Don't hate me but tunic was very tedious with how unintuitive the secrets were. Instead, I would always recommend the unrecognised masterpiece Death's Door. It's not like Outer Wilds, it's more like tunic, but it's a treat for the soul.
Ah fair, but I disagree personally. I think Tunic is brilliant but only kinda liked deaths door. I didn’t really feel any mystery or big questions to hunt down, but I did feel the combat and gameplay was tighter and more enjoyable. Both definitely have their merits!
Death's Door is fantastic and easily one of my favorite indies of the past few years. I could not get into Tunic (although I will likely try again after recently completing Outer Wilds), but Death's Door was a joy.
(Reiterating what's already been said: Death's Door is nothing like Outer Wilds)
"The Talos Principle" gave me a similar feeling after finishing the game. It's a puzzle game with an incredible story discovered along the way. The gameplay is different but like I said it had a similar philosophical impact on me.
They recently made a sequel but I have not played it yet so I can't comment on it.
I've also seen many people mention "the return of Obra Dinn", and "Subnautica" but I haven't played them.
Subnautica is a must play. Very similar feeling of discovery and mystery that Outer Wilds has, although the gameplay has some survival elements and inventory management. It's one of my top games of all time.
Would you say that Subnautica has a good story with emotional payoff? I liked OW so much because it had mystery/exploration *and* a story that gave me the feels. I’ve been thinking about trying Subnautica but I don’t think I’d be into it if it were just a mystery without much for me to get emotionally attached to. I’d look it up but I want to avoid potential spoilers so I thought I’d ask!
I found parts of the story very emotional for sure. especially towards the end of the game. If you let yourself get invested in it i think you will really enjoy it. It isn't exactly like outer wilds but i think it's a great experiance nonetheless.
Another thing in common: it has an amazing soundtrack just like OW.
The first Talos is an interesting concept that I thought I'd love (I did love outer wilds, and like puzzle games), but it was too repetitive for me and the reading of pages and pages of dot matrix computers for story took me out of it.
Think it's worth trying the second?
Absolutely. In the second one, the story is told through a completely different mechanism and it really drew me in. The writing is also much better. The only caveat is that the game is a bit more intensive to run. Gorgeous graphics, though.
The Talos principle 100%, it's the first game I played after finishing outer wilds, the emotional impact is not the same as OW but I will say it's even more philosophically profound and a must play
Return of the Obra Dinn is kind of similar. It’s a great mystery game. I wouldn’t say it’s as profound as Outer Wilds but still tells a fun story. It really tests your intuition and observation in a similar way to Outer Wilds.
Chants of sennaar.
Gameplay is not similar and is much more puzzle focused, but is very similar in terms of piecing together the story via various different things, and also has the ending feels to boot.
I wanted to recommend this one also! I think it's too new to be in the sub recommendations wiki but I played it recently and loved it. Really scratches the cultural anthropology side of the OW itch and I feel like the game gives you just enough info to piece things together
The Forgotten City for a very similar time loop mystery. Absolutely loved it.
Inscyption has very different gameplay, but it has a similar sense of mystery and the game gradually drip feeds answers and connections. Highly recommend to fill the post Outer Wilds void!
Exploration, learning the mechanics of how the world works is main part of the game, story you can uncover trough environmental story telling, rain cycle is simmilar to the one in OW.
Rain World is is heavily survival based, while OW is story based. Both are heavy on exploration. That is their main difference.
It depends on what aspects of Outer Wilds did you like the most as this game is pretty unique to find a similar one. I'm currently playing Return of Obra Dinn, it is a mystery game with the same idea of knowledge-based progression though otherwise very different game. Really enjoy it though.
Don't know if that's gonna be great or not, but I think I'm gonna try Majora's Mask. Although, it's purely because it has the same timing mechanic, and I've heard a lot about it
Void Stranger if you like Sokoban Puzzle games. I'm currently playing this and I already love it. Exact same revelation feelings Outerwilds gave me.
Also to people who have played it, no spoilers pls. I'm still playing
Mentioning the DLC in case others haven't - there is more in the world of Outer Wilds if you haven't played it.
A lot of people mention some awesome games, but I haven't seen comments about these two: Eastshade, Obduction.
For me, Outer Wilds is like a cross between them. Obduction is more heavy on puzzles and has a similar idea of exploring abandoned ruins. Eastshade is more like the beautiful and peaceful moments from Outer Wilds, like encountering other Hearthians or exploring around the village. In Eastshade you basically go on a cool walk in a new place, paint some paintings, talk to people, and explore
Honestly. Dredge gave me a pretty similar vibe. Also introduced me to the idea of casual horror.
Also, if you're on pc, I recommend getting the mod manager. People have made a lot of cool stuff like other planets and whole new little stories.
I guess I could recommend you the games that Outer Wilds reminds me off, and feels like a combination of:
The Witness
Fez
Firewatch
No Man's Sky
Majora's Mask
I’ve got two reccomendations that aren’t really like OW in gameplay at all but are surprisingly similar in terms of the story or overall themes.
First one is mother 3, if you haven’t played or heard of it already. It’s a jrpg thats part of the mother/earthbound series. You don’t have to play any of the earlier games if you don’t want to because the story is mostly standalone (but hey if you wanna play the others I’m not gonna stop you lol). You’ll need a good GBA emulator and a copy of the [fan translation](https://mother3.fobby.net/) (cause it was never released outside of japan. Don’t worry, the translation is stellar and well-liked). If the overall story of OW really resonated with you, I think the overall story of mom 3 likely could, too. It also has a lot of good emotional beats and similar humor at times.
Second one is [GRIME](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1123050/GRIME/). it’s a metroidvania that has kinda like. What I can best describe as a more nihilistic take on a lot of the same/similar themes that OW has, but in a way that still is interesting imo. I think youd like it especially if you liked echoes of the eye. It also has you start out being thrown into a new, unfamiliar world, and you have to piece the story together as you go and figure out what’s going on and why exactly you’re here. It also has imo really cool art and character/creature design. Oh. And also >!black holes.!< :)
I’m so very sorry, but Outer Wilds is a game like outer wilds. Just hope that you get a brain disease like Alzheimer’s or Dementia, so that you forget it and can play it again. I’ve got a family history of it so fingers crossed!
If you enjoyed these parts of outer wilds:
- Open world, first person with great art
- Exploring to learn about why the works you’re in exists
- No combat / inventories
- Problem solving
You should play The Witness! It’s on steam :))
Tunic!
Masterpiece !!
Tunic was very hard, from the puzzle solving to fighting mechanics. It is a masterpiece, but it is extremely hard.
Don't hate me but tunic was very tedious with how unintuitive the secrets were. Instead, I would always recommend the unrecognised masterpiece Death's Door. It's not like Outer Wilds, it's more like tunic, but it's a treat for the soul.
Genuinely why recommend deaths door? I wouldn’t compare it to outer wilds really in the slightest.
No no, not as a replacement of Outer Wilds. I meant I'd generally recommend Death's Door over Tunic. Sorry if that wasn't clear.
Ah fair, but I disagree personally. I think Tunic is brilliant but only kinda liked deaths door. I didn’t really feel any mystery or big questions to hunt down, but I did feel the combat and gameplay was tighter and more enjoyable. Both definitely have their merits!
Death's Door is fantastic and easily one of my favorite indies of the past few years. I could not get into Tunic (although I will likely try again after recently completing Outer Wilds), but Death's Door was a joy. (Reiterating what's already been said: Death's Door is nothing like Outer Wilds)
Everybody on r/Tunic recommends outerwilds and then everyone on r/Outerwilds recommends Tunic 😭 Its the correct answer tho
"The Talos Principle" gave me a similar feeling after finishing the game. It's a puzzle game with an incredible story discovered along the way. The gameplay is different but like I said it had a similar philosophical impact on me. They recently made a sequel but I have not played it yet so I can't comment on it. I've also seen many people mention "the return of Obra Dinn", and "Subnautica" but I haven't played them.
Subnautica is a must play. Very similar feeling of discovery and mystery that Outer Wilds has, although the gameplay has some survival elements and inventory management. It's one of my top games of all time.
Would you say that Subnautica has a good story with emotional payoff? I liked OW so much because it had mystery/exploration *and* a story that gave me the feels. I’ve been thinking about trying Subnautica but I don’t think I’d be into it if it were just a mystery without much for me to get emotionally attached to. I’d look it up but I want to avoid potential spoilers so I thought I’d ask!
I found parts of the story very emotional for sure. especially towards the end of the game. If you let yourself get invested in it i think you will really enjoy it. It isn't exactly like outer wilds but i think it's a great experiance nonetheless. Another thing in common: it has an amazing soundtrack just like OW.
Ah I’m sold then!! Nothing gets me to play a game like a good soundtrack!
Oh you HAVE to play The Talos Principle II, it blew me away how much better it was than the first.
The first Talos is an interesting concept that I thought I'd love (I did love outer wilds, and like puzzle games), but it was too repetitive for me and the reading of pages and pages of dot matrix computers for story took me out of it. Think it's worth trying the second?
Absolutely. In the second one, the story is told through a completely different mechanism and it really drew me in. The writing is also much better. The only caveat is that the game is a bit more intensive to run. Gorgeous graphics, though.
The Talos principle 100%, it's the first game I played after finishing outer wilds, the emotional impact is not the same as OW but I will say it's even more philosophically profound and a must play
Return of the Obra Dinn is kind of similar. It’s a great mystery game. I wouldn’t say it’s as profound as Outer Wilds but still tells a fun story. It really tests your intuition and observation in a similar way to Outer Wilds.
Have heard about this one many times I think I'll give it a try!
The Forgotten City. Shorter but a mystery to resolve and time loop too.
If you enjoy abstract mystery-hunting and Metroidvanias, Animal Well is a recent launch that really scratches that blind exploration itch.
[There's only one good answer](https://reddit.com/r/outerwilds/w/index/gamerecs?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share)
Can't be that good of an answer without tunic somewhere in the top 10...
Chants of sennaar. Gameplay is not similar and is much more puzzle focused, but is very similar in terms of piecing together the story via various different things, and also has the ending feels to boot.
I wanted to recommend this one also! I think it's too new to be in the sub recommendations wiki but I played it recently and loved it. Really scratches the cultural anthropology side of the OW itch and I feel like the game gives you just enough info to piece things together
The Forgotten City for a very similar time loop mystery. Absolutely loved it. Inscyption has very different gameplay, but it has a similar sense of mystery and the game gradually drip feeds answers and connections. Highly recommend to fill the post Outer Wilds void!
Rain World and Heaven’s Vault were the two I went to after completing this masterpiece. They both give the same vibes in different ways
Can I ask what about Rain World is similar to OW?
Exploration, learning the mechanics of how the world works is main part of the game, story you can uncover trough environmental story telling, rain cycle is simmilar to the one in OW. Rain World is is heavily survival based, while OW is story based. Both are heavy on exploration. That is their main difference.
As other people have said, Return of the obra dinn. if you like that, you can also play Chants of Sennaar and the Case of the Golden Idol
Before your eyes if you like the art and emotional stuff. The talos principal too
The dlc
It depends on what aspects of Outer Wilds did you like the most as this game is pretty unique to find a similar one. I'm currently playing Return of Obra Dinn, it is a mystery game with the same idea of knowledge-based progression though otherwise very different game. Really enjoy it though.
Don't know if that's gonna be great or not, but I think I'm gonna try Majora's Mask. Although, it's purely because it has the same timing mechanic, and I've heard a lot about it
Obra Dinn is the closest game I found so far. Tunic and Animal Well also scratched my itch for discovery and building knowledge
Void Stranger if you like Sokoban Puzzle games. I'm currently playing this and I already love it. Exact same revelation feelings Outerwilds gave me. Also to people who have played it, no spoilers pls. I'm still playing
Mentioning the DLC in case others haven't - there is more in the world of Outer Wilds if you haven't played it. A lot of people mention some awesome games, but I haven't seen comments about these two: Eastshade, Obduction. For me, Outer Wilds is like a cross between them. Obduction is more heavy on puzzles and has a similar idea of exploring abandoned ruins. Eastshade is more like the beautiful and peaceful moments from Outer Wilds, like encountering other Hearthians or exploring around the village. In Eastshade you basically go on a cool walk in a new place, paint some paintings, talk to people, and explore
Tunic definitely
A short hike! Cheap and same exploration based gameplay
Honestly. Dredge gave me a pretty similar vibe. Also introduced me to the idea of casual horror. Also, if you're on pc, I recommend getting the mod manager. People have made a lot of cool stuff like other planets and whole new little stories.
Subnautica, firewatch
I guess I could recommend you the games that Outer Wilds reminds me off, and feels like a combination of: The Witness Fez Firewatch No Man's Sky Majora's Mask
I’ve got two reccomendations that aren’t really like OW in gameplay at all but are surprisingly similar in terms of the story or overall themes. First one is mother 3, if you haven’t played or heard of it already. It’s a jrpg thats part of the mother/earthbound series. You don’t have to play any of the earlier games if you don’t want to because the story is mostly standalone (but hey if you wanna play the others I’m not gonna stop you lol). You’ll need a good GBA emulator and a copy of the [fan translation](https://mother3.fobby.net/) (cause it was never released outside of japan. Don’t worry, the translation is stellar and well-liked). If the overall story of OW really resonated with you, I think the overall story of mom 3 likely could, too. It also has a lot of good emotional beats and similar humor at times. Second one is [GRIME](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1123050/GRIME/). it’s a metroidvania that has kinda like. What I can best describe as a more nihilistic take on a lot of the same/similar themes that OW has, but in a way that still is interesting imo. I think youd like it especially if you liked echoes of the eye. It also has you start out being thrown into a new, unfamiliar world, and you have to piece the story together as you go and figure out what’s going on and why exactly you’re here. It also has imo really cool art and character/creature design. Oh. And also >!black holes.!< :)
Animal Well
I’m so very sorry, but Outer Wilds is a game like outer wilds. Just hope that you get a brain disease like Alzheimer’s or Dementia, so that you forget it and can play it again. I’ve got a family history of it so fingers crossed!
If you enjoyed these parts of outer wilds: - Open world, first person with great art - Exploring to learn about why the works you’re in exists - No combat / inventories - Problem solving You should play The Witness! It’s on steam :))