Also, I don't recommend the DLC, so if you're thinking about getting both, just buy the base game. See my review on that here.

Foreword
I knew that I was in some sort of time loop but other than that had no knowledge of the game.
Finished ending in 15 hrs, no hints except for a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ puzzle near the end (Ash Twin Project warp pad)

Settings
Played on Dualsense Edge

• Plenty of jaw-dropping moments while exploring that make you FEEL like you're actually there with how insane it is
  
  • The "oh wow" moments in this game where you connect the dots and the stars align are ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ UNPARALLELED (eg getting to the Eye via the phantom moon for the first time; seeing the other environments on the phantom moon)
    
  • Other naturally stupefying moments like the sun exploding
• The puzzles on offer have interesting dynamics that coexist and play with the setting in interesting and intuitive ways (especially the quantum stuff)
  
  • The game's invisible hand is able to guide you quite well that you always feel like you have something to look into and you never feel truly stuck
• Worldbuilding is great; there's lots of little details that make the areas feel like someone was/is there
  
  • The game builds up the world and characters pretty well without feeling forced and you end up attached to at least some of them, esp the ones who didn't make it
    
  • The non-linear aspect encourages you to make your own plans in order to explore everything; you have to prioritize certain things above others on loops
• The emotional impact is fantastic
  
  • The ending is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ amazing and so brutal. It was a total ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ but also made me sob. It makes the music for the game and the general setting re-entering the time loop that much more haunting. Sure, more life will be here in 14.3 billion years, but you also lose out on the chance to grow, to change, and to die on your own terms. I really like how the game asks you to get ready to die, even if you didn't want to.
    
  • Emotions I felt while playing: extreme isolation, comradery, hopelessness, hopefulness, terrified, too late, out of your depth
• Soundtrack is really great and fits the game perfectly
  
• Nice QoL features
  
  • Even though things are out of order it doesn't feel too impossible to piece them together via the rumor map
    
  • The "pause time while reading" functionality is REALLY nice and thoughtful

• The lock on feature just doesn't work on half of all runs; Using Dualsense Edge via Steam Input (in-game controller support doesn't work for me)
  
• There is no clock so you have to vaguely wait for timed events to occur (i genuinely don't understand why this isn't in the game)
  
• Getting to the Ash Twin Project (part of the endgame) is not intuitive at all
  
• You can't tell any of the NPCs at home about the time loop in any significant way; It's really lame and a total missed opportunity to provide some different perspectives on it and other heavier topics. The astronauts sorta fulfill this role but the NPCs at home are totally neglected
  
• Unskippable death screens that show the loop every time lead to you quitting out before the loop ends just to avoid the slow-ass cutscene
  
• The characters at home not having a speaking voice at all and just being totally silent feels awkward. I think Vocaloid/UTAU/SynthV voices would've been great
  
• No options to make the crosshair more subtle; it's always there even when it doesn't need to be, and can lessen the impact of some moments
  
• Performance really struggles at times when it really shouldn't
  
• Following relationships and storylines not part of the game's rumor map is incredibly difficult. Due to the random initial order of the story and large amount of characters, you end up glossing over unnecessary dialogue since remembering character dynamics and traits of nonexistent people is difficult. Even when the story is put together for you in a linear format later in the game, it's exhausting trying to reconnect those dots to what you already know.
  
• I appreciate what the ending tries to do by making it feel a lot more weighted and important, but it falls flat since it's a game. Maybe if it was somehow permadeath or there was some broader consequence I'd feel that weight?
  
• The ship log doesn't tell you truly what else is left to be explored so if you want to get the achievement for getting all the ship logs you have to look up a guide or recheck everything

Outer Wilds is one of the best indie games I've ever played. It's exploration aspect is totally incredible, and the game does a great job at immersing you in its world. Few games have been able to pull such a vast variety of emotions out of me like Outer Wilds can. The game feels great to play from a mechanical standpoint, and the puzzles feel reasonable but still require some thought on the player's end. The various issues that still aren't fixed are a stain on an otherwise phenomenal experience, but quite a few of them can be resolved via mods. I can't believe I've waited this long to play it.

[h1]Outer Wilds is a fantastic non-linear space exploration game with incredible mechanics, interesting locations and lore, and intense emotional impact.[/h1] [h3]TL;DR, game is phenomenal and a must play, go in blind PLEASE.[/h3] [i]Also, I don't recommend the DLC, so if you're thinking about getting both, just buy the base game. See my review on that [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/blakeplusplus/recommended/1622100/]here[/url].[/i] [i]Foreword[/i] I knew that I was in some sort of time loop but other than that had no knowledge of the game. Finished ending in 15 hrs, no hints except for a bullshit puzzle near the end ([spoiler]Ash Twin Project warp pad[/spoiler]) [i]Settings[/i] Played on Dualsense Edge [h3]Pros[/h3] [list] [*] Plenty of jaw-dropping moments while exploring that make you FEEL like you're actually there with how insane it is [list] [*] The "oh wow" moments in this game where you connect the dots and the stars align are fucking UNPARALLELED (eg [spoiler]getting to the Eye via the phantom moon for the first time; seeing the other environments on the phantom moon[/spoiler]) [*] Other naturally stupefying moments like [spoiler]the sun exploding[/spoiler] [/list] [*] The puzzles on offer have interesting dynamics that coexist and play with the setting in interesting and intuitive ways (especially the [spoiler]quantum[/spoiler] stuff) [list] [*] The game's invisible hand is able to guide you quite well that you always feel like you have something to look into and you never feel truly stuck [/list] [*] Worldbuilding is great; there's lots of little details that make the areas feel like someone was/is there [list] [*] The game builds up the world and characters pretty well without feeling forced and you end up attached to at least some of them, esp the ones who didn't make it [*] The non-linear aspect encourages you to make your own plans in order to explore everything; you have to prioritize certain things above others on loops [/list] [*] The emotional impact is fantastic [list] [*] The ending is fucking amazing and so brutal. It was a total mindfuck but also made me sob. [spoiler]It makes the music for the game and the general setting re-entering the time loop that much more haunting. Sure, more life will be here in 14.3 billion years, but you also lose out on the chance to grow, to change, and to die on your own terms. I really like how the game asks you to get ready to die, even if you didn't want to.[/spoiler] [*] Emotions I felt while playing: extreme isolation, comradery, hopelessness, hopefulness, terrified, too late, out of your depth [/list] [*] Soundtrack is really great and fits the game perfectly [*] Nice QoL features [list] [*] Even though things are out of order it doesn't feel too impossible to piece them together via the rumor map [*] The "pause time while reading" functionality is REALLY nice and thoughtful [/list] [/list] [h2]Cons[/h2] [list] [*] The lock on feature just doesn't work on half of all runs; Using Dualsense Edge via Steam Input (in-game controller support doesn't work for me) [*] There is no clock so you have to vaguely wait for timed events to occur (i genuinely don't understand why this isn't in the game) [*] Getting to the [spoiler]Ash Twin Project[/spoiler] (part of the endgame) is not intuitive at all [*] You can't tell any of the NPCs at home about the time loop in any significant way; It's really lame and a total missed opportunity to provide some different perspectives on it and other heavier topics. The astronauts sorta fulfill this role but the NPCs at home are totally neglected [*] Unskippable death screens that show the loop every time lead to you quitting out before the loop ends just to avoid the slow-ass cutscene [*] The characters at home not having a speaking voice at all and just being totally silent feels awkward. I think Vocaloid/UTAU/SynthV voices would've been great [*] No options to make the crosshair more subtle; it's always there even when it doesn't need to be, and can lessen the impact of some moments [*] Performance really struggles at times when it really shouldn't [*] Following relationships and storylines not part of the game's rumor map is incredibly difficult. Due to the random initial order of the story and large amount of characters, you end up glossing over unnecessary dialogue since remembering character dynamics and traits of nonexistent people is difficult. Even when the story is put together for you in a linear format later in the game, it's exhausting trying to reconnect those dots to what you already know. [*] I appreciate what the ending tries to do by making it feel a lot more weighted and important, but it falls flat since it's a game. Maybe if it was somehow permadeath or there was some broader consequence I'd feel that weight? [*] The ship log doesn't tell you truly what else is left to be explored so if you want to get the achievement for getting all the ship logs you have to look up a guide or recheck everything [/list] [h3]Conclusion[/h3] Outer Wilds is one of the best indie games I've ever played. It's exploration aspect is totally incredible, and the game does a great job at immersing you in its world. Few games have been able to pull such a vast variety of emotions out of me like Outer Wilds can. The game feels great to play from a mechanical standpoint, and the puzzles feel reasonable but still require some thought on the player's end. The various issues that still aren't fixed are a stain on an otherwise phenomenal experience, but quite a few of them can be resolved via mods. I can't believe I've waited this long to play it.