I loved Outer Wilds, so I liked this game by proxy. That said, the experience wasnāt without a hitch.
First of, bugs:
- Thereās some problem with camera tilt on slopes. I manage to turn my camera completely upside down. Which is basically a āmust restartā situation.
- You can get stuck in a death loop. Die -> respawn inside a wave -> die again -> repeat.
I also think think that the game needs some sort of a movement mechanic, like I donāt know, a jet-pack. Just walking everywhere gets tedious. Exploration could be improved with some sort of UI compass, to make navigation easier because you donāt always see the landmarks.
I also think that that the game could give more feedback when your idea of a solution of a puzzle is wrong. For example:
Spoilers to puzzles
- When I got to a waterwheel I had this line of thought - āDoor doesnāt work -> probably not enough power -> waterwheel need to spin faster -> wait for a tidal wave and the door will openā. The interaction that is actually used is not foreshadowed in any way.
- The locked door requires boulder to be in a very specific position, otherwise it just respawns where it was.
- The mirror was alright, although with a filter it is hard to see stuff in a distance. Maybe some sort of zoom mechanic would be good.
- Itās too hard to escape the bunker. I think you need almost perfect movement mad any mistake would mean you have to do it again.
Also, the reliance on the tidal wave in the puzzles makes it so there isnāt much to do between them after initial exploration.
Overall, this is an impressive entry that with some polish can become an excellent game.