when the faces on the Owlks become sinister in the reel where they realize the universe is dying, the music changes to give more life to the slide. The error report reels are by far the coolest tutorial/reveal method I've ever seen where the moment the "glitch/bug" in the simulation happens, the music changes to the eerie soundtracks 'Secret Ways' or an extended loop of the end of 'Test Chamber Three' from the OST. The music and it's implementation really makes the DLC rise to the occasion for me. I also think it's very clever how they positioned the ship to let you in through the front the first time because you approach it from the satellite, so you can have that drop-down raft inside the hut the first time and get wowed floating down the river, but once you start traveling directly from Timber Hearth you enter the backside and can get yourself to relevant locations quicker.

[@axie545]

I think the Owlks overall are a very visual species, like there are the projectors and the projection of the dream world, but they also scan and beam information through light, like they did with the Eye and like the conversation with the Prisoner (as well as the other sources of light you can walk into to watch what appear to be memories). So maybe it's a metaphor, but mostly I think it's thematic. What fascinates me about this though is that the Nomai were obviously a very textual species. Even the recordings we encounter are stored as text (or we wouldn't be able to understand them), and if anything it suggests their primary method of communication was through text even given other options. It's like the devs decided to do the exact opposite of everything they did with Outer Wilds for Echoes of the Eye, and I mean that across the board: OW: -Friendly but (almost) wholly absent aliens, most of their history is explained through text, few examples of images -Multiple planets to explore, ship is a major feature -Primarily traversing areas that are unfamiliar to both the player and the inhabitant of an Earthlike world -Knowledge can be difficult to find but is freely shared; player is encouraged to seek out connections -Player faces the primary antagonists from within their ship (ideally) EotE: -Decidedly unfriendly and very present (so to speak) aliens, most of their history is explained through images, few examples of writing -One location, ship all but unnecessary (and I loved the observation that the raft is kind of a substitute, esp with its physics) -Primarily traversing a very Earthlike world that would not be unfamiliar even to the player character -Knowledge is intentionally obscured; player must fight against both the location and its former inhabitants to claim it -Player faces the primary antagonists without so much as a suit I could go on forever about the design of that last one, like. The whole fact that when you doze off, it works like normal, making you think "ah, it didn't work," and then the moment you woke up either the creepy coffin or the creep-ass corpses are GONE, and (if you're in one of the corpse locations) you immediately discover the lack of suit because you have to jump up on a ledge to get out? Marvelous. I was deeply horrified.

[@pablozurita2996]

When i got to the end i didn't hesitate on letting him in on the new universe

[@CodexF0X]

"Not a video game journalist qualified to do a proper review" - If only more journalists WERE qualified, that's why we like your content =D

[@luckerowl8990]

it started with THE eye, then the Prisoner with 2 let the signal back out, the the 3 eyed Nomai followed the short signal burst before dying out, and finally the 4 eyed Hearthian pieced it all together to allow a dying universe to reset. Echoes is a masterfully integrated DLC that perfectly adds on to an amazing game seamlessly

[@klaymore1797]

You give off very wholesome and innocent vibes, friend. Love you and your content

[@TheLoreExplorer]

Thank you so much 🤗

[@kicsiqki]

00:49 "Im not a videogame journalist qualified to do a proper review of the game..." Dont worry, neither are videogame journalists.

[@supamat4]

a theme of the game is having a spark of wonder, adventure and exploration. and the only important part of life is the road you take and sharing it with your family and friends even if the universe will end and existence is pointless the journey to get their still mattered to you the conscious observer 1) The signal the eye sent sparked such a drive to explore and ride out into the unknown in the elk people that they decimated their own homeworld to do so. They were never planning on looking back, only going forward to the next adventure. 2) upon learning the truth of universes rebirth and the eye they fell into despair losing their spark of adventure and exploration choosing to wallow in the past and fearfull of what comes next after the end of the universe and the start of a new one without them 3) that spark and drive of wonder, adventure, and exploration that led the elk people to come to the hearthian system was still present in the prisoner. He released the eyes signal to spread that spark to the universe. even if the universe is destined to end eventually isnt the jouney to get their the important part 4) the player sees his younger self get that spark as he smiles at the museum exhibit of nomai text and symbol of the eye which leads us on our own adventure in the face of a nihilistic universe 5) riding into the sunset with a fatal wound is a classic western movie ending. the prisoner also recognized the spark of adventure, wonder, and exploration in the player and is extending his hand to invite on a metaphorical journey together as kindred spirts. the classis line of "it was honor to know you, wish we had more time, we could of been good friends" as dieing last words from a new friend whom briefly shared a grand adventure together

[@tommapar]

I was so overwhelmed by everything coming at me, falling into the river, looking up, the sense of wander was palpable. Yet, despite being overwhelmed, I couldn't stop playing it. I was so utterly enthralled by how organically this game fits both intense moments of gameplay and jaw dropping revelations/events (that are actually really scientifically plausible) make you question everything you've seen up until that point in time, with slower exploration based lore digging bits that employs the old "show, don't tell" adage. I truly adore this game and I believe people should play it. It's a hundred times more fascinating and consistently well presented than any other sci-fi I've seen in recent years. It's truly a work of art. The game as a whole is a masterpiece. I mean, campfires, marshmallows, rafting, supernovas, quantum singularities and giant killer anglerfish, what more could you ask for?

[@NateAlyn]

Its funny watching this entire video after watching you play through it and your emotional reaction to the ending. I don't have enough words to express how blown away I was from the base game and the DLC. Outer Wilds is the best game I have played all year and the DLC only enhanced that experience. I wish we could have more from Mobius in the next couple of years but I doubt they can create another world that seemingly fits with everything in a similar way to The Stranger AND completely exceed our expectations.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

I wouldnt put it past mobius to release something in the next few years! They are a small studio with a bunch of creativity, skill, and a need for income!

[@smorggs7860]

I don't think the strangers saw that the universe was dying. I think they saw that, when the eye is activated, it actively destroys the entire universe, hence it turning the solar system and one of the strangers to dust, before using the remains to create a new one, represented by the grass growing over the dust and the dead stranger's skeleton. This is further supported by the prisoner saying that their kind "didn't want to see their story end", and that the strangers came long before even the nomai, so the universe still wouldn't be close to death. This would mean that, when we enter the eye, we are ourselves bringing about the end of the universe, but since it's already practically dead, it's okay. Additionally, due to the speed of light and the immense size of the universe, all of the stars we see dying in the sky would have done so, at the very least, several years ago, while our sun obviously dies a few minutes before we enter the eye, which would imply that the universe was practically already dead by the time the game begins. As for the grave seen in the ancient glade, I think it's about the acceptance of death, as you extinguish candles next to pictures to represent the people in those pictures having their lives, represented by the burning candles, snuffed out. We even extinguish a candle in front of a mirror, representing us accepting that we, too, are also dead, or at least going to die. The reason it's unlocked by meeting the prisoner is because the strangers couldn't accept their own death, and so did everything in their power to prevent it, which resulted in them sealing off the eye's signal, and, while not initially made to preserve their lives, used their simulation to allow them to "live" forever on their "home moon", in complete denial of the fact that their corporeal bodies would, and in fact did, die and decay. So us accepting our own death in the ancient glade is us showing that we are not going to make the same mistake that the strangers did, and instead, we will accept our own death so the universe as a whole can be reborn.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

I suppose there is no real way to know. But I dont believe the eye actively destroys the universe if entered. I could be wrong obviously. But I think we feel like it happens immediately and when our universe is still there. But the fact is we leave our universe and have no way of knowing. The only thing even suggesting this immediate destruction is their premonition(or vision after scanning the eye). We know these arent always reliable as fact. We also know time is all messed up in the eye. It may seem almost instant but the few minutes we spend there likely isnt really a few minutes. But rather a really long time(think solanums ending or how our scout gets sent to 14.3 billion years later. We probably experience something similar in the context of time while the rest of the universe ticks on normally). Imo I think the eye showed them a potential future, like the prisoner showed us a potential future, but they misinterpreted it. Ill look into a bit more but thats how I see it.

[@rozohwell]

I was just wondering if the strangers blocking the eye of the universe's signal was the reason the Nomai couldn't travel there. The Nomai got the signal when the prisoner turned the blocker off for a short time but when they tried travelling there it was already back on which meant they crashed into dark bramble. Creating the orbital cannon meant their probe could travel faster or try to penetrate the blocker in different ways maybe?

[@TheLoreExplorer]

I dont think so. Personally I think the signal they received bounced through bramble and they followed the duplicate. But the probe did have to get within visible range of the eye. So I imagine it got within the blockers range to hear the signal.

[@mr.hi_vevo414]

Don't worry, most game reviews don't know what they're doing anyways. As someone who's dedicated so much time into this fantastic game, I'd say you're the most qualified person to review it.

[@BagelBoi4000]

13:58 bro I was just vibing???? Why you have to make me jump like that.

[@ManyBurgers-]

[Spoilers] I went into Echoes of the Eye knowing that there was a character called "The Prisoner". When it showed the secret vault, I instantly knew there was an Inhabitant inside. Also, I had started on a pretty much new save, which means the ending didn't have the Vessel section. Also, I hadn't seen that the prisoner left his staff for one final goodbye. I wish I went into it knowing less. It was still an amazing experience, even if the ending was a bit messed up.

[@emilianopellicciotta2501]

Hi Lore explorer, I would know if were possible , with mod, to see what happen to the prison-sarcophagus after the prisoner liberation or more simply if you have seen inside the sarcophagus (always with mods).

[@TheLoreExplorer]

Yes. I have been into see our friend. And they are missing an antler. I have yet to test it after they are free though. Ill let you know when I do!

[@emilianopellicciotta2501]

@@TheLoreExplorer Great Lore Explorer, anyway I realized that if it were possible to know the codes that unlock the safe, anyone could check what happens without mods, do you think exist correct codes for the other two mechanisms in such a way as not to exploit the bugs of the virtual world?

[@TheLoreExplorer]

The correct codes do exist. But sadly the dream world seals are not connected to the real world. Even if we open it in the dream world and survive the real world vault doesn’t open.

[@daedro]

Before watching this video, want to share a little bit of my impressions. HUGE SPOILERS below to main game AND DLC. AND VERY HUGE POST below, lol So, it's very hard to actually rate for me this DLC. I'm struggling between mixed and excellent. Why mixed?(wanted to write above average, mixed is strong word, but...) DLC lacks mini histories like main game had with nomai story, we see only two points of view, basically, or prisoner, or everyone else.(for example, i still getting goose bumps remembering dialogue, when nomai debated whether it is ethical to destroy sun for their goal or not) And because of that, i was really confused why i'm even exploring it, and what even goal is. Until i saw prisoner i didn't even realised he was here. Maybe that was problem with me, i saw a lot of playthroughs and some people figured it out long before final. And that confusion led to actually mixed opinions about final part for me, the first words i said after final part:"that's it?" (first of all i have to say, i didn't had at the time any of ship log from original game, that also was an issue) i mean, it was nice goodbye, but what about station? is there a way to turn on eye signal blocker? or turn off dreamworld completely? in game probably no. But it would've been so interesting to see more variants to this, even if they would be here just to experiment. A-and last thing, change of pace, that of course reflected previous my points. I really liked it, but i personally prefer more scientific-space-stuff more over matrix-dream-thingy, with my knowledge of english this is closest how i can describe it, lol. And for example what i mean, this DLC directly related to eye of the universe. What would happen if signal will be blocked again? We still know about coordinates, what will happen if observer still enters it? I guess, we can just think about it, but game doesnt have representation or even just hints, but i'd say that would be cool to see. And, about next part idk, but would be nice to actually visit the remains of their absolutely abandoned homeworld, even if it's just desert/dead world. I guess, with everything so small in this solar system, technically it wouldn't be very big distance between solar systems aswell? I can only imagine what song would play here... And now, why it is excellent? In short - everything else. OST and sound design is just so good. Dynamic music on every slide. Or dam breaking and jumpscaring everytime. OST is just perfect. Prisoner(Kaepora) instrument feels very unique. Atmosphere as in main game aswell is just mindblowing good. It includes everything related to the story of elk people, eye of the universe, again OST, and design of station/slides. I just love not so happy-endy finals of the story and melancholic/depressic stuff in it(Warcraft 3, or Portal 2 for examples, last one was best game for me until Outer Wilds). Like it was with End Times theme, and like it's here when you see whole story of this race in Dream of Hope theme. And thats just soundtrack example, but it's just indescribable... Gameplay i'd say more fun than main game, that's a huge plus. But i guess that could vary depends on player. For example, Dark Bramble stealth was really hard to do, and more time consuming. I personally really didn't miss that part of gameplay, to be honest. Also, there was way too much to explore(not complain, not at all) in main game, it would require a lot more loops to explore everything. And in DLC here it replaced with just darkness/light mechanic and one location. ...speaking of darkness, horror in dlc is one of the best parts of it. I'd say i had a large list of emotions because of small phobia of darkness. And maybe in this game, it's a little bit too much darkness, especially when you need to stealth and know when enemy is. Just like how i scared to walk IRL even in my house in full dark, same was here. And last big point - game design in general. Just wow. Speaking of science stuff i mentioned before. Huge station that has artificial gravity that destroys dam after it starting to move, and windows - not actual windows, but RGB displays, that's why you can't see interior from outside. I wish there would be some way of breaking stealth technology, but that's fine. So much details, like wires(?) at the top of tower that falls at end of the loop actually looses connection with other destroyed tower flames. Or electricity outage when station starting to move every loop. Or one of the possible reasons, lanterns turns off only in station water, is because water electrified, can't prove that though, because water reaches wires we know about only after dam breaks, but still is nice theory. There is so much of this, it's so good! and even though i talked in mixed about stuff i wish this dlc had, it still has that much enough for me to struggle about whole opinion. If i forgot about something, i'm sorry, took me more than 2 hrs to write this in very late night/very early morning, lol. And overall, as said before, Outer Wilds is by far best game for me. Maybe i'm too strict about dlc? i don't know, probably! Even though i struggling to rate it, i still enjoyed it a lot and liked it.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

Well, Daedro. Thank you for taking the time to write. One thing Id like to mention is that the eyes signal is being blocked again. After the prisoner turned it off they got caught. Thats why they were imprisoned. After they were imprisoned the remaining inhabitants turned the signal blocker back on and destroyed the controls so it could never be turned off again. So our ending is the ending you seek. The ending in which we see what happens if someone enters the eye even though the signals blocked. I sort of agree on a lot of the other stuff. There was a huge pace change and things slowed down a lot. I learned early on that it wasnt going to be a big focus on science. Which I much rather prefer. And the story was told in a different way which didnt feel as whole as the nomai story. Less environmental story telling. Less description or lack of any description really. And it was all left up to interpretation of slide reels which is certainly going to cause a divide and debate amongst the community as to what they actually meant. But on the other hand. I think if you judge echoes of the eye on its own. It rates at the excellent as you say. I will say I didnt get to the end and think "thats it?". I was very impacted by meeting the prisoner because I knew it was something special. I could just tell. But thats something that is just opinion. I just think the dlc is interesting, fun, and engaging. But I also do wish there were more alternate endings in which we could shut things down. Or make the stranger get engulfed by the supernova so it gets destroyed and the few dont go on surviving. Maybe thats something they could add in an update. Either way, personally I thought it was impactful. Thanks so much for sharing your opinion!

[@daedro]

@@TheLoreExplorer thank you too for making so much video about this game! :) that's why i need to stop write such long messages in late night, i knew that signal is still blocked, but still got confused. Also, ending was actually very impactful to me aswell, even though ship log was incomplete, that was powerful, but after Kaepora is gone i was confused where did he go, or did he left any hints where to go next in his last memory. Only after a while i realised he stepped into the water and just died, freed himself finally...

[@jobflobad0by0b]

Watching this makes me remember the truly moving moments in this game of pure awe.. I don't think I've ever played anything like it in my 20 some years of loving video games. I wonder if there are any recommendations from you guys who also loved this game of similarly amazing yet underrated games?

[@jobflobad0by0b]

I think I'm about to get Subnautica just bc people have compared it to outer wilds. I honestly only played ow bc I looked the look and art style of it on steam, never heard of it otherwise but now I can't stop recommending it to everyone I talk to about games. There was something about it that looked different and interesting, mysterious yet inviting.

[@jerrodshack7610]

@@jobflobad0by0b Subnautica plays differently (obviously) but the spirit of exploration into the unknown and player-driven discovery is absolutely still there. Absolutely love it. Don't bother with the sequel. Breath of the Wild isn't really much like Outer Wilds, but it is still very much rooted in player-driven exploration and discovery.

[@jobflobad0by0b]

@@jerrodshack7610 appreciate the input brother man

[@Macapta]

Is there any sweeter sentence then "it makes complete sense lore wise".

[@ReavoEnd]

Thanks for making this video and sharing your recap and thoughts on the Echoes journey. It was excellent and I feel like your perspective helped me think some elements of the lore through more thoroughly. :D The frame at 10:19 where Dark Bramble-to-be comes into the picture-is that the clearest shot we ever get of its pre-destroyed state? :D Very cool. 10:22 In the zoomed out view, they copy-pasted the strangers' star system and just rotated and scaled it a bit haha.

[@dylangreen192]

That seems to be the ice planet before the Dark Bramble broke it apart.

[@parker_1196]

hours and hours playing in the dreams and my pacience over xd

[@regnimar]

I found funny that an entire species communicates through powerpoints

[@RevolutionaryLoser]

The thing I loved the most about the DLC ** *spoilers*** was when I finally realized there were no passwords to unlock the vault. When I discovered the padlocks I was slightly disappointed. It wasn't terrible but it felt like a small betrayal of the original game. But then, when I realized I was never going to find the passwords and I was not allowing myself to think outside the box my jaw quite literally dropped. I think they really captured the essence of what made the original adventure such a wild and magical ride. The only thing I was a bit miffed about was that when I found the lantern workshop and the ghost matter I thought I had figured something out. I thought the ghost matter was what powered the lanterns and what allowed conciousness to stay online after death. Coincidentally falling in water wakes you up from the dream just like water nillifies the deadly field of ghost matter. It seemed like a perfect explanation for how ghost matters field kills everything around it and maybe revealed some tie between the Nomai's extinction and the Stranger's presence. It also made sense that if the workshop was abandoned a canister of ghost matter could have blown explaining its presence there. However, as far as I know, there is no confirmed link between the lanterns and the ghost matter and certainly nothing explaining how and why the Interloper transported a compressed ghost matter core right to the system's sun.

[@LordTelperion]

Excellent analysis and essay. *thumbs up*

[@TheLoreExplorer]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@justchillin7274]

The dlc is scary dude, ive never played scary games. Every sound scares me

[@TheLoreExplorer]

I felt the same way. But the truth is the sounds and what not scared me more than the actual “scary parts”. But that’s just me

[@sorry987654321]

Not being a games journalist is qualifying you more than you believe to give your opinion on a game you played.

[@someguyoutthere110]

I really liked the DLC, but to me it didn't really fit into the masterpiece of Outer Wilds, and I would have prefered it to have been a spin-off game. All the standard mechanics felt superfluous, and it felt totally disconnected from the main story. The loop mechanic also just got really annoying since you were flying to the exact same place and ditching your ship every time, where the base game had a ton of different exploration options for each new loop. Combined with how difficult some of the sealth sections could be and how they were a sort of brick wall of progression, I found myself looking stuff up for the first time. Again, a good experience over all, but I found that it being attached to Outer Wilds only really worked against it. I also worry about new players going to this immediately since it has such a good hook and spoiling some major plot points

[@KimiraDreams]

I completely agree, like I just wrote about this and then I saw your comment. It is a fantastic experience for what it is, but it fits awkwardly into the overall design of the world of Outer Wilds.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

If we go there first it doesnt spoil anything. Anything our character doesnt know is left out of the visions. Also, it would make no sense for it to have been connected to the main story. To do so they would have to change the whole story to connect it which wouldnt make sense either mechanics wise or game deign wise really. And then itd run the risk of actually ruining the main game. I can see how the mechanics feel removed from the main game(such as the stealth sections and rafts and whatnot) because its a unique element of the game only used at the stranger. But imo the story and facts fit in perfectly. It teaches similar lessons. Its an overall grand mystery puzzle that we have to piece together. And the story is engaging and throws you for a loop or two. I think maybe peoples expectations gets in its way. People expect another masterpiece when its just an awesome experience. But imo the logic is flawed. Being a part of outer wilds cant really take away from it. If you'd like it more if it were called the strangers journey then the fact is youre not judging the gameplay or experience on its own merit. Not that its wrong to do that. Youre free to judge things and feel however youd like. I just dont understand that particular sentiment.

[@obosuck]

I mean it doesn't really "spoil" anything more than finding particular nomai writings early. The final movie won't show you anything about the nomai if you haven't discovered it and the only other knowledge is that the eye can burn planets or something and the signal is blocked. Additionally its pretty hard to find as an experienced player, a new player has to cross a lot of hurdles just to get there: find radio tower, notice issue with picture and remember degrees, find gabbro to know you can lock on in the map, know that you an use the map at all, and get to the satelite in time to find it. But totally, this DLC is better if you just think of it as a horror game by the same developers. It's good but since it basically ignores all the mechanics from the base game it is really disconnected. It's not as much of a masterpiece as the base game, the slides aren't quite as good as the text, it's all samey wooden structures, and if you miss even a single slide reel you will be stuck for hours. I had to look stuff up around the time you are supposed to start the horror since I was missing some key information (I forgot the tower portrait, and so did the ship logs) I think they need to go and add some redundant information, but if slide reels is the only way it probably won't happen since images are a lot more expensive than text.

[@KimiraDreams]

@@TheLoreExplorer I'm not judging it based on expectations, but for what it is and for how it fits in to an already complete game. This is an expansion, so there is nothing wrong with judging it based on how it compares to the base game.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

@@KimiraDreams As I said. Its valid to think that way. I wanted to do that very early on. Im glad I was able to separate the two while still seeing the cohesion.

[@Kafson]

You're not a video game journalist? That alone makes you more qualified than any of them.

[@pgamez4077]

Like train

[@yeokc8757]

Oh believe me most video game journalists are less qualified than you to do a review 😉

[@ratdisease5280]

when you show the prisoner that their sacrifice kickstarted thousands of years of scientific discovery that gave your life meaning all the way up to the end of the universe and all they can do is throw their head back and howl...... im gonna go cry for 14.3 billion years

[@negativecharisma7583]

The reveal when you drop down with the music swelling up was one of the best reveals of a location since BioShock

[@gpwaltz]

My absolute favorite thing about Echoes is how its theme and mechanics are diametrically opposed (but in balance with) the original Nomai story. HEAVY SPOILERS TO FOLLOW (PLEASE AVOID IF YOU HAVEN'T COMPLETED ECHOES): With the Nomai story, it's about curiosity, exploration, and the desire for understanding (for both the Nomai and the Hearthians). We piece together clues, read ancient correspondence, and solve a mystery spread throughout a solar system - a very large sandbox! With the Echoes story, we explore, but with a much narrower scope. There's this new emotional layer of *fear* and uncertainty, as we flip back and forth between sympathy and horror toward these creatures...trying to piece the story together through our interpretations of images, not text. And the mechanics. Match. The theme. We learn that fear truly doomed the Strangers' inhabitants. And what does it do for us? Our own fear prevents us from learning the game mechanics that are within our grasp the entire time. Fear tells us "Death is final. Stay away from that burning fire!" It tells us "Your light source is your lifeline. Keep it close by your side." It makes us believe that if we feel threatened, it's for a good reason - so we don't shine our light *back* at what's hunting us and take initiative. We instead cower in the dark. In order to make any progress in Echoes, you have to learn to do something that challenges your instinct to run from death, stay away from the dark, and to freeze-up in terror. In the Nomai story, the challenges are logical and mental. In the Echoes story, the challenges are interpretive and emotional. They're two complementary approaches to get at what it means to truly be an explorer. You have to build an understanding of the outside world, *as well as* your inner self. Total brilliance from Mobius.

[@gpwaltz]

People have likened to the darker aspects of Echoes to a "horror game". I think the crux of Echoes is actually in determining *whether that's true or not*.

[@NateAlyn]

I love this comment so much because it mirrors what I found so fascinating about the base game. The way they combined Physics, Astronomy and Quantum Physics is unlike any game I have ever experienced. We should not be able to see a large celestial body like the Quantum Moon disappear and reappear where it wants to! It was jarring until you learn that its part of the game and then the magic of Outer Wilds really starts to set in.

[@gpwaltz]

@@NateAlyn Totally! And that mechanic is presented as a scientific principle that you then have to learn to apply later. Quantum states are demonstrated early on, in the museum - and later, you're explicitly tested in the tower (of "Knowledge", no less). You have to learn what the Nomai have learned. But in Echoes, those discoveries you make aren't based on scientific principles - we've moved from space exploration...to a form of exploration that is immediate and based on your own personal experience of the world. Ahhhh it's amazing

[@ReavoEnd]

So well-worded and eloquently put. Thanks for summarizing my thoughts for me! Ha!

[@jobflobad0by0b]

Really well put, great interpretation. Very insightful

[@chingamfong]

9:25 I disagree with your opinion about owlelk slider reel being more personal than Nomai white boards. I think text is less ambiguous than images. When I was playing I feel I understand the Nomai's much better than the owlelks. As such, I feel much, much more connected to Solanum than to the Prisoner.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

I agree that we understand the nomai a lot better. I also feel more connected to Solanum as well. But imo I think thats because we spent A LOT more time with the nomai and their story. We had hours and hours of following their footsteps and feeling what they were feeling as they did the same things we do. We find a bunch of environmental stories as well. But with the strangers we only get about 5-10 minutes of movies.

[@KimiraDreams]

Ironically, the "Owlks" story felt a lot more literal to me than the Nomai story.

[@quantummidget]

Yeah I loved realizing that one of the main nomai scientists was previously a kid scrawling on the walls.

[@wakankinyan]

It took a few attempts to figure out why the DLC felt like such a chore. No text and light based puzzles meant playing in the dark and narrative quiet. The owls speak in flip book, and this was cute at first but communicates so weakly that I grew to dislike it quickly. Add to that they drop you into the matrix where you're really playing in the dark with no communication, and now your beloved equipment is gone, I kept finding excuses to explore the main game again. Because the owls have a written language but feel compelled to use power point, and because they are revisionists who hid everything interesting, the DLC felt very much like a job. The minute the raft dropped, the DLC was over for me.

[@HalNordmann]

That is the problem with images - they can tell you WHAT happened, but not WHY has it happened.

[@mothman7786]

"My Honest Opinions on Echoes of the Eye" Brutally honest, I thought you'd start the video with a facecam and a heavy, apologetic sigh

[@JoshSweetvale]

Clickbait is a sin of the viewer.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

Preconceived notions are the sin of the viewer. The title is accurate lol. I give my honest opinions on echoes and the things it includes. They just happen to be good.

[@luhsvideodump1300]

I loved the DLC as well. Only thing I'd change is add more objects with light behind them on the dark areas. One of the coolest things the dlc does is making you see with shadows - like the last owl on the well room, on Starlit Cove. You do not see the last owl, instead you see it's shadow on the back light. Adding more objects with silhouettes in the dark would allow the player to keep their bearings using reference points while still in total dark rooms, and would feed into the DLC's theme of lack of sight.

[@jeb123]

I think ability to see just 10 cm front of you would make dark areas much easier.

[@vicio19995]

@@jeb123 and less annoying

[@HarryDuBois616]

That's the only criticism I have for the DLC. The stumbling around in the dark felt a bit tedious at times and it felt like there was too much of it. Other than that though it's a great addition to the base game.

[@luhsvideodump1300]

@@HarryDuBois616 While I do agree completely with you, something that makes me feel better about the dark sections is the fact that [SPOILERS AHEAD] they allow you to completely skip them. 1) The Swamp being starting shortcut + waiting for the dam; 2) The Cove with just committing suicide on the tomb's fireplace; 3) The Gorge with the secret bridge making the path literally the easiest of them all. An argument could be made about 2 and 3 needing knowledge from their respective archives, but in that case the following is also possible: 2b) Turning the lights off, resetting the dream and dropping off the starting stones directly next to the well (can't skip last section but it's just walking forward and avoiding that one elk) 3b) Turning the bridge visible during the lit Gorge, then using it to down the elevator, turning off the lights then using the elevator from another tomb (Tower, specifically) 2b has the issue of using incorrect fall damage, which is kind of unintuitive. So Cove is the worst of the bunch, I feel. 3b takes some planning, but it's how I did it when playing. The Gorge just has too many elks, I feel. More than it should. ANOTHER argument could be made that all 1, 2 and 3 can be thought out (1 is intended, 2 is realizing the bell can't wake up a dead person which makes perfect sense and 3 is good routing), but it still shouldn't be relied upon.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

I feel like this will vary between players. I ran my head against the dream word twice. Then realized all the info I needed was basically in the real world. After I learned all there was in the real world the solutions are essentially given to you.

[@drteeth362]

I didn’t even realize a trailer was dropped for the dlc, I found out that the dlc was out a day after release day on a whim so I truly went in blind. In my head I was expecting perhaps another planet or celestial body drifting into the solar system to explore and not much else. The surprise I had when I first dropped into the stranger and looked up was truly magical

[@jobflobad0by0b]

Same. I had no idea about the dlc, but was lucky enough to see it on steam the day it came out. Had no idea what to expect but was far from disappointed. Fastest I've ever bought a dlc. Ever.

[@tbotalpha8133]

I intentionally avoided learning *anything* about the DLC before it came out. I'm so glad I did, because it was one of the purest gaming experiences I've ever had.

[@jertlemiah]

I think the only thing I found mildly disappointing is that we never needed the signalscope inside the Stranger and the Scout felt a bit underused. Like I know they wanted to use all the new cool mechanics, but it weirdly stuck out to me how rarely we used base game mechanics. The red herring with the translator though was top notch 👌

[@starshard0]

The scout itself wasn't used about as much as the base game I felt, both checking dam integrity like Brittle Hollow and shooting through tight spaces like Ember Twin, but the lack of any dimensional shenanigans meant it lost some of it's more unique functionality like in Dark Bramble. The flashlight was definitely used a lot more, obviously. Definitely agree about the signalscope, it would have been interesting if each entry point for the simulation had some kind of signal.

[@enamis1]

oh god yes, this. I kept pulling out the scope so many times just hoping to catch at least something. like some weird radio static or chatter or maybe a hint of anything quantum. i feel like its a bit of a missed opportunity

[@LB_]

How was the scout unuderused? You need the scout to see one of the codes, you need the scout to check the dam integrity, you need photo mode to navigate two ghost matter patches, the scout can also report hazards like the white water rapids, electric cables, and the fires... it gets a ton of use as far as I can see. It makes sense form a lore perspective that there would be no signals for the signalscope since the Stranger was trying to stay cloaked and hidden.

[@smorggs7860]

My biggest disappointment was how underused the flaws in the simulation were, despite how cool and well thought out they were. I also feel the same way about the quantum rules in the base game, with the stranger itself being kind of like a second quantum moon in a weird way. As for the signal scope, it wasn't completely useless, as the shape of the stranger made it so you could use it as a telescope to look at other areas from a distance (which is how I found out about the hidden gorge), which was a feature never really practical in the base game. Still, could have used that and the scout a bit more. Also, I'd just like to point out, you can tell Hal about the new language and ask him to translate it, and while they get excited about doing so, they tell you that it'll take about six weeks and they'll need a bunch of samples, which I find to be very outer wilds.

[@LB_]

@@smorggs7860 Each simulation flaw lets you completely bypass the area you learn them in, that seems pretty useful to me.

[@AninoNiKugi]

Wow, you sure do look really small on the raft. I didn't perceive the raft that big 😄 I loved the DLC. Sure there are things you'll miss, flying your ship and easy access to ship log, low gravity, etc., but the Stranger is so cool and unique it's fine putting those in the background. The game design of your introduction to the ring world is so awesome too because you'll feel confused, scared, panic (when the raft falls) then immediately in awe and fascination with how the environment looks.

[@BarbaricCrafter1]

The Owlks were big - which is why their furniture and the gravity on the planet match that. The DLC makes you feel small, and powerless in the simulation area. You really feel like you're walking in the footsteps of giants.

[@AninoNiKugi]

@@BarbaricCrafter1 Yeah I know but I didn't feel that with the raft when I played 😄 But yeah it makes sense it's that big.

[@navetal]

How many loops ended with the Nomai probe crashing through the stranger and noone knew about it because they didn't bother to log errors, only the final coordinates? Imagine if they added an entry in the sunken module that could serve as another hint to hook you into the DLC story if you purchased it! "Loop number 20569, connection with the probe has been lost for a few seconds, after which its trajectory has been altered. No object could be detected at the estimated location of the anomaly. Displaying coordinates..." Though I guess the only way to use the Nomai coordinates is with the Vessel's systems, and warping the already broken vessel straight into the stranger's original position in the supernova's range after turning off the ATP is not a thing you want to accidentally do...

[@ReavoEnd]

Nice thinking, hadn't even crossed my mind! But of course it must've happened! That would be really interesting if a Nomai computer in the probe tracking module mentioned contact with the stranger.

[@Greenpixel16]

That's a cool idea, but wouldn't it also collide with all the other planets too?

[@navetal]

@@Greenpixel16 It can, but if the Nomai were smart they'd take the locations of the known planets & sun into account when calculating the probe's trajectory in the first place. The stranger was unknown to them so that's a different story.

[@S31Syntax]

@@navetal That also means that there's a loop of the game where the probe fires and hits the stranger. There've already been loops where the probe just orbital strikes the player as they get to their ship.

[@friendperson4368]

This is just a detail that may be up to interpretation but I wanted to point it out. The Pursuers (what I refer to the inhabitants by) saw what the eye would do. If you really pay attention, it showed the universe dying after one interacted with the eye. But it also showed that from their dead body, new life began to grow around them. It is possible that the Pursuers knew that it was showing them the universe was dying and that interacting with it would allow a new universe to grow in its place instead of what I think most people think of it just showing them the universe dying. With that in mind their reaction becomes different with how you interpret it. If you just see the eye showing them the universe dying, then their reaction is out of a desperate attempt to trap themselves in an illusion so that they don't have to see the oncoming death of the universe. If you interpret it as them realizing that from this universe's death, a new one would be born, then their actions become much more selfish. They intentionally censored their own history to only show people the bad parts of the eye. They blocked the eye's signal so no one would restart the universe and they wouldn't be destroyed. They were willing to let every other world die and not let new ones come into being. It may not be the correct interpretation but it definitely is something interesting.

[@Ayelis]

Did it even show them that the universe was dying though? Perhaps they thought the universe would go on forever and the eye was just a sort of "Genesis device" that would kill everything and refresh it, not revive a dying universe. In that context, their actions sort of make sense. Except for the one where they retreat into the dream world, that's just a weird action either way.

[@seraslain962]

The Stranger - the Pursuers'/Followers' perfect little Supernova Bunker that was also programmed to move AWAY from the Supernova. So long as it wasn't destroyed, the inhabitants of the Stranger could live forever near the fake fire of a simulation of their home, in theory forever dooming everyone else to save themselves from what they saw as annihilation and to make sure their species' story never ended.

[@ashencometmom5291]

the eye showed them everything it had to show them, otherwise the prisoner wouldn't have done what they did. i think the question is more just whether or not the strangers fully understood the consequences of their actions or if they were just so horrified by the idea of the current universe's annihilation that everything after that seemed completely unimportant in comparison

[@PixelOverload]

@@Ayelis retreating into a simulated reality of the homeworld they destroyed in pursuit of something that didn't deliver whatever they expected it to is probably the most understandable thing they did imo

[@celadore]

It definitely showed them the rebirth, but their reaction would vary wildly if they didn't know the universe was already dying. Sacrificing all life for a potential future is a much heavier proposition when your solar system isn't 20 minutes from death.

[@peanuts974]

I think Echoes is just as good as the base game, which is just about the highest praise I can possibly give anything. It's very different in terms of gameplay and story, but does a really great job further exploring the main game's themes, but from a totally different perspective. The story has so many devastating emotional gut punches throughout, and they're communicated to the player without a single word of text or dialogue. An extremely impressive feat, considering that the main game's story is communicated to the player almost *entirely* through text. The ending was absolutely brilliant too, tying perfectly back into the main game's story while also standing on its own as a fantastically powerful emotional payoff for what the player had to go through to get there. The gameplay was fantastic too, completely ditching the quantum puzzles from the main game and going in a totally new direction. The techniques needed to beat the game were ingenious too. They're so easy to do, yet none but the most experimental would think to do them until the game teaches you about them. The uh... *intense*... sections were simple in design, but very effective (i.e. terrifying) due to the fantastic sound design and lighting. Andrew Prahlow and the entire sound design team did an outstanding job here. Same goes for the environment artists, and the gameplay designers, I mean holy crap really just the entire dev team deserves as much praise as I can possibly give them. They knocked it out of the park, again. I thought Mobius caught lightning in a bottle with the original game, and that it was pretty unlikely they'd ever be able to make something that good again. Never been happier to be so wrong.

[@drteeth362]

Another thing to add. I don’t think the strangers were inherently “mean” to us. Through the reels we see it can be assumed that although the Strangers are curious, they are absolutely fearful and skittish, especially after seeing what the Eye can do after destroying their home world to get to it. It makes sense that they would want to snuff out anything new in their simulation they built to try and feel normal again. Furthermore, when the strangers do catch you in their simulation, all they do is kick you out of it by blowing out your lantern, nothing more.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

Just because they have a reason to do it doesnt make it any nicer. The instant we see any of them they get upset and chase us down to get rid of us. They dont even say hello or ask how our Tuesday was. Its rude lol.

[@royalblue5367]

Unless they catch you without a lantern, then they snap you like a fucking twig lmao

[@TheLoreExplorer]

@@royalblue5367 its still just waking you up from the simulation and not hurting you at all

[@translationerrors3552]

@@royalblue5367 I wonder what we look like to them without the lantern. Perhaps we just look like a glitch?

[@SpiderconPrime]

@@TheLoreExplorer The problem with that is when you jump in a river without a lantern, you can hear yourself drowning. This means you actually feel everything happening too you. Sure it doesn't actually kill you, but you still feel yourself getting snapped in half.

[@Yesnomu]

One thing I thought was cool: even though the owlks represent everything the game is opposed to (fear of the unknown, shutting out others, holding onto the past instead of building a new future), it still shows compassion to them. You're not able to blow out their lanterns or shut down the servers, respecting their choice. And we also respect their experiences and knowledge, so there're things worth learning and experiencing in their virtual world. You can pass judgment on their race of a sort by not letting the prisoner play along, but you get a better ending if you value what they bring as well. Great way of exploring more themes in an already amazing game.

[@sportsracer48]

It does give you a way to kill them though. Most of them are doomed, but 1/3 of the inhabitants survive the flood and even escape the supernova, unless you take the prototype artifact to the last fire. It's the easiest fire to get to from where you find the prototype, and you get an achievement for doing it. I can't prove that's intentional design, but it at least shows that Mobius weren't really considering that players might feel sentimental about the inhabitants. If you get that achievement, it might not even cross your mind that you are wiping out the remaining pursuers (aside from The Prisoner) by doing so. Hardly compassionate imo.

[@dariopasquini2203]

@@sportsracer48 Ha so there is a way to kill the fires from the "real" world interesting.

[@gabrielclark1425]

Notice how the water isn't flowing, it's actually lagging behind the rings rotation!

[@kickitsmooth]

Just like the main game, the world hides its secrets by paralyzing you with fear. Since the solutions were even closer to under your nose in the dlc, they had to crank up the fear. Make sure the player is too scared to experiment. Despite being in a time loop we still can’t overcome our base instincts. Also can we all appreciate how disturbing those teleportation hands are?

[@807D14M0ND5]

That teleport effect is so cool with the dolly zoom and sound effect being off sync slightly

[@TuShan18]

Lemmino had an interesting question in his video about virtual reality (or another video that brought up the topic) about what happens if we make a perfect reality in the computer. Will we continue to keep exploring outwards, or just keep going inwards to further perfect this artificial reality? I think that’s what happened to the strangers. They saw the eye, were infatuated by it, and sacrificed so much to explore find out more about it. But when they saw the truth, they got scared and shut themselves away from the universe. They clung to the past, and wanted to find the best possible way for things to go back to the way they were. Back when things made sense. There’s a lot of things I want to talk about the dlc, but that was something that stood out to me while playing it.

[@Athrepos]

I Never really tought about the Eye being sentient but after the dlc it started to fester on my mind. The Eye, by what I understood, was seeking a being to commune with it and recreate the universe, because, alone, it couldn't. The owlks destroyed their planet to answer the call of their God, in hopes of wonders only to be met with the prospect of the impending doom. Really well done. Such a nice game

[@seanhilton765]

Having played through the dlc myself and beating it 2 days after release then watching your playthrough, lemme tell you. It was great watching you piece things together as You discovered them. I can't wait for my friend to play through the dlc, he's almost finished the basegame (he's still way too scared of DB to attempt the ending yet). But lemme tell you, the fact you called them "owlelks" kinda got to me. Lemme explain, Whatever you decide to call them is your choice, I called them "Dreamers" because I clocked as soon we get the first reel of them crying over pictures of home, that something happened to it. (Also they reminded me of the Dreamers from Hollow Knight so my brain just labelled them Dreamers) And that they couldn't go back be it they didnt have the lifespan or genetic diversity to make a return trip. So instead they researched a way to get "home," creating the Dream. Hell when I first entered the dream, the first thing out of my mouth was 'Dream a Little Dream of Home.'

[@magvad6472]

Man the reality is so much worse...and they are still dreamers, just for all the wrong reasons.

[@snekcube107]

you know the video is gonna be good when he says "hello everyone I am the lore explorer and this is outer wilds"

[@BarbaricCrafter1]

This was posted on an earlier video, I'm bringing it up again: It looks like the Owlks had some sort of divided class society! There is a discrepancy in the number shown in some of the reels and the number contained within the simulation pits. As well, the ones shown burning down the temple to the eye are wearing the same jewelry as the ones in the pits, and don't forget that there is a temple to the burned reels - which means it was made after - not before, the Owlks went in the simulation! And, the second church to the eye was not burned down! There would be no reason for it to survive unless it was built afterwards! In the same area as the burned reels!

[@aspectofhades]

Fascinating theory, but where would their remains be?

[@BarbaricCrafter1]

@@aspectofhades That's the only question this theory doesn't answer. It answers why the church is around, why there aren't as many Owlks in the simulation, and why the burning reels exist with prominence. But it doesn't tell us what happens to the extra Owlks who didn't wear jewelry in the reels. Based on the ending, there should be some graves somewhere if graves were commonplace considering the Prisoner had one, or it could just be that the discrepancy is merely an error and the burning reel location was created by the Prisoner.

[@fwopkins]

@@BarbaricCrafter1 Interesting. I just investigated a bit more based on this. The inhabitants are clearly guarding their secrets - when you extinguish the lights in 2 out of 3 of the simulated they move to positions to protect their secrets. But before they burned the reels they put it in the scanning device, which I can only assume digitises them and why all the reels are present in the forbidden libraries *within* the simulation. So they wanted to keep the knowledge, but keep it only to those within the simulation - just like they hide they Eye itself, they hide any knowledge of how they blocked its signal. There's an empty alcove in the tower, which I presume is the Prisoner's. why wouldn't someone else fill it if there were more owlks? You can also see that not all the owlks are wearing the jewelry in the adjacent alcoves, so I don't think they denote any special status - after all, getting to live eternally (even if just a simulation) surely is only for the special? My understanding is that just like the Prisoner leaves the simulation, the others only leave it temporarily. They catch the Prisoner, seal them in the vault, digitise and then burn their reels, repurpose a temple of the Eye to be a "Temple of Resolve" (the burnt reels) and then re-enter the simulation with the intent of never leaving. There is no reason to build a new temple to the Eye, just to tear the symbol down. They are just doubling down on their existing plans.

[@BarbaricCrafter1]

@@fwopkins Oh! I hadn't conceived of the notion that the burning of the reels could be seen as a good thing by the Owlks! This of course makes a lot of sense, and explains the existence of the burned reels as a marked location, as a sort of absolution or evolution of the religion of the Eye of the Universe. And it definitely has historical precedent as well. Perhaps the second temple to the eye was left standing because it served a functional purpose, whereas the large temple near the tower town did not.

[@pieohpie]

Loved the DLC, would insta buy again! Appreciated the spoopyness too lol The first time I entered The Stranger, I flew towards it at full speed, because I thought it's something like a black hole that I have to catch/enter quick lol. I was so hyped and shouted "Let's fucking gooooo!" just to get scared shitless when everything went black and I crashed into it lmao. I somehow survived it, barely alive, can't see shit... man. This game is a masterpiece

[@AstrumKitten091]

I thought the DLC was pretty nice. I do think i prefered the main game a little more, but this was nice too. Don't have any complaints really. The only small nitpick I have is, I think it is a little odd not a single Nomai ever accidentally found the Stranger. Sure you aren't supposed to think about it so that is why it is just a small thing.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

I explained that in the video. They literally didnt have the capability. If a probe enters the space it loses connection to the outside. And the nomai didnt have the spaceflight capability to get out of the solar systems plane. To find the stranger you had to move 45 degrees off the plane and then line up with the stranger. Its touching to me they went through all the trouble to actually make that have sense. I was super worried about it.

[@royalblue5367]

The Nomai also never found their lost comrades and interstellar ship in the Bramble Dark. It's not far-fetched that they never detected a space station that was literally designed to be undetectable.

[@AstrumKitten091]

@@royalblue5367 It was less about detecting and more blind luck of stumbling into it. But Lore explorers explanation makes sense, it was just a wee thought that i myself couldn't answer so i am glad people can :)

[@JCJENSON_IN_SPACEEEEEEEEE]

i love this moment 2:55

[@SgtSgnarf]

"For every pathway lit up, there was a brave traveler who traversed it while it was dark. Then set a candle so that others could see there's no reason to be scared" I know its not the most profound statement, but that's really powerful to me.

[@CaptainWobbs]

After playing through the DLC, I believe my prediction that the Eye is omniscient stands corrected. There’s now a given reason is started and stopped transmitting, and it can be theorized that it began transmitting in the first place simply because that’s its job- To signal somebody to come and enter it in order to make a new universe once the current one is reaching its end. I think it’s worth noting that the Strangers’ vision of the Eye destroying the universe may actually be true. After all, it’s hard to create a universe when one already exists in the space you need to use. I recall the best allegory I’ve seen being that the Eye is just the universe’s reset button. Heck, you see it happen when you first enter the Ancient Glade.

[@quinnarnold8733]

I'm pretty sure The Stranger is moving away from the sun constantly as the loop progresses. You may have noticed it isn't destroyed and you aren't killed by the supernova. There's a room at the top of the dam that shows that it is moving away from the sun to escape the supernova. There's even a little timer that kinda shows how far along the loop is.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

It’s stationary for about 5 minutes. Once the panels open on the side it starts accelerating slowly

[@JCJENSON_IN_SPACEEEEEEEEE]

both of my favorite theorist just posted, one of them include u!

[@Barusuzin]

this game is trully amazing, the DLC is pure gold

[@batmanbjones922]

I would love for the VR mod to become compatible with this dlc that would be so scary but yet so fun

[@mike777881]

I think story-wise, the dlc definitely lives up to expectations. However, I definitely preferred the gameplay in the base game. First, I really liked flying the ship in the base game and was a bit disappointed that the game made the ship less useful in the dlc. Second, with the puzzle solving, the game definitely holds your hand a bit more. Like in the base game you would have to piece together clues from completely separate investigations, whereas most of the puzzles in the dlc consist of you finding a slide reel that essentially shows you the solution of how to progress. Though the base game might've been too cryptic with their puzzles, considering that I either needed to look up solutions or use unintended solutions to reach certain areas. The dlc probably was made easier in response with it but I feel they mightve gone too far because of how straight forward I felt everything was.

[@bobfranklin2572]

You found it easy? Damn.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

I can only imagine they are referring to the reels. But even then I had a hard time interpreting most of the “solution” reels. Either way it did feel a little bad getting solutions shown to us. Especially after the base game. Imagine after tracking down feldspars signal on dark bramble and then they send you a message with directions on how to get past the anglers. That’s sort of what the reels are like. Idk.

[@frogfan449]

beyond the story elements you discuss in this video, i think the DLC is mechanically even better than the base game. i think it has a lot of more interesting puzzles (such as learning the glitches in the simulation world or discovering hidden paths). the sections where you must avoid the owls in the simulation world are very fun and feel like an extension to dark bramble, wherein the idea of needing to survive against hostile lifeforms is explored further. the one problem with those sections, though, is how easy it is to manipulate the owls. probably the scariest game ever would be one similar to the simulation but with more frightening (and smart) enemies and no glitch in the simulation that allows you to surveil the place easily Also, it seems as if the anglerfish have become more alert since i last played the game. i was probably just out of practice while getting to the eye of the universe but the one in the first seed began chasing me even thoughi provoked less than what i would expect to be necessary

[@SophieJMore]

Honestly, the owl sections were nothing but frustrating, especially the third one, glad that it's possible to bypass it using the elevator. Trying to avoid enemies while not being able to see anything is not fun or challenging at all.

[@pilpoilanim]

There is a little detail I find really cool in the simulation (near the pit area). You can find the prisonner's destroyed house, with his telescope still pointing in the sky.

[@pilpoilanim]

Also, in the Cinder Isles, you can find the prisoner's portrait completly scratched, in one of the houses (the one with the white painting on the front)

[@fwopkins]

@@pilpoilanim How do you know that the scratched portrait is the prisoner's? There is an empty alcove in the fire room of the tower. I think it's reasonable to assume that's their alcove.

[@pilpoilanim]

@@fwopkins you can recognize him by the missing antler.

[@pilpoilanim]

The prisoners is also visible in some of the slide reels.

[@purpletrauma]

The thing for me is the themes of exploration I felt this DLC made that much stronger with this new race adding a 3rd theme of exploration to the species. The Hearthians are folksy explorers; on primitive wooden craft, out there in dangerously unsuitable craft in a rush to explore the corners they can survive long enough to reach. The Nomai are researchers; exploring the unknown with proper preparations and technology for the sake of knowledge and seeing what the universe and nature has hidden away. The Outsiders are more religious, went on a mass exodus and sacrificed everything to seek out and find the symbol of their worship. All three races are different themes on explorers that may travel great distances for one reason or another. Primitive colonial explorers, advanced field researchers, and worshipers on a pilgrimage to a holy site. All the races and their core themes come back to exploration of a different style. I mean, I could be reaching, I haven't really shared my thoughts before, but I don't think I am stretching things here. The Hearthians are on wooden craft that barely function, are easy to crash and destroy, and even in-game dialogue points out things like how you're riding in a spacecraft of wood nailed to alien technology that makes it barely work; they want to see space so badly they're hashing together poorly made wooden structures and catapulting themselves in their rush to explore. The Nomai, down to the children, are obsessed with their research and knowledge (even having ticks where they say "hypothesis:" in casual language), knowledge is everything to their species as the game presents them. The Outsiders are a little harder to place since we must interpret from what we see and not explicit dialogue, but between the paintings, candles, churches, and temple-like tower for them to enter the simulation.. I got a certain religious vibe from them. They may have forbidden it after they saw the eye up close, but they did not seek the eye for knowledge, they sought it like it was a deity or object of worship. I loved the DLC, but it's the thing that really made this element of the game's setting stand out to me more. A whole new location with much to see in it... and it builds little on the main story, and is all about a new set of travelers that went to unknown parts for reasons different than the other two races.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

Very well thought out and well put! Id say maybe less religion and more faith based. But there isnt much of a difference!

[@purpletrauma]

@@TheLoreExplorer A fair rebuttal. Without explicit language, it's mostly semantics or interpretation of what Mobius intended in regards to faith vs religion. I probably went towards religion because.. well.. it's easy, very very easy, to treat those two words as interchangeable, and referring to their reaction to the eye as "religion" is not unfair.

[@flyingsheep1539]

I viewed them as a much more emotionally based species as well. The Nomai were incredibly hardy and industrious, seemingly able to crash land on a planet and immediately pop up cities and get back to their goals of researching. Yet the two eyed aliens are definitely more traditional and emotionally based in their thinking, right from the second that i landed on The Stranger I immediately realized that it was probably designed to look like their home world. And the way that they destroyed their world, only to end up creating a facsimile world in their minds, was a tremendous tragedy

[@Thefuntasip]

There is something which is quite amazing. When you share your story with the Prisonner. You can see pictures of the nomai mothership get caught in dark bramble or the ghost matter killing them. But if you haven't done the main story, you don't have those pictures so you share an incomplete story to the prisonner

[@fifty5074]

Lore you have finally reached 10K Congratulations!

[@TheLoreExplorer]

Yay, thank you!

[@fifty5074]

@@TheLoreExplorer what are you going to do to celebrate?

[@eduardoandrescontrerasrome6703]

I cried, I cried at the end of the DLC. Ir was just so FUCKING beautiful

[@junk3996]

i was blown away by the DLC. Outer Wilds just has the greatest story telling and captivating narrative i've ever experienced in a video game, fueling my exploration. the way they did the slide reels was incredible, i think. the initial reels being burnt out so they could give you clues and hints as to what is happening, to drive you further into the game and exploration, but not revealing the real heartbreak until viewing the full reels at the end. every aspect of this DLC is genius. the integration, the design, the levels, the puzzles, everything! if i had one criticism it would be that we could have done more or figured out more about their little spaceships in the hangers. i was super intrigued by those when i first came upon the stranger

[@ChroniclesOfFastCool]

I can’t lie when I was watching the final animation of the sharing of stories I literally had goosebumps and so many memories flood back of when I first explored the universe a couple of years ago. Really beautiful

[@RevolutionaryLoser]

I got a flashback to meeting Solanum and I remembered how happy I felt not for me, not even for the Hatchling but just thinking about all his friends and family that had dreamed of meeting a Nomai. Even if it was at the end of the universe. It made me think trying and failing isn't so bad when someday all those attempts might amount to something beyond our wildest dreams.

[@JCJENSON_IN_SPACEEEEEEEEE]

maybe you should do a video of how to find all the reals???

[@TheLoreExplorer]

I dont really do tutorial videos on story parts of the game. Discovery is the whole point. If i show you where everything is then Im taking that from you.

[@sportsracer48]

I stopped about 10 minutes in when you mentioned that you weren't sure if there was a deeper meaning to the simulated world / projections, and I think I have some insight. One theme that stands out in the simulated world is truth in simulation. In real (game) world, you solve puzzles by learning the laws of physics, studying history, and learning about the solar system. In the simulated world you start out by solving puzzles like a video game: calling moving platforms that move along tracks, turning bridges 'on' and 'off,' using magic field of view warping teleporters, and sneaking around enemies. Then, later on as you learn that those rules you've been learning to follow are fake, you break them, and ignore the puzzle solutions as they were programmed in. This stands in contrast to the 'non'-simulated world of the base game, with it's deep commitment to truth in simulation. The Dream World is like a stage play in comparison to the solar system. In my first playthrough, I though I had to block the sand on the Ash Twin to get through the warp, and because of how the physics system is coded, that actually worked! As far as I know that's actually an intended solution. Eventually, when it's time to say goodbye to this world that you have learned and loved, you part tear with a smile and a song. The dream world shows us what happens in a fake world with fake simulation: fake solutions. By the time you beat the DLC you are playing like damn speedrunner. It doesn't matter what entrance you go in from, so you pick the one that's easiest, and start by hopping directly into the fire. You ignore the puzzles and stealth mechanics, hop into the void and wrongwarp to the end of the game. Because you have entered a glitched state, certain mechanics fail to apply to you, and you look up the final code essentially by datamining, something that Mobius even referenced by including codes to datamine or brute force for all three bridges. I think that the deeper meaning is clear: Mobius uses truth in simulation to speak to us about the *real* world. The game is a projection, and the game within the game is a projection within a projection. No one mourns the end of the Dream World. Indeed, 2/3 of it are doomed by the act of cowardice that saves the remaining inhabitants from the supernova, but the player is even given the option to wipe out the remaining Strangers, and given the opportunity to do so by accident, earning an achievement in the process. In this reading, the devs don't respect the Dream World, nor do they respect its inhabitants. In a way, its construction is the same mistake that The Prisoner hopes to not repeat in the next universe. A wretched nostalgia, a desperate desire to cling to what we already know, and even to simulate what was lost. Ready Player One said it first, but reality is the only place you can get a good marshmallow.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

So not to take away from the amazing write up. I truly appreciate you taking the time. But there are a few mistakes in the write up. In no circumstances were you meant to data mine the games code. Unless you somehow mean inside the dream world. But even then idk what you’re talking about. The first code we use the artifact glitch. The second code we use the falling beneath the world glitch. And for the third code we die. As for the intended solution for the atps warp. You simply stand under the roof and walk onto the pad as the sand pillar is halfway past. Clogging the hole is clever though! But tbh I don’t buy the whole “they put a simulation inside a simulation inside another simulation to teach us simulations are bad. “ I think it more has to do with the fact the strangers projected all their hopes and dreams onto the eye. And then when it didn’t turn out the way they wanted…they projected some malicious intent on the eye. None of the things they did were based off fact. But rather some projection of feelings or emotions.

[@sportsracer48]

@@TheLoreExplorer yeah I mean using the 'glitch' to see the code, not reading the game files. I still think there's a good reason that the bridges have codes, even if it's just so you could brute force them in theory. And it's not that simulations are bad, Outer Wilds is a simulation itself. It's the nostalgia for simulations that the stranger's mistake condemns. Simulations are wonderful for what they show us about reality. Truth in simulation ::)

[@TheLoreExplorer]

I’m sorry. I just think I don’t understand something here at a fundamental level. (Maybe in the dlc or in your interpretation). Or maybe I’m just confused because thats not really connecting the projection of reels, projection of “reality”(with the artifacts), and projection of the strangers thoughts as light. Idk. In a very real sense there was no truth inside their simulation that wasn’t already in “reality”. They went out of their way to hide that truth.

[@sportsracer48]

@@TheLoreExplorer Projection is symbolic. The projectors were the Strangers' first attempt to recreate their home, essentially by watching it on TV. Later the reels are used to record the Stranger's history, but why? The Prisoner has a reason to record and hide what they did, but the other Strangers, even the cult obsessed with obscuring the truth, still saved a copy of their history and hid it away. It's like what Don Hertzfeldt explores in 'The World of Tomorrow.' The Strangers are obsessed with memory and preservation, and the things they do in the name of their nostalgia are framed as mistakes. The Dream World is just a more advanced projection, rather than a true simulation. It tries to be a full replacement for reality, and so it fails to be anything more than a lie. I like to remember how we learn the solution to the Giant's Deep puzzle in the base game. Spire built a model to demonstrate how Giant's Deep worked. That model is a kind of simulation, but a true simulation: a scale model, like the one they use to model the bay in San Fransisco (www.spn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Bay-Model-Visitor-Center/ ). That's the kind of simulation Outer Wilds is and loves, the kind that exists to learn or teach about reality.

[@shayaltshue1791]

"Another hidden world you can *get lost in for hours*!" .... I don't want to admit how many hours I spent lost as shit in that world lol

[@lorenzozanelli3437]

I know you are the lore explorer, but this time I think I have a better explanation than yours for why they concealed the echoes of the eye. they saw that if a sentient creature comes in contact with the eye, will lead to a big bang and to the end of them. this is why they concealed it, to prevent anyone from finding it and to come in contact with it, like you do at the end of the game. only what you have to do at the end will destroy theyr deathless utopia, not even the sun going supernova will. the prisoner knew that what they were doing would have meant the death of the universe for all other species, without a chance to start back over with another big bang, and he was not okay with it,even if that was his only chance to live forever, and so he turned off the concealing field.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

But the eye doesnt do that, does it? Or show the that. The universe is already dying by the time we reach the eye. Its all dying naturally. It seems to us that we end the universe because when we enter the eye we instantly see a universe start. But remember time doesnt move normally at the eye. Just as our scout does, we enter, and get teleported to the future. But all the time since then still happened. In other words. There is no reason to believe that the instant someone enters the eye the entire current universe blows up or ceases to be. The eye was showing the owlks that the universe was ending. But if you pay attention, it shows them that itll be reborn too(just without them). But the owlks dont understand this. Yes(as I mention in the video) they try to prevent whatever they saw from happening by sealing its signal. But this simply wasnt enough for them. They also had to retreat to their dream world in which theyd never encounter something unknown again. Also, the prisoner didnt know what the eye would do either. They just knew their friends were being scared of something they didnt quite understand and that was wrong.

[@lorenzozanelli3437]

@@TheLoreExplorer mmhh. i mean, your vision of the thing is not wrong. but this is outer wilds, maybe mine could be good too. i always interpreted the eye like the source of countinuous big bangs. as long as a sentient beings enters it, it creates new universes (I thought that, for the rule of the quantum image, a sentient being inside the eye will make it stop being all the possibilities quantum-contemporary and collapsing in all of them separatly, but in the same point of space, causing an extremely powerful expansion of every possibility, wich is the big bang), preventing a true end of everything and creating a new universe. And it's more or less what happens. you get in, you see a big bang, and after billion years a new species is ready to repeat the journey. in that reel of the elks, you actually see one of them touching the eye, before it causes a huge explosion and the death of all of them, and the creation of a new universe(the grass that grows on them), so I thought that they simply decided to embrace the thermic death of the universe to live forever in theyr utopia, wich as long as it's intact, will grant them an endless life, and to avoid anybody else to cause the big bang, that will actually kill them in theyr utopia, they decided to conceal the signal from anybody else. If my interpretations has flaws I really need to know because that's really cool and poethic in my opinion

[@TheLoreExplorer]

@@lorenzozanelli3437 Oh. Im sorry. Maybe I worded it wrong. Youre correct on what they interpreted and how they felt. Thats what they think will happen. They are just wrong. The eye is the source for the big bang continuously. But, imo, there is nothing showing us its actually the source of the end of the universe. Thats just a misinterpretation on their end(imo). The eye shows them that clip, then no one enters the eye for 280k years. Yet the universe is still ending.

[@lorenzozanelli3437]

@@TheLoreExplorer i am italian so it's more likely to me to misunderstood than to you for having worded it wrong. anyway, I mean, a big bang it's pretty devastating. they have a technology that can survive the normal end of the universe (they can escape supernovas and living in a cold lifeless universe thanks to the immortality of theyr consciousness in the matrix world), so for them that end is not so worrying, however, if the big bang is destructive and big enough, they can't survive the thriving of the universe. the death of it for them is preferable than it's renewal, that's what I got. however man, let me use this discussion as an opportunity to thank you and to compliment your dedication and hard work.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

Basically we are agreeing here. Im just trying to communicate that there is no indication that us entering the eye is what ends the universe. And there is no indication that the big bang happens immediately after we enter the eye either. It seems this way to us but time is all wonky at the eye. In my opinion, according to our universes perspective, time would continue naturally. There would be no reason for it to just end. So even after we enter the eye, the stranger could have lived in isolation forever. Also, thank you for the kind words.

[@TonkarzOfSolSystem]

I was in the same building when the dam broke in my playthrough. After a few seconds I was like "what was that noise?". I went out to check just in time to see the wave rushing at me before it hit.

[@centurosproductions8827]

Two strange things about that void: 1. why does it block *only* the light from this one system's sun (and how does it only *not* block the sun from inside). 2. How and why does it completely kill your momentum? But the intro to the Stranger, both finding it and the way you enter is amazing game design.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

All I can think is its not capable of showing every single "pixel" lit up at the same time. Honestly its hard to think about how it works. Simultaneously I could be looking at it one way. Someone else could be 1km next to me looking at it. Wed see different things from different perspectives since the stars would be in different apparent locations. So it cant really just be an actual projection or something like that. Maybe its giving off a light, sort of like their thought projectors, thats tricking our brainwaves into thinking we see the right stars. But its not able to trick so much of your brain? Idk. Ill keep thinking on it. As for the momentum, literally all i can think of is magic. Its probably just a design choice because we cant tell how close we are to it visually.

[@Hephaestus_God]

The ending of the DLC changes depending on how much you know in the base game. Meaning you can beat it at anypoint without being spoiled of stuff from the main game. Example: Once you figure out the comet is what killed everyone after exploding ghost matter everywhere the projection you show the owl man will then show the Nomai people dying from the comet. Every litle scene is dependent on your characters knowledge of their solar system.

[@TheDominitri]

The game is a commentary on video games in general. We are Strangers who fear failure and death in the real world so we satiate our desire to live and our fear of death by acting out life on virtual stages (video games, social media, etc.). The game is literally telling us to go outside and make friends with strangers instead of in our living rooms and basements in front of a fabricated false world.

[@magvad6472]

Exactly, which only made the horror that the Strangers embodied even more terrifying. They are reflections of something very real...apathy and fear in the face of a dieing world. A desire to live in the past than to preserve the present we have now. They let their world (the real one) slip into total collapse because they were too busy getting that nostalgia fix. Like, did you see the dude in the other world watching a video...of the real other world...in it.

[@revengeofbanana]

One thing I wish they'd done different is lead us back to the some of the other planets for small lore parts. Obviously those parts would be hidden and only solvable with things from the stranger.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

Imo Im super glad it has nothing to do with our solar system. If the owlks had interacted with our solar system it would change the whole story.

[@revengeofbanana]

@@TheLoreExplorer I totally think the devs could pull it off and not ruin the original game, but I guess it's better to be safe than sorry.

[@v1perys]

Nononono don't you dare call that projector conversations story *cringe*! That's the BEST catharsis I could hope for; for the first time, after learning SO MUCH the Hatchling is finally able to answer someone else's question with a story That's THE moment of this DLC. THE DEFINING moment. I hope more games capture emotions like that

[@TheLoreExplorer]

I didnt say it was. I said if they lazily just added it to the game for no reason itd be such hardcore fanfare itd be cringe

[@v1perys]

@@TheLoreExplorer Oh sorry then; yeah that sequence was basically fan-service at its best :)

[@sworddemonboggle1491]

My experience with outer wilds and the dlc was a bit backwards as I’d watched a livestream of somebody else playing through outer wilds and exploring and learning and all that fun stuff. I thought it was a really cool game, but because I had that filter of watching somebody else play it I never connected with the game as one does when playing organically. I decided to buy the complete version of the game when it was on sale on PSN and after trying to find the dlc, I couldn’t get it and got annoyed and gave up. Fast forward a couple months I decided to give it another shot and after exploring the radio tower and going to the space probe, I finally started to feel that creeping sense of anticipation, discovery and connection I’d missed with the base game. Once I made it into the stranger and looked up I had goosebumps and the rest is an experience I will truly never forget. Playing through the dlc gave me that connection, that feeling of being a part of this wacky universe and the discoveries it was hiding. Upon completing the dlc entirely, having unlocked the prison and found the answers I seeked, I was overcome with a feeling of peace and joy, but also a bit of hollowness at knowing I robbed myself of that feeling for the entire game. Regardless of that, outer wilds will remain a very special game to me and definitely one of my personal favorite games of all time

[@TheLoreExplorer]

I know the idea isnt for everyone. But check out my video "How to experience outer wilds for the first time(again)". May help in this regard. Truly , I think the game is best experienced a second time. Playing the first time , we know nothing about our character and the universe. Save we are astronauts and maybe know how to use a few tools. But after we complete it. We now know the universe. We know the pc a lot better. We know the characters in the universe. And so its easier and more meaningful once we can get into the mindspace of the hatchling imo. It allows us to experience and see things for how important and meaningful they truly are. And allows us to , say , go talk to gabbro after finding something out about the timeloop. Or Chert with the Nomain observations and whatnot. This trick helped me experience the game with fresh eyes. 3 years after initial completion of the game. I hope it can help you too.

[@sworddemonboggle1491]

@@TheLoreExplorer oh I didn’t realize you made a video on the topic, I’ll definitely check it out and see

[@bobfranklin2572]

Back, as I promised 😎

[@bizzarozod]

i know its a nitpick but it drives me mad that everyone keeps referring to the stranger as a "ringworld" because of halo. its an O'Neil cylinder, and lots of things in the DLC are references to rendezvous with Rama.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

It’s not because of halo. It’s because our ships computer calls it an artificial ring world.

[@bizzarozod]

@@TheLoreExplorer that's even worse! Haha, thanks for the information.

[@shellderp]

There is just a ton of attention to detail in this game, every part is incredibly well done. What blew my mind is I launched a scout straight up in one direction, then in the opposite direction, and it actually properly accounts for the gravity you'd get in a ring world

[@erikdue4284]

Not quite. It's got spinward and antispinward coriolis effects (which is sweet), but I don't think it accounts for gravity scaling linearly with distance from the center. I'm pretty sure there should be a significant difference in perceived gravity between the top and bottom of the dam, but it's a constant 1.3 throughout the habitat. It's a shame, since I'm sure the devs could've made some really interesting puzzles with it.

[@TheRealOneSam]

Does the Discord still exist? All available links do not work anymore.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

Sorry bud. Discord got too much for me to manage.

[@GreatKazooka]

Can you spin some theories about The Stranger itself? How did the ghost matter get on board, and why is it only in two places? Did it get in through the breach that was caused by the prototype artifact explosion? That would kind of explain the ghost matter nearby the breach on the way to the scroll burner temple, but what about the ghost matter on the exact opposite side of the ring, in the lowlands? Why only those two places? And what about the solar sail's opening causes the dam to break? Is it really just disturbed by the rumbling that comes with the power flickering?

[@xxxFreelancerxxx]

The reward in this game was always information and DLC gave it. A small piece of entire puzzle made the entire picture more clear. The Eye is no longer an elusive quantum object, unreachable without following the quantum rules. It's orbit and position are actually pretty certainly defined, but it's signal is blocked by alien sapient will. Even Nomai's brainstorm in Sanctuaries now look different. Even Solanum's thoughts from childhood seemed to be in right way - she just didn't suggest that there could be another force involved. And that was the biggest satisfaction. There are still missing pieces remaining tho. So, who knows, there possibly will be even more to explore ;).

[@RareWashington]

I love the eerie music that the prisoner plays at the end, also I wonder what he says when you deny him, and how the ending looks without their “stain on your mind”

[@wZem]

This game taught me that darkness is the most frightening thing in the world… until it becomes a nuisance. It was great to see that the main gameplay ideas from Outer Wilds can be transported into a shorter, less expansive experience. The pursuit of knowledge, being wow'ed by your discoveries at every turn of the game and interesting secrets that were right under your nose the whole time. I would happily play games in this style exclusively for the rest of my life if I had to. That being said I got extremely frustrated with the Owlelk, especially the final room in Starlit Cove and I spent way too much time figuring out what to do in the house in with the fireplace, before I realized I had to come back when they're dead. Maybe it was my own fault, maybe I got a bit unlucky, but getting caught over and over in pitch black darkness without any idea what to do about it, made me almost want to throw my controller a few times. Being annoyed (even if only at times) was not a feeling I wanted out of a Outer Wilds DLC. Edit: I also read that they made some changes and added improved audio prompts the Owlelk make in a recent patch. It would be cool to see all the smaller and bigger changes they made to the game over the years. Maybe an idea for a video, if you have tons of footage from over the years :)

[@TheLoreExplorer]

Geez. I do have tons and tons of footage from over the past couple years. Over a terabyte worth. The thing is I didnt store them by dates or game version. Itd be a lot of work looking through it all lol. I got frustrated ramming my head against the owlks as well. But thats almost always how outer wilds is. You find something. Bang your head against it. Realize you need to go elsewhere to solve it. All in all I still enjoyed my experience.

[@wZem]

​@@TheLoreExplorer Yea, I guessed it would probably be too much work lol. I recently saw the original design of the black hole forge for the first time and was very surprised how different it looked.. Definitely enjoyed the DLC. Just experiencing the Stranger and the feeling you got when you see that dam break for the first time was basically worth the price of admission, I would say. I just hope other developers will incorporate some of Outer Wilds ideas for progression in the future. "Outer-Wilds-like" deserves to become its own sub-genre of Metroidvanias. So far it has not really caught on. Do you know of any other games with knowledge-based progression?

[@christopheauguste1532]

the lore of the DLC is perfect, the strangers is full of amazing idea, but some points in the game design make that it didn't reach the expectation I had. (still a great game, I just had huge expectation!) My main complain is that even after finish the DLC, I still can't figure out what was the intended way to pass through the second and third virtual world, as it fell very dull the just try to dodge the owls to finally reach the information you would have need to pass them the "intelligent" way. I really felt like if I had to outrun de angelfish "Feldspar style" and only discovering once deep in Dark Bramble that you can just pass quietly. Or like if you had to land on solar station to know about the way to teleport there. Or the fact that there is two type or tornado once in the centre of Giant's Deep... i've heard it's suppose to make you live things differently, but it's still dull to me. a less important complain is that i feel like 50% of the things in the stranger had to be done before the dam break, while 40% is available all the time and only a few things have to be done after (actually except to go though the first virtual world, I can't even think of something you have to do after the breaking, i've visited the house surround by ghost matter while in water at first, but you could totally do with the camera).

[@JakeLondonRivers]

Can someone please explain to me the glitch that happens in the stranger about 10 minutes into the game, the light panels flicker and the whole inside goes dim for a second.

[@Seishou90]

You keep saying that they were scared of the unknown and the Eye, but I believe that they saw that the whole system is going to get destroyed and that there's no stopping it. So they tried to stop the signal that the Eye was sending so others don't meet the same fate as them and the Nomais. That is why they imprisoned the "Prisoner". You felt sorry for him, but I believe that what they tried to do was the right thing. He released the signal which was enough for the Nomai to notice it and get lured into their deaths as well.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

Yes. I do keep saying that. And I still say it. Im 80% certain the Owlks received a message they simply didnt understand. I feel like we are shown demonstrably that the universe was ending on its own. And the eye is the only thing that allows the cycle to continue. And it needs someone conscious to interact with it for life to continue. If the owlks were successful they would have ended a meaningful cycle as no life would exist in the next. So "the right thing" leads to a universe void of life and a next universal cycle doomed to repeat its meaningless emptiness. Imo the eye simply showed the Owlks what it showed us when we were at the eye. We enter it and observe it. It shows us the universe dying(naturally. The eye exists outside of time. us seeing it "right away" doesnt mean it happens right away for the rest of the current universe.) Then it shows us the universe reborn, with life growing from our memories. Never once is it hinted in the main game that the eye actually destroys the universe. But rather its demonstrably shown it saves the universe albeit in a separate and new form. I can draw a parallel from all of those to the owlks vision. Imo the owlks just didnt understand it(which is understandable imo. I dont know how they could understand something they dont know is possible like that). And as a result of this misunderstanding they got scared of it. So they were scared of something they didnt understand. This equals scared of the unknown. I honestly do get the feeling to want to interpret that vision as literal. But it seems clearly symbolic to me. And they understandably misinterpreted the symbols.

[@Seishou90]

@@TheLoreExplorer Yeah, it allows the cycle to continue, but have you thought what it is sacrificed for that? In order for the player to get to the Eye, we need the Nomai and their knowledge, but we also must remember that 3 species were exterminated in the process. Two of them were lured into the Universe by the Eye. I also never said that the Eye destroys the Universe, I also don't believe that that is what Owlks thought it does. Your point of view is totally valid, and that is probably how the game makers meant for the game to be interpreted. But I can't shake off the thought that 3 species got exterminated only so that the player can make a new universe where it all "continues" to live. My point of view here might be pessimistic and I might even get bashed for saying this, but killing off 3 species in order for the Eye to make a new Universe, is not worth it. After the main game, sure, the idea of getting to save little bits of it all is nice, but after the DLC, my point of view changed. I think that what the Owlks wanted to do was the right thing. They tried to stop anyone else from coming into the Universe that is literally about to get annihilated.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

@@Seishou90 Thats the thing though. No species is sacrificed for that. Its an outlook thing I suppose? The Owlks decided to end their own story by committing suicide by neglect. They could have lived on for hundreds of thousands of years until the universe naturally died. The Nomai too chose to follow the eye. And thereafter not give up that mission and continue searching for it. And they were killed by some random space junk. Nothing to do with the eye. When they could have simply left to do other things. And we, of course, arent even sacrificed at all. The universe is already dying naturally at the point we are dragged into the whole thing. Try to think of our "sacrifice" this way. Its like cpr. Yeah. We crack a few ribs. But that persons dead already. If we dont do that they will remain dead.(in this case the person is the universe, and our death is the ribs cracking) So, yeah. literally only one person has to sacrifice themselves by jumping into the eye to actually continue this cycle. And even then, we only see two species in the next universe. But its really like ours. An endless possibility of species. So even if it were literally sacrificing three species so an endless amount of species can continue on. Then thats probably the right thing to do. Instead of looking at it selfishly and saying "well, our universe had to sacrifice so much". I think we should look at it and go "Thank goodness we sacrificed and worked hard so this important thing happens." Because regardless of how everyone died. They were going to anyway. Thats inevitable. Thats the cold hard truth of the universe. So, at least imo, Im glad the nomai, hearthians, and even the owlks(mainly the prisoner) made that end a worthwhile one. One that continues this cycle of endless potential for interesting things and people there to give them meaning. Without life. Everything is meaningless.

[@phroged2255]

I love the trinity-like role of the hearthians, the nomai and the owelks. The nomai completed the story of the owelks, and we completed the story of the nomai. Brilliant storytelling, this dlc is a 11/10 for me

[@verkhvo]

One thing I didn't like about this new story is that there are basically no characters except for the Prisoner. The rest of the owls are seemingly presented as this completely homogenous people without any distinctiontive features to any of them at all: no significant physical differences, no apparent personalities, no personal stories, nothing save for slightly different antlers and jewelry on some.

[@verkhvo]

Despite that, all of them are technically unique and each owl in the dream world even has a name in the code. I've tagged you on reddit, you can look at the list there

[@TheLoreExplorer]

I see why people think this. But Im not sure its true. They could have all had names and stories and personalities. They could have even had mayors and what not. But firstly outer wilds doesnt seem to like to share unimportant information unless its required for the story. And there was no real way for them to present these to us other than name tags on cloaks in the reels or something. They had hotels and churches and stages to perform. We just arent shown these things.

[@LeoninMinecraft]

this is why im subbed, such brilliant insightful commentary. My 2nd biggest mindblow moment (behind the hearthian slide reel) was when i realized that the strangers were the reason the eye stopped sending signals. When playing the base game, one of the biggest questions i had unanswered was why the eye stopped sending signals to the nomai, and during the DLC i was thinking how are the strangers going to tie into the main game? All of this was answered as soon as i saw the reel, which was very satisfying.

[@TheLoreExplorer]

Its always nice when youre looking for a piece of a puzzle and find it somewhere youd never expect. Solving the whole thing. Outer Wilds is good a manufacturing those moments! Thank you so much for the kind words strange robotic apple!

[@takahashierik]

And then there's the fact that the Nomai got stuck in Dark Bramble because it was repeating the signal

[@FuzzyImages]

My first go into the stranger, the damn broke the second I picked up one of the artifacts in the little workshop hut surrounded by ghost matter. I thought I triggered some kinda trap as I looked around wildly and was then flung against the wall by a torrent of water. Was hilarious, I just wish I had been recording at the time, my reaction was priceless! XD

[@AnEsotericObscureNerd]

I'm really late to the party, but I just released my own video giving my critique of the DLC. I'm happy to see how this game has affected other players, it's truly masterpiece, even if I am a little harsh on the DLC.