Outer Wilds: A Love Letter to the Universe

Recently, I finally completed the space exploration puzzle game—Outer Wilds.

The moment I finished it last night, I sat in front of the screen, teary-eyed, and let out a big, ugly cry. It wasn’t from sensory overload but from a deep sense of gentle, soulful healing. It rekindled my interest in cosmology and even motivated me to pick up those two books I’d abandoned years ago: A Brief History of Time and The Universe in a Nutshell.

If you’re someone who dreams about the stars or is feeling a bit lost in life, let me share this cosmic love poem with you in this post.

This is a game where the less you know, the better the experience. If you decide to embark on this journey, I have only one piece of advice: try not to look anything up.

🌌 Welcome to a Solar System with Just 22 Minutes

In Outer Wilds, you play as a rookie astronaut, ready to pilot a slightly rickety wooden spaceship on your first space adventure.

But this solar system is a little... “weird”:

• It’s a world governed entirely by real astrophysical simulations. No invisible walls, no teleport points—you’ll have to contend with gravity, inertia, and the unknown environment.
• Each planet here feels like a unique work of art.
• Most importantly, 22 minutes later, your world ends. The sun goes supernova, consuming everything.

But you have one special privilege—you retain your memories, trapped in an infinite 22-minute time loop.

🔎 No Levels, No Gear, Only Knowledge

This is where the game is at its most hardcore and pure. In the game, you won’t gain any more powerful weapons, nor will you increase your health. Knowledge is your only superpower.

By exploring the ruins on various planets, you’ll read the writings left behind by an ancient race called the Nomai, who lived in this star system tens of thousands of years ago. You’ll learn about their technology, their history, their obsessions, and come to understand the laws of this universe.

When you master these laws, those seemingly impossible obstacles, those narrow passages that looked like you could never squeeze through, will all yield to your newfound wisdom.

💡 My Personal Reflections:

Just like in the game, we meet many people. We go through countless amazing experiences. We develop endless curiosity about the vibrant world around us. We keep learning and growing. Some questions eventually find answers. Some questions may never have answers. But that doesn’t make the journey any less meaningful. On the contrary, it’s these experiences that make up our own unique lives.

To avoid spoilers, I’ve placed my reflections in a separate link. If you’ve already completed the game, feel free to check it out. The following content contains major plot spoilers:

• Spoiler reflections: https://jiaqihuang.fyi/en/blog/outer-wilds-reflection