How The Best Video Game DLC Changed Me Forever
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- Опубликовано: 4 сен 2023
- This has been a long time coming. Finally a video about my least favourite thing to do, play horror. Outer Wilds might be an all in one masterpiece, but Echoes of the Eye truly is the best video game DLC i’ve ever experienced.
In this video I talk about more than just the story of Echoes of the Eye, but delve deep into the mechanics and game loops that tie so perfectly into it's story, as well as how these horror elements taught me an incredibly important lesson.
A massive thank you to my brother from another mother @DarkDax for getting me into Outer Wilds in the first place, let alone getting me to try this master piece of a DLC and push past my crying and swearing.
Please go and check out @DarkDax and follow his twitch which is where I got the clips from.
Watch my playthroughs on twitch! / geolbaker
#outerwilds #echoesoftheeye #gameanalysis #videoessay #horrorgamin 
Игры
One of the best retrospectives on Echoes of the Eye I've watched. Ever so eloquently put mate! (bias aside 😉)
As always dude, Thank you so much again! And credit where credits due, I don’t think the video would have been quite as good without the sprinkling of DarkDax throughout ;)
Good job DarkDax!
A very good comment from the "echoes of the eye" soundtrack youtube comments:
"One eye called out. Two eyes locked it away. Three eyes sought to find it. Four eyes witnessed its conclusion."
Gave me chills holy fuck
Nice
Amazing, never thought about that.
Dude!
😮ohhhhhhh
This game is a masterpiece. The DLC is so creative that it blows me away every time I delve into it. Everything was so well thought out, so intentional, and so masterfully executed. I just wish it wasn't so friggin hard to convince people to play it
Especially with the DLC being so incredible too, the barrier for entry for people to experience the story is so high now! But those who will play it will love it forever
@@geolbaker I'm asking my friends who own it but haven't played it to stream it to me on discord just so I can be there through it all 😂
That’s where you have to convince them to buy a 2000£ gaming pc just to be able to stream to twitch haha!
And even when you do get friends to play it, they give up after a few hours. I have 3 friends that stopped playing it in the first few hours and it really saddens me considering how much of a masterpiece Outer Wilds is.
@@SlamminRytch that was me the first time I played it. Same with Subnautica. The lack of direction at first is disorienting and sometimes unpleasant. But it's necessary
Fear is knowing the forest is full of monsters.
Terror is watching one charge straight at you.
Horror is realizing your feet are glued to the ground.
Horror is also me farting and following through
the thing that really helped for me in dealing with the horror was thinking about the whole situation from the owlks’ perspective. it was a realisation that stemmed from the initial, abject terror of realising that they could conceal their artefacts too-that unless i turned on my lantern to look around, thereby giving away my location, i would have no idea where they were. i’m sure i’m not alone in having that experience. but from there i started thinking about the fact that like… they’re in the exact same position as we are. it’s probably WORSE for them, really, because they’re literally hearing the shrieks of their dying kin from the other areas-and with no auditory cues from the real world, they have no idea about the dam breaking. from their perspective, the other owlks are dying after hundreds of thousands of years of that Not Happening, and literally the only thing that’s changed is the presence of the little blue thing creeping around their simulated paradise, turning off the lights. the natural conclusion is that this thing is going around and killing them. their bodies are so terribly vulnerable in the real world, after all. and the only way they can see the little creature is to turn on their lights, thereby giving away their position. i have an unfailing belief that the little coos/hoots the owlks make in the dark are the equivalent of humans saying “hello?” into dark rooms when they’re frightened, and we just can’t understand their language. needless to say, this “they’re more scared of you than you are of them” mentality very much helped to curb my fear during the dark sections.
Awwww that hoot/coo theory is adorable and sad
This game is great and all but I still think that’s bullshit
How do you create technology that allows for life beyond death, cloaking, solar sailing, etc
Yet you don’t realize water type Pokémon are strong against fire type Pokémon, which btw just so happens to be the only thing that keeps you “alive”
You made fire that can last for hundreds of thousands of years (as they predate the Nomai), yet you can’t figure out that fire doesn’t like water
On top of that you fill your space ship with the shit, thinking nothing bad could ever happen to a DAM MADE OF FUCKING WOOD.
I’m honestly surprised wood could last that many years but come on if you guys feared death so much why didn’t you maybe go to sleep in an area where water couldn’t destroy everything? Idk maybe I’m just being stupid
@@ShadowDancer1000personally I think it's exactly a horror of their own making. You and I can sit here with the power of hindsight being 20/20... but they were a very emotional species.
They overreacted to fear and mobilized in hatred. They had roughly 282,000 years to regret their actions. Unless the virtual separation from the living world completely halts their conscious activity (no brain = no senses = no new stimulus = stunted growth), they will have been living a purgatory of fear. At what point did they stop leaving the simulation? Did they only leave one final time to imprison our new friend? Does it even matter? I bet the passage of time got away from them and they forgot to eat or drink.
I'm surprised the Prisoner had the will to keep his flame lit all that time. Was it impossible for him to snuff his own flame under the circumstances? He seemed happy to dissipate upon meeting us.
Though something tells me (or I'm desperate to believe) there's compelling strengths and flaws in the Owlkkin we can yet learn from.
@@ShadowDancer1000the temples were built relatively high up, and the simulation room was usually inside the stones and caves (with the exception of the river lowlands temple), so the water doesnt really get into the temples except until the cinder isles tower breaks down from the pressure. They probably didn't even expect the dam to break. The thing about the fire burning for over some 500k years may seem odd at first glance, but the owlks managed to do so much else so, I don't know. The fire is also blue implying that it isn't normal fire. All in all, outer wilds is a very vague game, and the simulation isn't the only weird thing.
@@ShadowDancer1000 I mean, a few thousand years is pretty good for a wooden dam, all things considered. Like, it wasn't perfect but that thing literally lasted until the end of the universe.
I would give absolutely anything to go back and play the base game and dlc for the first time. Just for the soundtrack alone, it’s so moving I can’t put into words
I’ve heard a few great ways to replay is to play COOP which i’ll be trying soon as well as going from a clean save file and going based off the ships log hints as often there are so many smaller moments that we forget along the way!
The link you make between The Strangers running from their fear and you as a player having to embrace that fear to beat the game is amazing. Especially when you stated that holding onto the lantern is resembling you holding onto fear, and by embracing said fear by putting the lantern down and walking into the dark you overcome your fear and gain a new perspective of the world. Just like how you enter The Stranger in the first place (flying into the dark and unknown).
This video gave me a new insight in how beautifully everything in Outer Wilds fits together and how well thought out everything truly is.
Thanks for this retrospective. I really enjoyed the journey!
Thank you for watching! When I was watching other videos (like we all do once we finished) I noticed that no-one else really touched on how the theme of the story almost perfectly matches the mechanics, like you just mentioned! Glad you liked it!
One of the aspects that I love about Outer Wilds is that almost every time I click on this type of video, I find some new perspective on the game that I haven't seen before, or a new way to think about a perspective that I already knew, but hadn't though about thinking about it that way.
I’m glad I was able to offer a new perspective! I really felt that all the videos I was watching about the DLC either spoke about the horror and mechanics or spoke about the lore, but I didn’t find people making the connection between the both so that’s where this came from!
The fact that you have to DIE to be able to see the end of this DLC was such an incredible idea on its own to me, but coming after suffering through so much darkness and horror to trust that plunging yourself into the complete darkness of death knowing what you want to do was simply masterful. With the DLC outer wilds really became the best game of all time for me.
The kalimba in the song rivers end is like a gut punch of nostalgia for me. Genuinely might be the best DLC I’ve ever played from a game, re-contextualized the original story and shocked me by how well it was executed. I was wondering what an outer wilds dlc would even accomplish because of how perfect the base game seemed to end things off, but I couldn’t anticipate how strong the storytelling and thematic messaging was going to be. The fact that they were able to tell this part of the story without any words and just the slide show imagery stunned me as well, it’s just an all around amazing experience that I’m not going to be able to forget anytime soon
Honestly going into these games years after release without really knowing anything about them, it’s just incredible!
I love the fact that the stranger is, in hindsight, completely harmless, and there's actually nothing there trying to hurt you. Seeing the empty 'seat' in the simulation room made me feel like I was being followed whilst in the stranger, and those damn doors that close behind you when you find the hidden reels shook me really badly. But the stranger itself is safe, there never was any danger, instead it was when I first extinguished the lights in the third simulation, the place that I can just leave at any time, and heard the inhabitants collectively howl in response to there being an intruder that I was like "ahhhh ok, so this is where the creepyness ends and the actual horror part begins."
damn I wrote this before finishing the video bc I was too excited to hold on to it and you just mirrored everything I said above lmao. The game is genious for tricking you in all the ways it does, for having the balls to show you the vault whilst also mockingly saying "hahah! I know you have no idea how to open this >:3"
Glad you enjoyed the video and that we were on the same wavelength! It really is a phenomenal game!
Thank you for everyone new, which is 99% of you! My average view per video before this was 4… haha! I’m glad you’re all liking this, if you have any ideas for future content, please let me know and I will maybe, possibly, potentially do it 😅
Oh, this is a good video. I watch videos like this with thousands of views.
Outer Wilds fans always hunger for people to tell them about Outer Wilds
You nail it in many ways, but that “Outer wilds fans can only get more Outer Wilds through watching other experience it for the first time” is A++ spot on. Lovely video in all ways too though!
As a suggestion for a game, whether you make a video on it or not...
Rain World is a game which I loved, despite specific difficulties at first. And the community around the game is also very much in love with its entirety.
The most off-putting aspect of the game is its initial difficulty curve. There isn't much hand-holding, you're left to figure out a lot of the in-game mechanics for yourself, and its left many turned off by the fact that the game just doesn't tell you these things. Potentially worse, you are given little direction in the game as well, which means that up until the point where you are actually given direction, the main goal for players is usually exploration, and making progress as you move from one shelter to the next in hopes of getting to a new area. Part of what makes the game shine, but also gives it its difficulty, is a fantastic use of AI to create an ecosystem which you are merely a part of, not quite as close to the top of the food chain as you'd like to be.
The lore of the world is fascinating, though if you don't want to spend potentially dozens of in-game hours piecing things together with mere tidbits of information, I wholeheartedly recommend spoiling yourself with lore deepdives via youtube videos. On your first playthrough, there's a decent chance that you'll only hit two major plot points, and find that your goal of "Gotta explore" changes to "Gotta go meet god and die". Even without spoiling things for yourself, a recent (as of 2023) DLC has introduced new playable characters who allow you to explore the past and future of the strange and near post-post-apocalyptic world you find yourself in.
tldr: Rain World is a fantastic, difficult game that I recommend because I love it despite the pain I felt playing it. I recommend at least a look at it, if not for you to have a playthrough.
Is your full playthrough up anywhere? I only see the last couple streams of the DLC still in the Twitch history.
As someone who loves horror, you are correct. Generally speaking, horror is not a vehicle or a genre, but an aspect or angle. Something to induce through presentation, writing, atmosphere, not loud sounds.
There are so many games that create better visions and experiences of horror completely by accident or without focusing on it than the majority of actual purposeful and intentional horror games!
You can’t believe how skeptical I was when I first learned they where making a DLC to Outer Wilds. I was skeptical right up until i entered the Stranger, and I knew immediately that this was gonna be something special. And my god its a masterpiece of an DLC.
im not a horror game fan either but I never found echoes of the eye scary in any way, I was always thinking "okay... when does the horror start?" this game is amazing on how it's the players own imagination that fills the gaps and shapes the experience.
another cool detail is how dropping your light - the thing you're most likely most attached to if you feel scared- that makes the world fully transparent.
I think because I’ve never played a “horror” game before other than maybe The Observer, it felt so much more scary to me haha!
There were so many details I didn’t even get to cover, my next go to was about how in the stranger, to open the doors, you often had to plunge into darkness after aligning the moon while it opened! Fantastic mechanics!
I'm not a horror fan and I really tried to finish this DLC without cheating, but I played it in VR, and the jumpscares were just too much.
The story was fantastic though.
Man I love this so much, this is such a well written and well thought out video, but it's all completely wrong ... to me ... and that's so cool! Seeing this completely foreign perspective on the game is so interesting. I just finished the DLC myself and I had such a different experience, it's so weird hearing about how good the horror elements are in the DLC because when I was playing the DLC I wasn't afraid at all, and not even in some bravado "I'm better than you" kind of way. I just didn't even know it was supposed to be scary! The section where you talk about noticing the missing Owlk by the fire and then being worried about getting jump scared by one of them the rest of the exploration was just surreal to me. When I was playing I would have killed to come across an Owlk because I so desperately wanted to meet them! Yes eventually I see one walking around in the woods and immediately run up to it and get jump scared by it blowing out my lantern ... but even that didn't feel "scary" ... I mean I am a weird 4 eyed bug thing running around their home ... peacefully blowing out my lantern seems almost timid a response in my mind.
Then further in the video it all became clear! You mentioned that you saw DarkDax play and the part you saw was the "scary part" so it makes sense you went into the DLC expecting it to be scary! I feel like if your only exposure to the base game was seeing someone get eaten by an Angler Fish then I'm sure you'd have a different expectation of the base game too.
Anyways, I think that's just such an amazing part of this game as well, that two people can come away from it with two completely separate experiences!
my brother and I played through the DLC at the same time (I'd play on my save then while I wasn't playing it he's tag in and play on his save)
he found a way past the Owlks in the Starlit Cove which is the way we used.
it was not the intended way.
we blew out the lights and SPRINTED clockwise around the cove, then nestled in a corner outside a door way, conceded our light, and waited.
I hardly breathed, as I heard the lumbering footsteps on wood, then earth. I watched it's dark, invisible silhouette past by my hiding spot, my only indications of where it was being directional sound, and the stars flickering in and out of sight as it blocked them on its way past.
That sounds thoroughly terrifying and equally amazing haha
This needs to be seen by more people, it's insane how a video this high of quality has this low of views. Great video man, please keep going
Thank you! Glad you managed to come across this!
“And these fucking things”
Of all the life forms to die out at the end of the universe, we will miss THESE FUCKING THINGS the least
I think out of everything, those fucking things would somehow be the one thing IT DOES REMEMBER!!
@@geolbaker textbook Anglerfish move.
Traumatise the eye of the universe into perpetuating their existence in the next iteration
I feel like a lot of players would have had a lot less of a problem with the entire DLC (until having to run from the actual threats in the dark) if the game hadn't flashed a big "this DLC is scary" warning.
Because the Stranger itself isn't scary, at all. Just the parts where you have to move around with zero visibility with giant uncanny owldeer chasing you.
I was more scared by the Nomai's comment in Ember Twin that there was a "monster" down the tunnel than I was by the entire physical world of the Stranger.
Exactly! It’s funny that they could have left that message to a later point but show it straight away in the menu to get your mind racing!
God damn, 52 views?? You have to be kidding me. This was an absolutely fantastic video. Your feelings mirrored mine incredibly closely, hating horror for the same reasons and despairing at the "bad" turn the series made, and I even almost quit because I didn't want my memories of my favorite game of all time tainted by the DLC, but after pushing through and beating it it's themes and message resonated all the harder with me because of that. SPOILERS: Another, smaller encapsulation of this feeling for me was the three codes needed to unlock the Vault. I was disheartened that they seemed to not realize that part of Outer Wild's magic was that it didn't just rely on you finding generic codes to solve puzzles, but instead learning new and interesting ways to interact with the world. And then by the end, low and behold, the codes were a complete red hearing! Echoes blew me away with all of this, and while I didn't enjoy playing it as much as the base game (certain ai parts were just plain janky), I would dare say its message and themes have made a more lasting impact. Genuinely up there with the best Echoes reviews I've seen, hope more people (who have already played it) see this!
I was kind of sad about people's response to the code stuff, too. I honestly found it not just thematically appropriate but also like, really funny. The devs were definitely winking at you any time you opened up a panel and it was just NOTHING.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed the video! And I think because it branches out into something the average Outer Wilds fan would not have engaged with, it did create that higher risk/reward feeling once completing it! Im glad as well how much easier the game does become (not mentally however) when choosing “Reduced Frights” so at least someone really struggling would be able to get another chance to get to the end!
Amazing video! I hadn't realized before how the fear and horror played into the story itself, very impressive!
Thanks for watching! When watching others describe Echoes of the Eye, I felt like they never touched on anything more surface level story and never their own experiences so that is why this video showed up!
(Spoielrs obviously) I hate horror. I have trouble handling it. I appreciate the craft of it, but have tended to put it aside as something not for me. But I loved Outer Wilds so much, that I was willing to give it a go for the DLC. I'm really glad I did. I too reached a similar understanding, especially when learning about how fearful the owlks were about the eye, that for all the exuberance and hope in the face of oblivion and boundless curiosity and acceptance and existential euphoria that the base game had... that there were other responses to death, to the end. And that this DLC was about exploring that. And I loved it for it. Even if I was also fucking terrified. It helped that many of the owlk "encounters" could be handled like puzzles, but jesus christ the first time I saw that shadow in the projector room and it responded to me shining my light on it I closed the game and didn't go back for a while.
Thanks for making this. It looks like this isn't your usual content, I'm glad you took the time to make it. I know therea re people who didn't like the DLC but for me it was astounding and it also genuinely makes the game as a whole stronger, a more complete exploration of its themes.
can we also appreciate how the devs made the darkness like REAL DARKNESS, I definitely tried to crank up the brightness and it DIDN'T WORK
After the base game, I know I was not ready for this to be how the DLC played but I’m so glad they chose this! Thank you for watching!
Great video! I think this was the first video I've seen where someone makes the connection that you have to face your fears and not repeat the mistakes of the past in order to get through it, which I never managed to put so succinctly myself before but really feels like a core part of the game.
i have played this game so many times, and watched so many other's playthroughs. it is just such an amazing story and told in the most perfect possible way. and yeah, i still cry a little every time i see the ending boat clip, the full lore reel, or the music. it never ceases to amaze me at everyone's different perspective of the game, every take on the lore, and each individual's personal experience with it. thank you for sharing yours!
Well said 😄
YES. I have been trying to express this exact thing for two years since I played the DLC, and you said it much better than I could. All of EotE's aspects work together to make you feel the fear AND teach you that you don't need it. Beautifully said.
I'm so glad I was able to resonate with you!
I love your work I keep coming back to it and it's the perfect white noise
My experience with Outer Wilds and the DLC is very similar. At first, I didn't understand the hype for the game. I was exploring and the entire time I felt lost, and had no idea what to do or where to go. A few months later, during the lowest point of my life I came back to it for a second try and realised that was the whole point, and it was up to ME to find a purpose, then follow what I was being given. Finished the game, immediately became my favourite of all time. DLC, loved what I was seeing. Got to the horror part. Hated every second. After coming back to it after a week and clenching the entire way through, and trying to stay composed through my fear, I realised how amazing the horror was mechanically and story wise. You only experience cheap scares if you rush and let your fear get the best of you. Finished it and loved it upon looking back. This game is something different and I don't believe there will ever be anything like it, at least not on its level.
the moment i saw this videos thumnail and title, i knew.
*Outer wilds.*
I don't get why a quality video like this has 27 views at the time of writing. It's got a good title and thumbnail, and Outer Wilds isn't THAT dead.
When somebody says that the only factor to success on youtube is talent and effort I'll point to this for you. Wonderful video
Thank you very much! There does seem to be a trick about just putting in a hell of a lot of effort haha! I’m very glad you enjoyed :)
@@geolbakerwell, 10 hours later and my comment is already horribly outdated.
Congrats!
What an utterly incredible video. It's clear you poured heart, love and soul into this, a fair tribute to this absolute masterpiece of a game. Subscribed.
Thank you, thank you and THANK YOU!
Thank you for the amazing video! Your examination of the use of fear was thoughtful and reflects wonderfullu what the writers created. Personally I love how the path through the fear for so many is acceptance, and understanding. It feels like something many in real life could learn from, and i hope that they do.
I played with my friend the dlc the instant it was released. I am a totally coward so I was more the theory girl, telling ideas of how can we avance and he was the one who actually played it. This is really my one favourite game of all times for sure. Changed me in a lot of ways.
Copilot blind playthroughs must be such a blast
beautiful video. outer wilds is my favourite game of all time, and echoes of the eye is certainly my favourite bit. it gives you the same sense of awe and intrigue, and the raw emotion, as the base game does, but even more in my opinion! people talk about the owlks being evil, but personally i really empathised with them and feel emotionally connected to them; they are heartbroken over leaving their moon behind and destroying it for the eye, only to see (what they saw as) the terrifying future, then some odd bloke rocks up... yeah, and in particular the prisoner spoke to me emotionally on another level. being able to speak to solanum was fascinating and touching, but being able to help the prisoner and share visions and hear theIr cry after finding out it wasnt all in vain; it broke my heart. also their music in the ancient glade was beautifully haunting and so sad, god.. it's just beautiful all the way through. thank you for your video, i love any excuse to delve into outer wilds :')
This video has been tough for me to watch, this is so much strengh put into one game, and all my emotions are driven into it
YES! More great people talking about a great piece of art! Thanks again for another brief relive!
We’ve got an Outer Wilds co-op video in the plans so stay tuned!
I wish i was better at horror. Had to have a friend play the dlc with me. Id tap out and have him take over whenever it it got too stressful
Yeah, same. I spent a couple shift at work trying to think what the other skips would be so I wouldn't have to do it again. Didn't work though lol
Seeing this video on my recommended the other day made me decide to finally sit down and play this DLC a couple years after playing the base game. Man what an experience. The base game left me wanting more and I didn't think I'd ever get it again. The DLC masterfully recreated a similar feeling. I'm glad your video came back up in my recommended. I love it
The fact they were able to make two of the best gaming experiences really shows their skill and talent! So glad you decided to from this video, its an honour!
Wow this is a really excellent video. Really captures the lightning in a bottle that is this DLC (and the base game tbf). Keep up the good work!
Really appreciate the comment! Glad you liked it!
I just finished the game and have been scouring RUclips for content to help fill the void. This video is THE BEST video essay I’ve seen about this game. Subbed, and please make that video about the main game!
Thank you so much! I think I found a niche after doing exactly the same and thinking “why does noone talk about this!”
Great video! EOTE is great for so any reasons and, despite also not being one to enjoy the horror genre, I really came. to appreciate it the more I played. You realize early on from watching the reels that the same fear that drives you also drove the owlks, albeit in a different way.
As a game itself, I so so appreciated that the developers took all these "rules" from the base game and used them against you in the DLC (endgame spoilers to follow).
Things like having to die by the fire in order to not be awoken by the bells, walk away from the lantern that is "so clearly is required to navigate the other world" or even not being allowed to swim throughout most of the other world... these rules you set for yourself early in the game all must be broken at the end to find (much like in the base game) that the solution has been accessible and staring you in the face the entire time. It's brilliant.
I watch a ton of films and nothing is more deserving of praise when the director tells the story in a specific way because it thematically connects with the story itself. It's what elevates a "gimmick" into a legitimate stylistic choice (ex: Memento, Ida, Irreversible, Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Anomalisa, etc.)
That being said, OW and ESPECIALLY the DLC might be the greatest achievement of this in all the media I've experienced! Wonderful essay
I think also to go from something as absolutely moving to so many people as Outer Wilds and to create an experience that rivals and in many ways improves on the original game is something not really heard of in gaming in recent years. In film, it's like the director of VVitch and then The Lighthouse. There's not many pieces of media that can compare
Great video! Playing through Echoes of the Eye is what got me to realize Outer Wilds is probably my all time favorite game, it's such a special experience. As someone who also doesn't care for horror games I related to a lot of what you said, and I'll admit I hid behind the pause screen a lot throughout EotE. I'm glad I stuck with it until the end, it was definitely worth it. One of the few times a game has made me cry lol. Gonna be keeping an eye out for new uploads from you from now on, keep up the good work!
Thank you for watching! This game really was an experience haha, so glad we've all got to experience it and come together as a result of it
this is a beautiful interpretation. A truly enrichment on how to perceive this video game.
Amazing video! EotE was my first genuine taste of first person pov horror, and it scared the daylights out of me. I'm actually a big fan of horror but I get scared quite easily, so most of my first person pov experiences was looking at playthroughs of games (Kojima's PT Silent Hill and Madison were two games I think where they've done horror very well), but I didn't realize that playing a horror game this way first hand really was a whole different feeling. I had headaches and a constant knot in my stomach trying to get through the dreamscape.
I beat the game 2hrs ago, realizing that despite all of my fears, I'm proud of myself for pushing through. Because the biggest strength of outer wilds is that this game never forces you to do things, you eventually do things on your own volition want to uncover the secrets of the mysteries, you create questions yourself and seek to find the answers. Regardless of whether or not you decide to finish the game, their worlds will keep existing. The ATP will still keep firing, the Owlks will still remain in their simulation. Their world exists, and your decision can change the course of their lives, but if you don't decide? They'll still be there, existing. I can't even say they're waiting for you to be the destined hero that changes everything for them, because they're living their own realities, not necessarily happy about their realities but also not in dire danger that they're desperate to escape their lives.
This DLC, while amazing, is in a way, the perfect optional path. You don't have to have it to experience outer wild's story, but it will elevate the narrative. You don't Have to know the story of a race so different from you they came from another solar system, but choosing to understand their story will give you a deeper love and appreciation on all the answers you've asked yourself thus far in this journey.
Outer wilds really is such an amazing experience. I'm sad I got some aspects of the base game spoiled to me, but I experienced the DLC relatively blind, and therefore my experience of it is very fond. I'm glad I did pick up the dlc though, because it's really magical to uncover the secrets of the universe myself and experience the joy that I thought I robbed myself of when I got spoiled. I know this comment is all over the place, but I couldn't help but reflect on my journey when you were sharing your experience. This vid gave me something to appreciate deeper with the dlc, thank you!
Loved this video man. Keep it up with stuff like this
incredible video! love the idea that you plunge into the darkness right at the start of the dlc
Thanks dude! They really did a fantastic job with the DLC
I highly recommend that you play SOMA. It’s a horror game, but the main focus and highlight are with the story and philosophical themes, and the horror is done well. It’s the best written game I’ve ever played and single-handedly got me interested in philosophy as a whole
Honestly it’s been something on my “to play” list for a very long time!
@@geolbaker it deserves to be on your "played" list. Hope you get around to it sometime. Loved the vid btw
Loved this video, very well made and entertaining to watch. Captures the experience of playing EOTE very well
I'm so glad you think so! Lot of effort and planning went into this to capture those feelings!
I love this thumbnail, it’s probably the best one I’ve seen for an Outer Wilds essay, and believe me, I’ve watched a **lot** of them. Fantastic work, and thank you for sharing the love for this masterpiece.
That is such a compliment wow! Thank you very much!
This is a masterful video essay, I really enjoyed it! The way you express your opinions and the editing is awesome.
I hope there will be more videos like this in the future!
I'm lucky to be recommended your video
Thank you very much! Hopefully you stick around as I am a variety channel! But I’ll always try to make the quality higher and higher
This video(and channel) is wayy too underrated. Great quality, great commentary!
Thank you! Stick around for more, and feel free to suggest topics!
There will come a day where I'll be able to watch video essays about Outer Wilds without breaking into tears.
Today is not that day.
Horror is waking up one morning realizing that all of your furniture were replaced by completely identical furniture.
Can you objectively prove that the entire universe wasn’t created last Thursday, including all the fabricates memories and aging…
Wonderfull video mate, that game and the dlc both deserve a place in the gaming pantheon ! Hope this gets plenty of views !!
Thanks for watching! Really needs to be cemented as not just a DLC!
What I think makes Outer Wilds such a special game is the fact that everyone’s experience with it is so vastly different, yet it’s totally possible to appreciate these different perspectives. I honestly had almost the opposite experience as you with the DLC-I didn’t really enjoy it that much, I didn’t really find it scary, and it honestly did dampen my overall enjoyment of the game a little bit. *But* hearing you talk about your own completely different experience with the DLC makes me appreciate it a lot more even though it definitely wasn’t for me. I also realized watching this that I did have a very different, and likely pretty irregular, experience with the order of events in game. It took me forEVER to figure out how to turn off the lights in order to progress in the dream world areas, so I just kept frustratedly wandering around the house or the other locations for hours wondering what I was missing. In fact, I spent so long stumbling around that I unintentionally discovered both the mechanic where you can see if you put down the light, AND the fact you can die by standing on the campfire in order to be unaffected by the bells-two of the three critical realizations to finishing the game, I discovered on my own before even reaching the archives, because I was actually just that bad at figuring out the dream world. It ended up helping in the end though, because it was way easier to bypass the annoying dark sections with the Owlks, which I think is probably why I didn’t have much of the horror element in my playthrough. So, all that goes to say, it’s super interesting how wildly different two people’s experiences can be while playing this game, and I think that’s part of what makes it so cool.
Amazing analysis video, Its been over a year since I beat both outer wilds and the Echoes DLC and I’m still blown away how masterfully created it is. Literally 2 of the greatest games I have ever played.
Thank you for watching! I’m actually so glad I waited to play these games (although unintentionally) so i could experience it without some of the more serious issues people found on first launch!
My man, what a great first video essay. The outerwilds subreddit brought me here and I'm glad someone shared it.
I can’t believe that, glad you found this! Just had a look and saw it! Thank you to whoever did that haha
I'm 7 minutes in, and all I can think of is the Hearthian in the forbidden archives realizing the reels are burnt, and going "Did I ever tell you how much I f*cking hate slide projectors?"
Wtf this is one of the best video essays I’ve ever seen, stellar analysis of how the DLC is about fear
Wow amazing thank you! The effort seemed to really pay off!
This DLC genuinely helped me become a more braver person. I think of the dialogue the player and The Prisoner have every now again and can't help but cry a bit.
Phenomenal video though man, I liked your perspective on it. If you want another game to play there's this short one called the Beginners Guide on steam. Same folks who made the Stanely Parable. Good message.
Considering I’ve already ran away from horror games, I can defintely agree with you there! And thank you for the comment! I have actually played Beginners Guide and it was absolutely phenomenal :)
for as much as i adore this game and dlc, i can't believe it took until now for the thematic purpose behind the light mechanics to fully click for me -- once you stop clinging to this tiny pinprick of light and forge into the dark despite how much it scares you, *that's* when you're able to see everything. damn. people are going to be talking about this game for decades, i have no doubt at all.
Amazing video man, well deserved subscriber!
im no expert on horror, and like you, i tend to avoid it, but it is horror that sticks with me. Why horror? As is realized through this video, horror shares the same fundamentals as this game in exploration and mystery. Why does horror involve danger? Because finding the truth of the scenario comes with risk and opposition. It is that desire for truth and answers that drives the story, and as dumb as protagonists can seem, they are craving that same truth for the sake of the audience. Which is worse, walking away from the door that has a jumpscare behind it but never knowing if the monster was real, or facing the danger and the scare for the sake of learning the truth? In life, opening the door means potential death, so walking away is the right choice. But in fiction? Fiction is safe. Fiction is a way to indulge fear without risk.
All that said, the only horror i have ever gotten into is that of games or internet culture (creepypastas). In a book, the reader has to opt into continuing the story by turning the page. In games, the protagonist is only as dumb as the player controlling them, with varying levels of disconnect from character vs player personalities and mechanical limitations. Movies might just be the weakest, as the audience has no control over the events of the story besides not looking, walking away, or pausing if owned, and it is movies that have the "dumb protagonist" stigma more than any other medium.
Does that mean horror is above cheap tactics? No, but most that employ them either earn a reputation for being "bad" or do it specifically to subvert the idea that the trope itself is the problem. A game can EARN a jumpscare, or it can be laughed at for relying on such a tactic without understanding its merits. Even something like FNaF earns its jumpscares because they are not scripted, but instead are punishments for player failure. One of the best jumpscares ive ever seen was very much earned, (edit:) and it came from a game called Stairs (edit end). I wont spoil exactly what it was so great, but i can say it was only as successful as it was because the game knew how to save jumpscares for just the right moment instead of shoving it down the player's throat every 10 sec.
My first horror game experience was likely "mad father" (or something like that, been so long i cant remember the exact name.) was it perfect? no, but the mystery was enough to validate the experience of watching someone play the rpg maker game.
I think your comment really made me realise something! Other than like we both agree with cheap scare tactics, when horror is done right, it’s the only genre of game that’s able to make YOU THE PLAYER have consequences of your actions. In normal games, the character in the story goes through bad things and you have a detachment from that characters as any consequences that happen to them don’t translate to you, but fear on the other hand, is completely different. In well done horror games, your characters fear is also your fear, and your characters scares are also your scares, so it creates that much more of an integration into your experience! Thank you for this comment!
watched the video, enjoyed it and loved the quality, then I noticed you have only 500 subs. how can something this good quality be so underrated and so under appreciated? loved the video man 👍
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! Slowly getting there, just building up and learning along the way!
I also utterly despise horror games, and had a very similar experience to you. From the moment I saw the central ringworld light flicker when the sails open up, and I saw the Focus and Conceal prompts, and I noticed the vacant sleeping space, my mind formed the image of the ringworld going dark, and being chased by one of these creatures Mr. X style. When I saw the sarcophagus that could only house that final owlk, I started calling them the Doom Slayer. And I wanted nothing *less* than to open that up, engaging the terrifying chase sequence I had concocted in my mind. I didn't want to complete the DLC.
The epiphany also only came to me after completing the game: this game is not malicious like other worse horror games with their cheap scares. This game does not want to hurt you like they do. It wants to tell a story, and this is the only way that it can be told. And I'm so glad that I was persuaded to see it to the end, by the friend who introduced me to the game in the first place.
I will never get over this game it’s so amazing i get now when people say they wish they could watch/play something again I really thought i would never be able to finish the game or dlc cuz it was too hard i’m so glad i never gave up honestly and i just wanna say that dlc had me screaming and flinching every single time they came after me 😭😭
I loved this game so much that I track down a physical copy so that I know that it’s preserved in so that my children , and grandchildren will be able to play it when the time comes
Oh wow, I did not even realise that was an option, I might do that too!
@@geolbaker it isn’t cheap. Get it while you can now and it’s reasonably priced under $100
up until echoes of the eye i had like no horror experience at all. It was indeed scary, but was also the best gaming experience i have ever had imo. I am in love with the dlc, the prisoner, and every bit of symbolism that comes from it.
Subbed. Keep up the great work!
Me downloading what appears to be normal dlc...
Nightmares for a week straight
Very well made! Good job man!
Thanks so much!
Forgotten City mentioned - already know this is going to be an enlightened video.
Watching this video, brought back so many feelings. Like many others, this game to me is a masterpiece. Quite possibly one of the most important games ever made. Everyone should play this, as this game at the end is a game of empathy. You empathize with the stories of the different civilizations. You empathize with all of their feelings. And the game empathizes with you. It says to you I know this is terrifying, I know that you’re scared because we are too. But it’s OK because will be scared together and make it through.
You did an incredible job emphasizing the RAW feelings this game elicits. Where do you stream? Because I can’t find your stream account. I would like to watch you stream sir and join your streaming community
It really was that impactful to me and of course so many others! I’m glad you enjoyed the video! And its over on twitch, the username is geolbaker, same one as the youtube handle and its in the description of the video! Hope to see you there!
You can bypass those two owlks in the lodge entirely, never needing to relight the internal bridge, by using the raft and elevator. I believe this was the intended "main" solution, as after you figure out the solution to the river area, the same logic applies for the canyon lodge.
Awesome video man keep it up!
Well said! You articulated what I couldn't find the words for after playing this game
Glad you felt that way! I too felt from the videos I watched that people were focusing only on the gameplay or only the lore but not connecting them!
@@geolbaker Yes, exactly! Thanks for taking the time to make this video and express your thoughts!
Dude amazing video 🎉
Outer Wilds has become one of my favorites of all time, but I HATED this DLC. Pretty similar perspective to you, so when I launched into the Stranger for the first time and encountered the real scares, I was so opposed to the whole thing that I forced myself to finish the DLC in one sitting so I'd never have to go back. That said, I appreciate what the DLC had to say in retrospect and I really like this take on it. Thanks for the video.
I also take the ending with the prisoner as the overcoming of fear. The difference between that ending and the base game's is the lone alien with the blue lamp, and to me, seeing that lone alien tells me it's an exlorer or a traveller, much like us.
The infiltration sections in the DLC are good for many reasons, in my opinion, gameplay-wise (and lore-wise as you perfectly described them).
First, because we're in a time loop. The idea of enemies always sitting in the same places, doing the same thing over and over, makes sense in a narrative-perspective (which is something many horror games lack). It also means that, the process of learning, learning their position, their movements, and anticipating over them, and ultimately winning, also makes sense in a pure narrative way.
Second, because they are not actual real infiltration sections. Where the DLC is brilliant in its story is gaining knowledge about how the dream world isn't perfect, and has flaws. The barrage is another one of them. If we carry a lantern to progress, so they do. If our lantern can be extinguished, so their can be too. Once you realize this, and the true purpose of the raft, you realize this is a brilliant concept.
Thinking, and solving, over primitive fear and horror. This is what the DLC tries to explain (and even the base game, in reality) and does so in a great way, imo.
Thanks for the nice video !
Fantastic video! I was lucky enough to play through the DLC with a few friends through a mod, otherwise there's no way I feel like I would've been able to finish it myself
That sounds like a lot of fun! I have it in the works to do a playthrough of the whole game with the multiplayer mod!
THE INTRO IS INSANE
how do you only have 280 subs?! this is a great analysis!!
Thanks dude!! We’ll all have to see if this is a one hit wonder haha!
Ahhhhh...I see where you came from with the fear of that missing Owlk. Myself? Oh, I was careful of the dark and at times unnerved (maybe frightened at those reels in the beginning), but I must have either told myself that missing space means nothing, or nothing yet, or...all of them were dead! Haha!
Now, the "danger zone"....well, that was different for obvious reasons. But I knew I was always safe from threats until I did a certain thing, you know ^^
That’s lucky haha! My worst enemy has always been my overthinking, and yet like I mention, it’s obvious when you calming think about it!
The section from 2:18 to 3:00 is... perfect, i'm flabbergasted and playing it on a loop. Wow, what a good essay. Gained a subscriber.
Very sorry to disappoint but that was actually the original Echoes of the Eye trailer!! Felt in both the music and visuals it fit perfectly, but definitely cannot take any credit for it!
Oh hey an Outer Wilds video that is actually worth the watch. Very good job
This video is the first time I've understood why the devs put the glitch answers inside the archives of the areas that needed them most.....
All worth it for the big cry I had when sharing stories with the prisoner ❤
I need to forget this game so i can play it again
As someone who is scared of the dark and things showing up when I'm not looking, I was thoroughly spooped until I had enough exposure to not mind. For my first few visits in each area I was sneaking around at a snail's pace, shitting myself over the slightest creaks and ambience.
ENTERING SPOILER TERRITORY
The discovery of the digital world and dropping the lantern trick in one of the forbidden vaults really took out all the unnerving feelings I had had though, glad I found that one first.
It’s just incredible how well they managed to craft an experience where they are able to make you feels specific things at specific moments!
i am 3 minutes into this and this video has the production quality of a 20k+ sub channel, on a channel with 268 subs. You've definitely got a new subscriber here :D
Ayyy welcome to the club! I’m heavy variety but will always do video essays so stay tuned!
I'd always said to my friends if they wanted a "hint" or help while playing the base game was "Your fear is holding you back". Ive always thought this before EOTE. Giants deep is the fear of the ocean, brittle hollow is the fear of the black hole (or just falling) Ember twin is about suffocation and time crunch, etc etc until finally the ending which is the fear of letting go. All the major discoveries, all the major insights were always locked behind the fear of something. Outer Wilds to me will always be a game about overcoming your fears for the sake of curiosity and advancement and thats what I love about the game. I was thrilled to find that EOTE only expanded on this more and did it in such a fantastic way. It is truly the only game Ive ever played where I've felt like a real explorer. Outer Wilds will always hold its own place in my heart as my favorite game or form of media of all time.
It is amazing to experience a game in this modern era that takes the technological advances that we see in AAA games now and make an absolutely incredible and arguably the best told story in gaming not once but TWICE. So glad we've all got to experience this
You can skip the stealth segment of the mansion entirely.
- Activate the indoor bridge and go lower the elevator.
- Go back outside, turn off all the lights.
- Go swimming or try to greet the hosts, just wake up.
- Come back from another fire using the elevator you lowered.
- Enter the mansion, you are on the right side of the indoor bridge (that is now turned off).
- Turn right to go down the stairs, then just keep walking forward. You did it.
I don't know if you can do something similar with the one under the middle of the lake though, but I find this one easier to sneak around in anyways.
I actually believe that technically there are ways to easily cheese your way past all of the turning off your light sections!
Banger opening man
One of the things I find incredible about this DLC comes up when one analyzes the Owlks behavior in the dream world.
1: They are terrifying, yes, HOWEVER, the first time they catch you, they don't kill you or end your loop; all they do is blow out your lamp. There is a flash of anger, and then they send you away as if blowing out a candle. It's almost a tender moment, like they are dealing with an unknowing child.
2: This entire interaction is so interesting, because you can see the different emotions they go through as they become *curious* upon seeing something they don't know, then angry, at which point is when they start chasing us and making it scary for us. It's scary when people are angry after all. However, they realize we dont know any better, and send us on our way.
3: If you have ever walked into them during "Debug mode", there is another step to that above interaction, where they actually snap our neck. There is something so important to keep away from us that they'd rather kill us, then let us learn it. They'd rather kill us to keep us from the secrets they keep, the shame they hold, to cross that line of killing - something they didn't even do to the Prisoner.
After looking at their actions in the above circumstances, I find it hard not to see they are still motivated by fear. They still hold their own lanterns because they are afraid of the dark, of taking a leap of faith across the invisible bridges to face the truth, of walking boldly into the abyss to do what they feel is right. By overcoming our own fear of the dark, of other's opinions, we as the player were able to find ourselves somewhere new - maybe somewhere totally alone. The Owlks kept us from following out path, our curiousity, our sense of exploration - the very qualities that exemplify the Nomai. It is only with our knowledge that we have people around us, that we will have our friends at the end of it all, that helps reassure us that the temporary fear is worth it to truly live.
I find the Owlks to be so important in this whole narrative. Without them, we don't truly explore what it is to be alive, we don't see the whole picture.
The Nomai were what we strove for - their information they gathered, their accomplishments we built upon and saw to their conclusions - the Hearthians are children - curious, reckless, full of a desire to explore and make mistakes - and the Owlks are those that came before us - told us what couldn't be done, what shouldn't.
Absolutely incredible analysis! Thank you!
Pretty good point. Really good point, actually. Thanks
20:15 this point about perspective is really insightful
somebody get this man some more subscribers, great video
outer wilds is the only video game to have great video essay still made every week 4 years after release and an active (the best subbreddit) community. What a truly special game. Are there any games similar to outer wilds that you get enough hours for for the money you spend.
It’s honestly amazing how many people are still discovering it! And other than some more conventional puzzle games, there doesn’t seem to be :(
Any way you can upload your playthrough? I would absolutely watch the shit out of it, looks fantastic
Haha thank you! I might do a supercut at some point, but everything of my playthroughs of both Outer Wilds and Echoes of the Eye are over on my twitch! @geolbaker
@@geolbaker I'd suggest putting a link to that in your video descriptions or about page, I tried looking but I might've missed it if it's somewhere
Ill add it to the description but here ya go! Enjoy! I do stream often but just been away for a bit m.twitch.tv/geolbaker