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Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same Premium Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistant's assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do@mintmobile.com.
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Tim Geddes
ABC Sundays American Idol is all new.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Give it your all.
Ryan Reynolds
Good luck. Come out with the golden ticket.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Let's hear it. This is a man's world.
Ryan Reynolds
I've never seen anything like it.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
And a new chapter begins.
Tim Geddes
You're going to Hollywood.
Ryan Reynolds
Carrie Underwood joins Lionel Richie, Luke Bryant.
Tim Geddes
And Ryan Seacrest on American Idol News.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Sundays 8, 7 Central on ABC and stream on Hulu.
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Blessing Adeoye Jr.
What's up and welcome to the Kind of Funny Games cast for Thursday, March 13, 2025. Of course. I am Tim Geddes and I'm joined today by Blessing at AOA Junior. Good day Tim and Andy Cortez hello, I'VE missed you, Andy. You were gone for all of 24 hours, but I've missed you.
Ryan Reynolds
Welcome back. It was a quick little turnaround. We really needed you yesterday.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah, we did need you. The Nuzlocke took a turn.
Ryan Reynolds
Yeah, I definitely got some messages about it.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
You heard about the Suicide Squad?
Ryan Reynolds
Yeah, I don't. You know, at this point we're just like, I guess, desperate to make content. It's like, are we sacrificing innocent lives, Tim?
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Innocent lives? You know what I mean?
Ryan Reynolds
Sparse that we bought it, that we use an Ultra Ball at God with, you know.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Well, everybody, the journey will continue later today. And also, of course, if you haven't yet, you can catch up on Nick's Nick Lock 2.0 by going to our YouTube channel and checking out all of the VODs so far. But that's not this show. This is the Kind of Funny Games cast for each and every weekday we get together to talk about the biggest reviews, previews and topics in video games live on YouTube, Twitch and podcast services around the globe. And sometimes we review old games for the very first time. That's what Blessing Adoh junior Is going to do today, everybody. If you love what we do, please support us with the Kind of Funny membership on Patreon, YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcast to get all of our shows ad free. You can watch us record them live and get a daily exclusive show. For a chance to be part of this show though, you got a YouTube super chat in. If you have any questions, thoughts or whatever about Outer Wilds, Outer Worlds, anything, You know what I mean?
Tim Geddes
Sure, we can talk about Outer Worlds.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Please, please send them our way. Yeah, a little housekeeping for you. We're an 11 person business all about live talk shows. This Monday we have something very special happening. Our annual Big Mix Cross Kind of Funny event. Come see more than 60amazing indie games when we kick off the Spring game showcase at 9am Pacific on kind of Funny Games. Following an all followed by an all day live stream of devs rotating in and out to show off their games. It's going to be a blast. You can catch it on Twitch and YouTube. We're going to be at this desk all day kicking it off with a showcase announcing a bunch of games and then we're going to talk to a bunch of devs and play a bunch of games throughout the day. So you're going to want to be there hanging out all day long. Games Daily was all about Xbox's handheld and NextG console. And then after this we're doing Alien Resurrection in Review, joining our Alien and Predator in Review project. Then after that is when you get more of Nick's Nick Lock. If that wasn't enough content, we're partnering for a four episode limited series celebrating the ten year journey of the Elder Scrolls Online. Greg and Mike are going to deep dive with Debs about how the game came to be, how it survived and where it's going. Don't miss the don't miss the look behind the development curtain when episode one airs Friday, April 11, the day after the Elder Scrolls Online Direct. If you're Kind of funny member today's Greg Ways 15 minutes of Greg plotting Langley M. Neely's travel Langley I'm Neely, a storied member of the Kind of Funny community. Why Greg's booking his travel I'm not sure. Where is he going? I don't know. But if you're a Kind of Funny member, you could find out by checking out today's Gregory thank you to our Patreon producers Delaney Twining, Carl Jacobs and Omega Buster. Today we're brought to you by Built Awards and Stash, but we'll tell you all about that later. For now, let's start with the topic of the show. Outer Wilds review 2025 2025, the Steam description says. Named Game of the Year 2019 by Giant Bomb, Polygon, Eurogamer and the Guardian, Outer Wilds is a critically acclaimed and award winning open world mystery about a solar system trapped in an endless time loop. The developer is Mobius Digital publisher Annapurna Interactive. First released on May 28, 2019. Currently sitting at a Metacritic of 85. 5. GameSpot's Alandro Barbosa says in his 9 out of 10 review. Outer Wild's deeply Outer Wild's deeply captivating narrative and plentiful mysteries push you further into exploring its richly varied and stunning solar system. The time loop you're trapped in lets you craft bite sized expeditions that all end up telling their own stories, irrespective of whether you make a monumental discovery or simply encounter a playful interaction. Having a tool to neatly document your discoveries helps you slowly piece together a tale filled with charming writing and one that presents its own open ended questions that add emotional heft to the numerous exchanges you parse through during your travels. By letting you chart your own course and piece together its mystery at your own pace, Outer Wilds makes each of his expeditions feel incredibly personal and absolutely unmissable. Now, bless you have now beat this game for the first time, so you're going to Be reviewing this game for the very first time in 25. But Andy Cortez, you played through this game back in 2019, is that correct?
Ryan Reynolds
Yes. Yeah, I was talking about it on a bunch of games. Cast just pleading with the world, please play this game. Please, anybody at Tim, Greg, anybody? I kind of funny. Please play this game because I don't want Star Wars Jedi fallen order to win game of the year.
Tim Geddes
That's not what you were really rooting for. That. Everybody.
Ryan Reynolds
Every control. Everybody, Everybody. No, after I beat Outer Wilds, I was like to goatee.
Tim Geddes
Every, like Every year since 2019, I've played a new game or I've played a game from 2019. We gotta have a segment at the end of the show where me and Andy just re rank 2019.
Ryan Reynolds
Okay.
Tim Geddes
Why don't we all vote for it?
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
No, this is there.
Tim Geddes
No, this is me and Andy will have the right. I also played Sekiro for the first time recently as well. So have you beat Outer Wilds?
Ryan Reynolds
We'll give you a tip of the hat.
Tim Geddes
We'll get a T of the hat like that.
Ryan Reynolds
Tip of that.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
But Andy, what did you think about Outer Wilds then and how do you think about it now?
Ryan Reynolds
I mean, when I first I played Outer Wilds because everybody was just singing its praises. Every podcast you listen to, everybody loved the game. I'm typically not a puzzle type gamer. Even harder that this game that I play, this game on stream, which just sort of really Messes with the ADHD and I'm already operating at like 20 capacity mental capacity when I'm streaming a game because I'm talking to Chad, I'm trying to be entertaining. That's already like kind of hurting the experience. So I ended up beating this game off stream and I'm glad I did that. And I'm also sad I did that because I wish I just had it kind of cataloged for myself or whenever I'd, you know, when you get to those sort of ending moments, I don't really want to get into spoilers unless Blessing really wants it. Like maybe after the break we get into kind of talking about more about what happens. But I, I just. For me, I've just been wanting Roger or Roger and Kevin to play this game, which would just be like a disaster to watch them both together on camera together. I'll try to try to chart through this game content. Yeah. But just reminded me of the sort of existential, I guess, dread and also hope and the sort of emotions that I felt kind of leaving the theater after Watching interstellar and being like, damn, what's all this for?
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
We're so insignificant.
Ryan Reynolds
Exactly. But you know, even though everything will be gone and you know, this plant, the sun will blow up and nothing that we've done will ever matter ever again. It's like. But we still have each other and we still have the moment. So let's make the most of it. It's just like, it's just such an awesome story and I love the way that it deals with kind of the investigative aspect of it. The, the string theory, the finding clues, letting each clue go into the next. And of course the soundtrack just kind of keeps, you know, kind of keeps you going through. And I remember what, after I beat it in 2019, 2020, Daniel Dwyer released a no clip doc on it.
Tim Geddes
And that was yesterday.
Ryan Reynolds
Yeah, that was really, really damn good. Really cool. To just sort of get insider knowledge about how they built the game and how kind of every video game is built on planes, right? Like PL. A. And I guess they're spelled the same way. I guess. No, but I guess aeroplanes and like. And a flat plane.
Tim Geddes
I thought you meant planes. Like, like a field.
Ryan Reynolds
No, no, like every game is sort of, you know, you're always building on a flat surface and that's how you deal with. But like to kind of get insider knowledge from the developers and how this game is built on spheres because each planet is sort of like got that sort of Mario Galaxy vibe where you can kind of just run around a planet in a couple minutes and find the other side of it. But the way that the game deals with weird sort of mechanics and you know, these two planets called the, the, the, the twin planets that.
Tim Geddes
Oh yeah.
Ryan Reynolds
That eventually, you know, they're so, they revolve around each other. Tim. But one, you know, over the 22 minute cycle, the sand from one planet is slowly going. The hourglass ones is what they're called. The sand from one planet is being sucked to the other and how you deal with puzzles there and just like it's all just so genius. I think it's maybe the smartest puzzle game you'll ever play and also one of the most charming games you'll ever play. When you know, when you start to kind of find out about this ancient race of, of beings that saw, you know, explored the galaxy and kind of came before us. It's amazing.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
CP says, just tuned in, thought about buying it earlier today. Bless you. Beat this game for the first time in 2025. Should CP buy this game?
Tim Geddes
Let me know your thoughts yes, yes. I. So I. To paint the picture of me and Outer Wilds, I think I have to my journey.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah.
Tim Geddes
I kind of have to go back to 2019 when it launched because I was in the same boat as Andy of listening to podcasts, reading reviews. Right. This is back when I listened to like every video game podcast on the planet. And so many podcasters and so many of media folks and game journalists that I follow were like post playing Outer Wilds, were saying, this is one of the greatest games I ever played. Like, this is one of the greatest games I've ever. That's ever been made.
Ryan Reynolds
Experiences.
Tim Geddes
Experiences. Yeah. And I'm reading this and I'm like, dang, I gotta check this out, I gotta play this game. And I believe it launched on Xbox Game Pass, if I remember correctly, because I remember playing it on Xbox in particular.
Ryan Reynolds
Yeah.
Tim Geddes
And I tried it, played for probably about five to six hours and then fell off. And then a year would pass, I'll pick it back up, try to play some, then fall off and then another year would pass. I'd be, I'd hear somebody else maybe mention Outer Wilds. I remember, I think the last time I really tried to give it a shot was after I played the Forgotten City, which was a game that came out quite a few years ago now that was also a time loop game where you are essentially, you enter the forgotten city and you have to solve the mystery of, you know, who's committing the. I think it was like the golden sin or some shit like that, right. And I remember falling in love with the forgotten city. And after beating the Forgotten city, a lot of people were like, oh, you got to play. Outer Wilds is a similar sort of thing. It's kind of a detective ish game. You are trying to figure out what's happened in this world and there's, it's a, there's a time loop element and all these things and I would give it another shot. And I've, I kid you not, I. I've tried out Outer Wilds maybe like five or six times, putting in significant amounts of hours into it and it just never clicking. I didn't like how directionless it was. I didn't really love the art style and the presentation of it. I didn't like how like it didn't really feel great to play and navigate around because you are in a lot of like zero gravity slash low, low gravity environments. And so I'm like jumping around and floating into the sun and doing all this shit. I'm getting in My ship. My ship gets lost and all this shit. And, like, it's a very frustrating game to play a lot of the time. This last time playing it, I decided that I wanted to see it through because on paper, Outer Wilds has always been my exact type of game. When I read things about it, it is like, you know, play your own pace, go any direction. Like, I love games where you can go any direction. Right. Like, Breath of the Wild is my favorite game because you just. They just plop you in and go. Go wherever you want and kind of do whatever you want. I love that shit. It is the time loop shit that I love. It is the investigative stuff that I love. Right. Like, I love puzzle games, too. It is. It has so many elements of something like the Witness, something like the Forgotten City, something like the Immersive Sims that I always talk about. But for some reason, this game that seems to be a combination of all these things just wouldn't work on me. And I picked it up this time because later in the year, we're doing our top 100 games thing. And for that, I looked at Andy. I was like, andy, it's time. I got to play Dark Souls because I know I love Elden Ring and I know I love FromSoftware games. I got to play Dark Souls for this. And then I looked at myself and I was like, all right, Outer Wilds, I'm picking it back up. I started playing it on stream, and it was a similar thing as Andy, where I played for about a few hours on stream and went, I can't stream this. This is not a stream game. It's a lot of reading. It's a lot of struggle. So then I started playing it just slowly. I just started playing it just on my own time. And the more I played it, the more I fell in love to it. To where now, after beating it, after rolling credits and putting in, I think, maybe 30 hours into this particular playthrough of the game, not started fresh from.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
The beginning, starting fresh.
Tim Geddes
I start from the beginning. I downloaded the PS5 version and I started.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
The other times that you played, were you starting over every time or were you trying to jump back into.
Tim Geddes
I was starting over every time.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Okay.
Tim Geddes
Yeah. Which is kind of poetic for, like, the ethos of the game being about, like, starting over and getting knowledge. But I started fresh this time. I've played through it. I've beaten it. I think this game is a 10 out of 10 game, and it is one of my favorite games of all time. It is one of the most magical experiences I've had playing a video game ever. And there are so many good things I can say about it. I think the highest praise I can give to it is how smart it is as a video game, how well designed it is. You know, I've already dropped the name of many other video games I love. But if I was to look at the Witness, because the Witness as a puzzle game, that is a game that I fucking love just for how much it is about, you know, kind of like the same thing of go in any direction and kind of just like solve things as you go and put things together and really put your brain to the test. Outer wilds is that. Except the puzzles aren't like straight up puzzles like they are in the Witness. Right. The puzzles are more so understanding the properties of the world and understanding, like these scientific, hey, if you do this, then this happens. Hey, this is the way that this planet works. And you kind of have to navigate it, like, with these particular. In these particular ways, because this is just the way science works in this world. It is fucking smart. But then it's also just. It's also an emotional experience.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
How is that told to you? Like, how you get to a planet and how do you learn the science behind it? Is somebody telling you, or are you just kind of like experimenting till you figure out how the gravity is effective?
Ryan Reynolds
You play the role of the. Of the hearthians, and you're just kind of like this civilization who is really curious about their own universe. And you are. You've been sending out astronauts to different planets to kind of figure out more about your universe, but you're uncovering all these clues from the Nomai. And the Nomai are these super advanced. One of those typical things where it's like these, you know, these people existed thousands of years ago, but they were, like, way more advanced than we've ever been. And they also were very, very curious. And you essentially have a translator that finds clues about what the Nomai were doing and saying and discovering in real time. And so you will maybe discover something and see a little writing on the wall. And the way that they write is also very fast. They write in kind of like these spiraling. Yeah. And so you use your little scanner to kind of start to decrypt what they wrote. And you go, okay, what? They're mentioning this planet, and they're mentioning maybe this thing that's very, very fascinating about this planet. And then that gets added to your string theory board, which, when you go back to your ship you see, kind of this clue pops up here, and now if I go to another planet and I find another clue, then those two things relate to each other, and it's like, oh, okay, we're starting to kind of uncover this.
Tim Geddes
So it is a lot of you, yeah, taking in this information that. That was left by this old civilization, but then a lot of the things you just kind of experience, right. Like, there's.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
It's.
Tim Geddes
It's hard to explain without spoiling actual things, but, like, I'll go to a planet and notice a weird thing, and I'm like, oh, why is it that way? And the more I kind of tinker with it, the more I then understand the rule, and then I'll, like, walk a bit further, and then, yeah, there will be a text that is kind of somebody experiencing the same thing. I think the fascinating thing about a lot of the texts you're reading is that a lot of the notes left by. Left behind are by scientists. Right? Like, they are kind of in a similar place of view as they are exploring the universe. They're putting things together. They're talking about their theories and all this stuff, but then they're also. They're just also having these casual conversations of, oh, wow, I looked at this rock, and then this thing happened. And, like, they'll integrate, like, these small stories into it to kind of help you understand, okay, this is why this thing is happening to me, because it happened to these people the same way. So this is just the way that this thing works. I know it's very vague, but also, like, it's the only way I can explain it without spoilers. If we get a spoiler section.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
I mean, here's the thing. Is this the type of game that a spoiler conversation is necessary, like? Because if so, I like Andy's idea of after the things, like, we can.
Tim Geddes
We can do that a little bit. I.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Cool.
Tim Geddes
Yeah, I'm down for that.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Great, great, great.
Tim Geddes
Yeah, I don't know. I think this is one of those ones where I want to give a few. A few anecdotes, and then maybe we can hop into spoiler section.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
No rush, by the way. And we have some super. Just I want to get to as well.
Tim Geddes
Um, I just want to shout out, like, how well the world is designed because you have. You're in a galaxy, you have multiple planets that you're. You're traveling to. Each planet kind of has its own vibe and kind of rules to it. You have. For example, you have Brittle Hollow, which is a planet that in the middle of it is this spoiler, but not really spoilers, right? This is just one planet. In the middle of Brittle Hollow, you have like a black hole that is sucking parts of the planet in. And so as you get there, you kind of have like one. You have a limited time to sort of explore it. But then also, as these parts of Brittle Hollow are getting sucked in, you can then start exploring the inside of the planet, which is fucking cool. And like, that's, that's the gimmick of just one planet, which leads to really, really fudgeing cool things. Every other planet is kind of equally cool in terms of like the different things that they're doing.
Ryan Reynolds
They all have their own kind of gimmick.
Tim Geddes
Yeah.
Ryan Reynolds
You know, but I think the first time exploring Brittle Hollow was one of those really overwhelming things where, you know, if you take a wrong step, you might get you. You start to fall towards that black hole, dude. And I'm just like, what is happening right now? This is freaky as hell. And the effect of it is really cool the way time, you know, the time and space and images like warp around. It just. It's really, really.
Tim Geddes
Damn, it's so cool. I was surprised getting toward the end of this game about how well it wraps up as well too. Again, I'm not gonna spoil it here, but like, I played most of the game by myself in the last few sessions. Again, I didn't stream the game, but in those last few sessions I had a friend that was watching me play the game just on Discord because she wanted to just like, you know, help me out a little bit. Slash, just experience, experience it because it's one of her favorite games as well. So we're playing and I get to the end and things culminate in such a powerful way where I'm like, I've never seen a video game do. Do it like this.
Ryan Reynolds
I was in tears.
Tim Geddes
It is. I was having full body chills. And at a certain point, like, I'm tearing up, she's crying over the Discord call. Like having this emotional moment together. I'm like, this is unlike anything I've ever experienced. Like, this is a game where I know many people were probably like me as far as trying it out, playing some and then probably falling off because it is, I think, a cumbersome game at first. I can't imagine finishing this game and not feeling something like if you're, if you're able to push yourself through this game to get to the ending and experience the full thing, it is fucking like, again, a. An insane video game that I can't believe exists in the way that it does, especially because it's indie and it's. It does things where Andy mentioned that about how the. Usually games are designed on like a plane. Right. Usually games are flat. And every planet here not only is like, every planet here is obviously on a spherical thing. So everything has to account for gravity in different ways. Different planets have different kinds of gravity. But then also, like, you have your scouter that you can send out to take pictures of things. You have your ship. And everything kind of works on an ongoing continuous system. So, like, if your scout is on a planet, that planet on a video game design level needs to remain rendered to some extent. If your ship gets fucking flung out into space and lands on a different planet, like, the things that are happening here, ship have to remain consistent. And so I don't know if they're rendering the entire world at all times or if they're just figuring out ways to render, like, where you are, where your ship is, where your scouter is, and like, those kind of things. But it, on a technical level is just fucking insane that this game works.
Ryan Reynolds
One thing I really loved about it and loved listening to or watching the noclip documentary on it was talking about, you know, this game began development in 2012, and Alex Beacham is sort of like the main guy who created all of it, and it was his college thesis, like in game development. And so it started that early. It obviously looked a lot. You know, I think once Annapurna started get getting involved, that's where, you know, budget was able to raise a bit and they were able to, you know, hire more artists and stuff because the game looked a lot rougher way back when it was being developed. But him talking about, this is not a game that you're gonna level up or power up your ship or power up your suit or get this. You're not seeing. You're not getting progression. And the reason why he wants you to keep playing is because you are interested in something.
Tim Geddes
Yeah.
Ryan Reynolds
And if that is enough to keep you around, then he did a really good job of keeping you there because you're not. You know, we've seen some games that even if you're kind of bored with the overall prospect or the. The overall mechanics or the story or whatever, it's like, oh, but I'm leveling up. That feels nice. There's none of that. You are. If you continue to play this game, it's because you want to know what's happening. You're really fascinated by something and that's like just the. What the human fascination can do and can drive you towards, which is. It has a lot to do with, like, you know, space exploration nowadays, where it's like, we are still fascinated by things we want to still learn. That's like part of our human nature.
Tim Geddes
It's. It's a very bold thing too, because the game does not point you in a direction like even. Even in something. Like I mentioned Breath of the Wild. Now you can kind of go any, any direction. At least in Breath of the Wild you have towers and you have like four main objectives. And so, like, the game is kind of pushing you towards things. This game is purely trying to push you towards things, just with how it designs the world. But it doesn't have waypoints. It doesn't have, hey, go here. It. You don't even know what you're looking for when you start the game.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Playing through it. Is there any sense of progression or is it entirely just you're always doing something?
Tim Geddes
There's. There's a log on your ship that if you go to, the more things you discover, the more the log fills in. That's really the only kind of sense of progression. Sl. That slash, I guess, your own knowledge of the world and kind of like the more you learn, the more you kind of want to know, like, where this story goes. And so you have yourself as a motivator and then you have the log that helps you kind of keep track of. If I go to an area and I say I missed a thing, if I missed like a piece of text or something, my log will be like, hey, this is what you learn here. But then also there is more to learn here in this area. But it kind of doesn't tell you that until you get to those areas and then they pop up. And, you know, I think the game does a good job of making sure that you've uncovered what you need to uncover. But outside of that, it really is just your own motivation. And I am, again, it all comes back to just me, me being impressed by how fucking smart this game is and how confident and bold it is with being like, hey, just fly. You have a whole galaxy, just fly around. And like, you can discover things in any sort of way. And everybody's going to experience the story in a different order. But it all, by the end of it is hopefully going to make sense to you. And I think, yeah, shout out to bear for bringing up the spherical thing from Jig Josh. But yeah, I don't Know, there's just a boldness in the way that it does that.
Ryan Reynolds
Yeah.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Willie the Deuce super chats in saying, I finished my first Ow playthrough a week ago. Haven't felt that way about a game in forever. Genuine astonishment as you connect the dots to the ending.
Tim Geddes
Yeah.
Ryan Reynolds
I think it's impossible for anyone to not feel that.
Tim Geddes
Yeah.
Ryan Reynolds
Like, if you see this to the end, I think it would really be shocking to me for someone to be like, yeah, it didn't do much for me. I. I don't see how anybody with human emotion could be, like, apathetic to the. The mess, the messaging and the themes by the end of it, you know?
Tim Geddes
Yeah.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Jordan Vicker says if you want more Outer Wilds talk, please check out the Portland Kevin's episode on it on the PlayStation Plus Game Club podcast. Check that out.
Tim Geddes
Oh, yeah.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
And then Zeke Speak also giving it a shout for something to check out here. Please check out Austin Walker's review of the game previously from Vice and Waypoint. Perfectly encapsulates being an ecologist, someone who has studied and understood the environment on a profound level. Does that resonate at all for you?
Tim Geddes
I mean. Yeah, I think so. It's one of the things that toward the end of the game, I started feeling was just like, it's tough to talk about without spoiling, but I guess you talk about sort of, I don't know, there's. There's this feeling of it all is going to end because, like, the thing is, the sun keeps exploding in this world. Right. And so, like, that's kind of. That kind of triggers this, like, all right, let's go again. Let's go again. Let's go again.
Ryan Reynolds
After when you're getting close to 22 minutes, you start to hear the music play.
Tim Geddes
Yeah.
Ryan Reynolds
And you're like, oh, this run's about to end. The sun's gonna supernova. Everything's going to die. I hope I can discover enough before I wake back up on Timber Hearth.
Tim Geddes
And there's some times where I'll be in the middle of reading something and I'll hear the music, and I'm like, fuck, I gotta read, read, read, read. Right. And there are other times where I. That run, for me, is kind of tapped out of. All right. I kind of, like, explored this area and this music starting. So it's. I don't. I know I don't have time to go somewhere else. And I just sit and I just watch the sun explode. And it's this feeling of, like, almost peace and the More you play it and the more you kind of understand the what's gone on in this world and the civilization that was here before you. And also the more you kind of feel, I guess, like, the vastness of it, but also kind of get a sense of, like, there's a finality here just based off of kind of the situation you're in. It turns into, like, the. It turns from a scientific, like, puzzle game to a very emotional one in a way where. I remember growing up, I used to go to church, right? And, like, in church, they gave a lot of sermon illustrations, and there's, like, a lot of metaphor and all this stuff, right? But one of the ones that always stuck with me for some reason is my pastor talking about how, you know, there's. In church, there's praise and worship. We sing music, right? We sing songs to God as a way to worship God. Right? And like, the. In the sermon illustration, the pastor would talk about why. One of the reasons why worship is important, I guess, as fulfillment for us, as fulfillment for people. And it's almost the idea of, like, when you acknowledge something is, like, way bigger than you, right? The idea that God is way bigger than you. When you acknowledge that something's way bigger than you, it almost takes things off of your shoulders in a way that is important for you. They compared it to the idea of going to the Grand Canyon. And when you look at the Grand Canyon, you stare at this gigantic space, and it makes you feel small. There's something freeing about that feeling of, oh, I don't really matter to this universe. You do. But also, it is kind of freeing knowing how small you are in this.
Ryan Reynolds
Vast universe and how little your problems are. Yeah.
Tim Geddes
And Outer Wilds kind of gave me that exact feeling, like, many of the final hours and many. Just many of the hours throughout this game where I am. I am a small cog. I am just here to learn. I am just here to, like, see all this happen. And, like, it started happening toward the latter half of the game where every. With every death, I'm like, all right, cool. Like, I can't do anything to stop the sun. I can't do anything.
Ryan Reynolds
Like, we're gonna sit here and watch it explode.
Tim Geddes
I'm just gonna sit here and watch it explode in supernova. And that feeling kind of got compounded more and more to where I got to the end of the game and, like, to an emotional point. Like, again, I can't. I can't express how much this game made me feel toward the end of it. Incredible.
Ryan Reynolds
We're asking for you know. Yeah, I just want to feel I.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Just want to feel, want to feel Everybody, thank you so much for hanging out with us and supporting review of an old game. I love that we get to do that here at Kind of Funny and we only get to do that thanks to your support. You can get the Kind of Funny membership on YouTube, Patreon, Apple Podcasts or Spotify to get the shows ad free. But for everyone else, here's a word from our sponsors. This episode is brought to you by Bilt. Y'all already know I'm a big points and rewards guy, but here's a PSA for anyone who rents. If you haven't heard of Bilt, you're about to thank me. Earning points on rent is now a reality where you pay your rent through bilt. You don't even have to check with your landlord to start earning points that you can use towards flights, hotel stays, fitness classes, and even your next rent payment. Let me break it down for you. You there's no cost to join Bilt and as a member you'll earn valuable points on rent and on your everyday spending. Built points can be transferred to your favorite hotels and airlines and even the ones you haven't heard of. There are over 500 airlines and 700,000 hotels and properties around the world. You can redeem your built points toward Points can also be redeemed towards a future rent payment and unique experiences that only Built members can access. So if you're not earning points on rent, my question is why not start earning points on rent you're already paying by going to join built.com kindafunny that's J O I N B I L T.com kindafunny make sure to use our URL so they know we sent you. Join built.com kinda funny to start earning points on your rent payments today. This podcast is brought to you in part by Stash. Saving and investing can feel impossible, but with Stash, it's not just a reality, it's easy. Stash isn't just an investing app, it's a registered investment advisor that combines automated investing with dependable financial strategies to help you reach your goals faster. They'll provide you with personalized advice on what to invest in based on your goals. Or if you just want to sit back and watch your money go to work, you can opt into their award winning expert managed portfolio that picks stocks for you. Stash has helped millions of Americans reach their financial goals and starts at just $3 per month. Don't let your savings sit around make it work harder for you. Go to get.stash.com kindafunny to see how you can receive $25 towards your first stock purchase and to view important disclosures. That's get.stash.com kind of funny. Paid non client endorsements. Not representative of all clients and not a guarantee. Investment advisory services offered by Stash Investments llc, an SEC registered investment advisor. Investing involves risk offer is subject to tncs.
Tim Geddes
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Tim Geddes
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Blessing Adeoye Jr.
You and we're back with a couple super chats here. Stefano says, this is my favorite game of all time. So happy to hear some coverage. Zeke speak once again says, to your point, less on progression equals knowledge. You'll get to areas and be like, cool, but how do I explore this dangerous place? And then you go elsewhere, learn, and come back later with the tools.
Tim Geddes
Yep. The amount of times that that has happened where I'm like, okay, I guess I can't go here and I go somewhere else and I learned something and I'm like, what the fuck? That's cool. That's how. Oh shit. I passed by this thing. I got to go back. Like, it is almost that Metroidvania feel. But if it's like if Metroidvania again, it's like if instead of getting a double jump, you're understanding that, you know, gravity pushes you down. Like you're learning like a new concept.
Ryan Reynolds
Like that the tools are your knowledge. Tim. Yeah, yeah. You know, we were kind of debating how spoiled we want to get. I think it's kind of really tough to talk about the game without any of the, without getting into kind of the spoilery mechanics of it all. But just some of the ones that really stuck out to me and.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Are you talking about spoilers now?
Ryan Reynolds
Yeah.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Okay, hold on, hold on. So Rakesh Roger writes in saying love you guys. Please play at least the first hour of the DLC on stream. We'd love to see Yalls reactions to the new planet. Have you guys played the dlc?
Ryan Reynolds
I did not play the dlc. I heard it was a little scary so I was kind of scared.
Tim Geddes
Yeah. But I definitely, I mean I'm down. I'm so down.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
That could be cool. But yeah, now we are officially going to transfer into a spoiler section. It won't be for the rest of the show. Just want to let them talk about whatever they want to hit on spoiler wise for this game because it has been out a couple years. People in the chat seem to want that as well. So. Spoilers bro. And continue.
Ryan Reynolds
I, I wanted to talk about just one of the, one of the planets that having to do with the the Hourglass twins and how anytime you would land on one of the planets either there was a clue that really drove you there and you wanted to find out what the heck was happening there, but your spacesuit would get broken by like these cactus spikes or whatever and it was kind of impossible to navigate through there without, you know, having your, your, your suit get punctured and then that would end a run pretty quickly. But to find out and to kind of understand and, and realize that the sand that is being pulled from one of the planets to the other, the other planet, the floor is getting higher and near the end of that run as the sand is compacting more and more you, it helps you kind of find an easier route to avoid the cactus. And it's just, it's little things like that that when you first land there it's like this is impossible. But then you once you kind of get the tools of and the knowledge to, to discover oh the plant the sand is you know, it's like in any game whenever you, you know when you drain like a dam in a game and it like oh, I can walk down there now. But it's kind of the opposite where this is the sand is now building up on this planet. Now my floor is no longer what my floor was at the start of the run because it's higher now. I can now avoid the things I need to. And another thing to talk about is the, the idea of like the quantum moon.
Tim Geddes
I dude, I immediately like the first thing I wrote down getting to the spoiler section was quantum stuff because that was the Thing that I think that was maybe the turning point for me of, oh, shit, I fuck with this. Where they're so in the same location on the Hourglass Twins. So there's two. It's two planets that basically revolve around each other. It's the Ember Twin, and then it's the Ash Twin. The Ash Twin is the one with all the sand, and all the sand is being pulled onto Ember Twin. And so, like, you have a cave system that's on Ember Twin that's slowly being filled up with sand. So, like, in the 22 minute interval that you have to, like, explore and stuff, like, by the end of that 22 minutes, like, the fucking cave system is all filled. You can't really explore it anymore. But within that cave system, one of the first things I found was, like, a tablet with, like, a note on it that was written by the. I keep wanting to call my. I keep want to say Zonai, but that was written by the Nomai. And, you know, I go up to it and I read a note that's basically somebody who is writing a note to somebody else being like, dude, have you seen the rocks that disappear and, like, reappear? It's really weird, right? And I'm like, I read that, and I'm like, oh, that's weird. And I turn around, there's a rock right there. And I'm like, oh, that's weird. And I turn back around and read the note again. I'm like, interesting. I turn around, the rock's gone. I'm like, what the is happening? And I keep doing it where every time I turn my camera away and turn my camera back, the rock, like, the rock appears, reappears, appears, reappears. And it's this really eerie thing. But it was the start of a gigantic mystery that I did not think would go as far as it goes. Where, like, the more I Explore, probably maybe 10 hours later of me looking at, like, not me not worrying about it, me focusing on different mysteries and stuff, I end up learning about what they call the quantum moon, which is this moon that the Nomai people, like, they're fascinated about, they're interested in, and they're talking about how the moon appears at different planets or whatever. And I'm like, the moon? And then, like, for some reason, I never noticed it. I never noticed that there is a moon that just appears randomly and then reappears. And I started looking for it. I'm like. I look up in the sky and I'm like, oh, yeah, I guess that's a weird looking moon. I look away and I look back and I'm like, oh, the moon's gone.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
The moon's a big rock.
Tim Geddes
The moon's gone. So then I'm like, my goal that then shifted my entire goal to being.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
I am going to become religiously obsessed with this moon.
Tim Geddes
Legitimately.
Ryan Reynolds
It's so sick.
Tim Geddes
And I start chasing after this moon. I. During one of my loops, I see it at a plane and I'm like, okay, I can't look away because if I look away, the moon's going to disappear. So I'm going to stare at the moon and I'm going to fly to it. And as I'm flying to the moon, I fly to it, and then my ship goes through it and I'm like, oh, that's where I turn around. The moon's gone. I'm like, so it's not a solid moon. All right. I guess that's the mystery. And then I keep playing and I come back to those cave systems that were on Emmer Twin that had the rock. I'm exploring it, not Dwayne Johnson. But it had the big. The disappearing rock. Right, Right. I go back to exploring those caves. And as I'm exploring, I. Or no, it's not. It's not on the. It's not on there. It's on a different planet that has like a Tower of Knowledge or some shit.
Ryan Reynolds
Yeah.
Tim Geddes
So I go into the Tower of Knowledge, and the Tower of Knowledge is basically a tower that the Nomai made to teach people about the quantum mechanics. And you get there and how when.
Ryan Reynolds
Something is being perceived, it exists.
Tim Geddes
Yes.
Ryan Reynolds
So, like, when it isn't being perceived is gone.
Tim Geddes
So that's one of the things you learn is. Yeah. When you can perceive something, it exists. When you can't, it's gone. And they talk about how that even works through pictures and stuff. And one of the things that you have in your tool set is a scout that can take pictures. And so as you're going through the tower, the Tower of Knowledge, it's kind of like a trial of, hey, let's teach you how this thing works. And so I am taking pictures of the rock, not Dwayne Johnson. And I look away and I look back, and the rock's still there the same way. And I'm like, all right, cool. This is working the way I want it to. I figure all that out, and then I don't even think about the quantum moon until the next time I see the quantum Moon where I'm like, well.
Ryan Reynolds
I just wanted to talk about, like, how this little scout thing that you're taking photos of, like, you can. At any point, you can just. You shoot this thing out of space from your little ship. Shoots out. And if you take a photo, it takes a. It shows you in your ui, like in, you know, up on your screen, the photo that it took. Right. And it'll keep flying and you can take another one. Then it'll show you at that time in space where that photo was taking place. So there's a lot of moments where when you want to see what the scout is seeing in real time, you spam that picture, you span, and it kind of shows you in bursts where it's flying through. Right. So in one of these sort of. In one of these trials, the way to. You discover. Oh, the way to make something. Always the way to make something being perceived, which is not a grammatically correct sentence. But I can. If I take a photo of the rocks that are disappearing, these quantum rocks or whatever, if I take a photo of it and I have that photo up on my screen, then it's always going to be there.
Tim Geddes
Yeah.
Ryan Reynolds
Because it's being perceived. And so because of. And you start to learn these things to. In order to progress this sort of this tower of knowledge. Right?
Tim Geddes
Yeah.
Ryan Reynolds
And then you go, if I take a picture of the moon, of the.
Tim Geddes
Moon, then, like, maybe that's how I get it to, like, maybe that's how I land. And this was a whim where I was like, this isn't gonna work, but I'll try it. And so I'm flying towards the moon, getting goosebumps. I know I'm flying towards the moon. I send my scout out, and I, like, take a picture of the moon as the scout's, like, flying or whatever, and I then go to the moon. I then fly to the moon and, like, I fucking land on the moon. And I'm like, this is the fucking coolest thing of all time. Right. I won't say anything past that. But, like, that. That was just like one of many, many cool moments. I'll say the other one of with the quantum stuff of going back to the cave system that's on Ember. Ember Twin. I realized in my log, the log kept saying, oh, there's more to discover here. There's more to discover here. And I'm like, I feel like I've really explored these caves. There was one note that I missed that was talking about or not. I don't know. There Was like, a specific cave system that I missed that I started going down. And as I'm going, I'm reading notes about how the Nomai had this friend that, like, disappeared. And I'm like, oh, that's wild. Like, what the fuck happened to the friend? And I go all the way down the path, and I enter this room that has. There's, like, a light switch, and there's a quantum rock. And I'm like, okay, well, this is the end of the path. They're talking about their missing friend. Like, what the fuck happened? And then I'm like. I'm there for about three minutes before I'm like, oh, what happens if I, like, turn off. If I stand on the rock and turn off the lights? Like, what? So I do that because you have a flashlight. So I'm using my flashlight the entire time, but I turn off the light, I open my flashlight, I get on the quantum rock, and then I cut off my flashlight. That cut off my flashlight. I'm in a different location, and I'm like, this is fucking cool, dude. So now I know I can use these rocks to fucking jump around and travel to different places. Yeah, the quantum stuff was. This was the thing early on that made me go, oh, this is incredible.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Aka98 says this exact stretch of the game was where it went from what are they cooking to.
Tim Geddes
Oh, they're cooking, exactly.
Ryan Reynolds
Yeah. Yeah. Those discoveries happening, and you feeling like a genius. You feeling like you are uncovering some of the craziest the universe has to offer. And. And that's, like, definitely one of the larger aspects of it all.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
The.
Ryan Reynolds
The sort of quantum things that you are experimenting with. But, I mean, there's a lot of other awesome planets that have their own.
Tim Geddes
Yeah.
Ryan Reynolds
Little, like, cool things about it. There's. There's the. The. Gosh, I'm blanking on the name of the planet. Bless the.
Tim Geddes
What's the planet like?
Ryan Reynolds
Just say angler fish.
Tim Geddes
Oh, dark bramble.
Ryan Reynolds
Get dark bramble. Yeah, dark bramble being one of the ones that. That you kind of fly into with your ship and it's all foggy, but you start to, like, kind of follow little lights in. You know, you might see a little light, and you might fly towards it, and. And suddenly it's not just a light or a waypoint. It is the light of a monstrous angler fish.
Tim Geddes
Freaky ass.
Ryan Reynolds
Most terrifying thing, like, you can experience. And it's scary as. Right? And then anytime you try to fly away from them, you get eaten by this gigantic thing. The run Ends, right? And then in another cave, you discover these Nomai kids who were at one time playing a game called, like, Run Hide from the Anglerfish. And they said, no, those rules are too easy. In the game, you have to wear a blindfold because angler fish can't see. And you're like, oh, yeah, I have to just float to this place without igniting my engines or thrusters, because that's how they are. God.
Tim Geddes
It's how they're detecting me.
Ryan Reynolds
Yeah.
Tim Geddes
So I gotta be silent. Flying through this planet, I want to shout out. I want to bring up Brittle Hollow again, which is like the planet with the black hole in the middle of it that, like, sucks in different parts of the planet as the time goes, because. Because of the planet being hollow, the Nomai, who. I guess they tend to do this. They tend to make societies underground, is what I gather, because they did that with Ember Twin as well. But on the in. On the inside sphere of Brittle Hollow, they have, like, multiple civilizations that are now dead civilizations. But, like, you know, as you're exploring this planet, you find your way into the inside. And one of the coolest things was going from where you kind of. You can kind of enter on the surface, kind of seeing. Kind of tracking the Nomai, like, okay, they were here, and then they went in. And as you go in, you see a lot of these gravity crystals that change the flow of gravity. So, like, if you have, like, say there's a bunch of gravity crystals on that wall, I can then start walking on that wall right now. Like, you know, keep me there without falling. There's the coolest fucking path of going into the planet. Seeing a bunch of gravity crystals on the inside of Brittle Hollow, which is like, you know, already you have those crystals, but then, like, the inside of itself is kind of crystallized already. It just. It's just a very cool visual that I wish I could have recorded a bear and sent a Barrett. But that then leads to you just walking upside down on the inside of this planet that then leads into this Nomai city. It's so cool.
Ryan Reynolds
So the. The way this game just sort of. I think one of the cooler things about reading about what the Nomai were discovering was, like, they're very interested in interstellar travel and, like, teleportation and, like, going through portals and wormholes and stuff. And at one point, the Nomai discover that walking through this one thing makes them appear at another spot, but one thousandth of a second before they entered it. And they're like, what? That can't be in a mathematical anomaly that every time they test it they are appearing before they walked in. So they're like, shit, we're going back in time. How do we really kind of experiment with this? How do we overpower it? And they're like, well, we could use the power of the sun. And in doing so we can go back in time further. But doing so causes the sun to supernova. And that's the things that you're discovering as like, oh, that's what's making it all go to. And for the last. I don't know how many hundreds of years everybody has been experiencing this time loop for, you know, I don't know how many hundreds of years, but we've been stuck in this day for a long time. Wow, it's. It's just so freaking fascinating and cool to kind of discover these things on different planets. And, and in one of the documentaries I blame. I'm blanking on the writer's name, but she was talking about how I think.
Tim Geddes
It'S like the lead dev sister.
Ryan Reynolds
Yeah. She didn't want the, you know, who was writing the dialogue for the Nomai. I think at first you, the, the Nomai feel like the Celestials in Marvel where it's like, oh, they're these all powerful, all knowing. But the more that you read and find out about them, it's like, oh, they're just, they're just curious. Curious space faring race. You know, they just want to discover stuff. Wanna, you know, they're flirting with each other here. They're kind of talking about it. They, she personifies them in a way that makes it feel a lot less kind of like, oh, these were some Elder Gods or whatever. No, they're just another race of human being or another race of creatures that were really curious. And you also discover that they see the, your inception as well you're the, the race that you are the Hearthians or whatever they at one point discover.
Tim Geddes
These are these, these little, they discover.
Ryan Reynolds
Like these little tadpoles and like, oh, that's kind of cool. Let's keep an eye on. And so they've been watching you for hundreds of years. It's. It's just so damn cool, man.
Tim Geddes
Yeah, I think people are. You're wrong you in the chat. But I also think it was. It's one of those things where I don't know if you're keeping it vague on purpose of like what the actual nature of it is because it is a reveal of what is actually happening. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. One of the things I wanted to shout out and this goes to the writing is like, how well done. The transition. I don't even know if I'll even call it a transition, but I guess the balance of where it goes from these are Nomai scientists that I'm following to, oh, these are our characters. Like, these are people who are having conversation that are learning, like, a lot. So much of the game is about the knowledge that you gain and like the knowledge that the zone that the gnome gotta keep wanting to say zone. The knowledge that the Nomake are gaining as they go. And so they speak very logically and they speak very much like smart scientist people. And there are moments where you realize that they are kind of realizing that things are going to shit. And it goes from that, like, oh, yeah. Oh, this discovery is cool. Oh, if we do this, then this too. There was one quote that my friend that was watching me play, like, it was so cool of seeing the, like seeing one of the quotes that was essentially like, hey, I. I can't do this without you type thing, right? Of like, you kind of get. Get a sense of the connection that they were making with each other of, you know, if I have to do. If I have to, like, figure out how to live on this planet without you, like, I can't, like, you are the light of my world, like, types type stuff. And yeah, like, I don't know. It's. It's done so well. And like, you know, I think there are many games that we've gotten. We've gotten like, We've gotten gone home. We've seen the environmental storytelling of in games like Fallout or Bioshock, where you see riding on the wall and it's. It's set dressing, but it's cool to see that their world building, world building here. The way in which Outer Wilds, you know, does the. Hey, there's writing on the wall. Hey, it's audio logs. But that transitions into such a powerful story where, you know, I'll end up seeing like the left behind bodies of Nomai. And I'm like, dude, like, that's crazy that y'all went out like this. It's just done so well and so.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Hell yeah.
Tim Geddes
What a game.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
That's. That's great.
Tim Geddes
What a game.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
So getting out of spoilers at this point, wrapping this up, because I feel like we should save your. Your 2019 talk for that. Sounds like a different game. You know what I mean?
Tim Geddes
It's tough because, like, I was thinking about this after I tweeted of like man, another banger from 2019. And I started putting together of like what would my list be and I started thinking about the games that came out that year and I'm like, dude, I don't know what I like more. Between this and Sekiro, both are probably. Both are in my top 25.
Ryan Reynolds
I got a both are top. Both are just masterpiece.
Tim Geddes
Just 10 out of 10 video games. Then you put in death stranding in there.
Ryan Reynolds
Death stranding. Was that straining? Was 2019 that gum Katana Zero a lot of good. Oh my God.
Tim Geddes
I know, dude.
Ryan Reynolds
Disco Elysium. Disco Elysium. And I know this is a weird one, but bless I did enjoy spending.
Tim Geddes
A lot of time Legends Borderlands 3. I mean, yeah, it was more so.
Ryan Reynolds
Spending us spending time together. Fun game.
Tim Geddes
Yeah.
Ryan Reynolds
And also Star Wars, Jedi, Fallen order.
Tim Geddes
Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 2, dude.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
2019 everybody control there as well in the comments.
Tim Geddes
Pokemon Sword and Shield.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
What your favorite game from 2019 was and what you think about Outer Wilds. And if you haven't played it yet, has Bless and have blessing Andy convinced you to give it a shot? I think it's super cool seeing how many people both in the super chats and the chat are like, this is my favorite game of all time.
Tim Geddes
Like it's almost. I almost didn't want to spoil it for you, Tim, because I'm like, Tim, you need to play this game. But I'm also don't think you're ever going to play this game.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah, but I know, I love hearing you talk about it though.
Tim Geddes
Like you ever got to the end of this game, Tim. Oh fuck.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah, oh fuck.
Ryan Reynolds
It's like a religious experience.
Tim Geddes
It really is.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah.
Tim Geddes
Like it's one of those. It's probably my favorite indie game I've played since Inscription and I think I probably just, I think I like it more than Inscription, which is saying something like I can't remember the last time I played something like this.
Ryan Reynolds
I don't know how I would have reacted to this video game experience if I were like a year into the pandemic. I would have just like had a full blown meltdown. Like you know, like it was, it was one thing to experience it in 2019 and to still have just full on tears in my eyes, the music swelling and it's just like this all encapsulating like holy, this is so overwhelming. I'm feeling every emotion you could possibly feel. But if I'd have experienced that in like 2021 just trapped in my room. I don't know what would have happened, man.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Video games, everybody. Hey, we're gonna keep the live shows going. Right now we're about to get into our very space theme, continuing the space adventures with Alien Resurrection. So strap in for me, Andy, Nick and Greg's thoughts on that 1997 classic. And then after that, the boys will return to Johto for the continuation of the Nick Lock. Until next time, though. Love you all. Goodbye.
Kinda Funny Gamescast: The Outer Wilds Review (2025) - Summary
Released on March 13, 2025
In this episode of the Kinda Funny Gamescast, the hosts—Tim Geddes, Greg “GameOverGreggy” Miller, Blessing Adeoye Jr., and Andy Cortez—delve into a comprehensive review of the critically acclaimed game Outer Wilds. Tailored for both newcomers and longtime fans, the discussion navigates through various facets of the game, from its intricate storytelling to its innovative gameplay mechanics.
Outer Wilds, developed by Mobius Digital and published by Annapurna Interactive, is an open-world mystery set in a solar system caught in an endless time loop. Initially released on May 28, 2019, the game has garnered significant praise, holding a Metacritic score of 85.5. According to a GameSpot review by Alandro Barbosa, the game excels in its "deeply captivating narrative and plentiful mysteries," offering players a personalized exploration experience.
Notable Quote:
GameSpot's Alandro Barbosa [06:55]: "Outer Wild's deeply captivating narrative and plentiful mysteries push you further into exploring its richly varied and stunning solar system."
Greg Miller shares his initial enthusiasm for Outer Wilds, expressing a desire for broader recognition:
Greg Miller [07:09]: "I kind of funny. Please play this game because I don't want Star Wars Jedi fallen order to win game of the year."
Tim Geddes reminisces about his prolonged engagement with the game, highlighting its enduring appeal:
Tim Geddes [07:55]: "I started playing it just slowly. I just started playing it just on my own time. And the more I played it, the more I fell in love with it."
The hosts explore the unique gameplay mechanics that set Outer Wilds apart. Ryan Reynolds emphasizes the game's non-linear exploration and puzzle-solving elements:
Ryan Reynolds [08:04]: "The puzzles are more so understanding the properties of the world and understanding the scientific 'hey, if you do this, then this happens.'"
Tim Geddes discusses the game's spherical world design, contrasting it with traditional flat game maps:
Tim Geddes [10:29]: "Every game is sort of, you know, you're always building on a flat surface. But in Outer Wilds, every planet is on a spherical thing."
The conversation touches upon the Hourglass Twins, two planets whose unique gravitational interactions present complex puzzle scenarios.
Notable Quote:
Ryan Reynolds [11:04]: "This is maybe the smartest puzzle game you'll ever play and also one of the most charming games you'll ever play."
Tim Geddes and Ryan Reynolds discuss the profound emotional resonance of Outer Wilds, comparing its impact to cinematic experiences like Interstellar:
Ryan Reynolds [09:28]: "It's like, it's just such an awesome story and I love the way that it deals with kind of the investigative aspect of it."
Tim Geddes shares a poignant moment where both he and a friend experienced the game's emotional climax together:
Tim Geddes [21:49]: "I was having full body chills. And at a certain point, like, I'm tearing up... It's unlike anything I've ever experienced."
The technical brilliance of Outer Wilds is a focal point of the discussion. Tim Geddes marvels at the game's rendering techniques and dynamic world-building:
Tim Geddes [21:15]: "It's so cool the way time, you know, the time and space and images like warp around. It just... It's really, really."
Ryan Reynolds highlights the game's development history, noting its origins as a college thesis project by Alex Beacham:
Ryan Reynolds [23:19]: "This game began development in 2012, and Alex Beacham is sort of like the main guy who created all of it."
The conversation also covers the absence of traditional progression systems, with the game's advancement driven solely by player curiosity and discovery.
Notable Quote:
Ryan Reynolds [24:13]: "You are interested in something. If that is enough to keep you around, then he did a really good job of keeping you there."
The hosts acknowledge the vibrant community surrounding Outer Wilds, referencing additional content such as the No Clip documentary and various podcast discussions:
Blessing Adeoye Jr. [27:06]: "Check out Austin Walker's review of the game previously from Vice and Waypoint. Perfectly encapsulates being an ecologist..."
They also encourage listeners to explore related podcasts and community discussions for a deeper understanding of the game's themes and mechanics.
Wrapping up the review, Tim Geddes rates Outer Wilds a perfect 10 out of 10, lauding it as one of his all-time favorite games:
Tim Geddes [16:56]: "I think this game is a 10 out of 10 game, and it is one of my favorite games of all time."
Ryan Reynolds compares the game's revelation moments to "a religious experience," underscoring its lasting emotional and intellectual impact:
Ryan Reynolds [54:07]: "It's like a religious experience."
The hosts unanimously agree on the game's excellence, recommending it as an essential experience for gamers seeking depth, mystery, and emotional storytelling.
Notable Quote:
Tim Geddes [53:47]: "It's one of those... It's probably my favorite indie game I've played since Inscription."
Kinda Funny Gamescast delivers an in-depth and heartfelt review of Outer Wilds, celebrating its innovative design, emotionally charged storytelling, and the unparalleled sense of discovery it offers. Whether you're a seasoned gamer or new to the series, this episode provides valuable insights into why Outer Wilds remains a standout title in the gaming landscape.
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