Comments like this are what are keeping me off the game. I’ve heard so much good about it and I think I’d really enjoy the gameplay (I loved Obra Dinn), but I really don’t think I’m in a good mental state to deal with existential dread. I have a hard enough time with that as it is.
It might also be a good thing for you, because despite the existential dread it left me incredibly hopeful and put things into a new perspective. Maybe others could chime in but for me it was an emotionally rewarding experience.
I definitely sobbed at the end. Andrew Prahlow deserves huge credit for his musical score, I can’t even listen to Travelers on its own without somebody cutting onions.
All the conversations at the very end of the game hit me right in the gut every time I read them.
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This song is new to me, but I am honored to be a part of it.
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The past is past, now, but that’s… you know, that’s okay! It’s never really gone completely. The future is always built on the past, even if we won’t get to see it.
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When my kind found the Eye and realized what it was capable of, they were terrified. It was too difficult a truth. Like a light too bright to look upon directly, it burned them. What they could not unlearn was hidden away in darkness — obfuscated, then lost. They did not want to see their story end. My kind weren’t always like this. We weren’t always so afraid. I did what I could to set things right, yet I am still of my kind, and you know now what they did. I cannot promise our fear won’t stain your mind.
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…How beautiful. It’s different than I’d envisioned. Whatever happens next, I do not think it is to be feared.
That’s the kind of catharsis I experienced at the end of Disco Elysium, so it’s definitely possible. I’m just wary of a more cosmic scale perspective since that’s the kind of dread I have a harder time dealing with. If it leans more heavily into the futility of existence, ultimate meaninglessness of being, final end of all things (heat death of the universe type beat) then that’s not the type of concepts I cope well with. Hell, just typing that out is putting more emphasis on those thoughts than I’m typically comfortable with.
Honestly, it’s just the opposite. It celebrates science in its rawest form, how everyone’s contributions, no matter how small, build on the understanding and technology of the future.
I really don’t think I’m in a good mental state to deal with existential dread
Props for being able to recognize that! I haven’t played it farther than getting out of the starting area, but there’s been some really great games that have wrecked my week.
Hey, sorry to hear it’s been rough. Hope you’ll get better soon! For now, no need to rush into a game you’re not ready to play. Think of it as a treat to look forward to when you feel better. :)
Get ready for an existential crisis on the go
Comments like this are what are keeping me off the game. I’ve heard so much good about it and I think I’d really enjoy the gameplay (I loved Obra Dinn), but I really don’t think I’m in a good mental state to deal with existential dread. I have a hard enough time with that as it is.
It might also be a good thing for you, because despite the existential dread it left me incredibly hopeful and put things into a new perspective. Maybe others could chime in but for me it was an emotionally rewarding experience.
I definitely sobbed at the end. Andrew Prahlow deserves huge credit for his musical score, I can’t even listen to Travelers on its own without somebody cutting onions.
All the conversations at the very end of the game hit me right in the gut every time I read them.
spoiler
This song is new to me, but I am honored to be a part of it.
spoiler
The past is past, now, but that’s… you know, that’s okay! It’s never really gone completely. The future is always built on the past, even if we won’t get to see it.
spoiler
When my kind found the Eye and realized what it was capable of, they were terrified. It was too difficult a truth. Like a light too bright to look upon directly, it burned them. What they could not unlearn was hidden away in darkness — obfuscated, then lost. They did not want to see their story end. My kind weren’t always like this. We weren’t always so afraid. I did what I could to set things right, yet I am still of my kind, and you know now what they did. I cannot promise our fear won’t stain your mind.
spoiler
…How beautiful. It’s different than I’d envisioned. Whatever happens next, I do not think it is to be feared.
That’s the kind of catharsis I experienced at the end of Disco Elysium, so it’s definitely possible. I’m just wary of a more cosmic scale perspective since that’s the kind of dread I have a harder time dealing with. If it leans more heavily into the futility of existence, ultimate meaninglessness of being, final end of all things (heat death of the universe type beat) then that’s not the type of concepts I cope well with. Hell, just typing that out is putting more emphasis on those thoughts than I’m typically comfortable with.
Honestly, it’s just the opposite. It celebrates science in its rawest form, how everyone’s contributions, no matter how small, build on the understanding and technology of the future.
Outer Wilds is not at all nihilistic but it definitely deals with some of the topics you’ve mentioned, so it might not be a good experience for you.
I absolutely adore the game but it can definitely trigger people. I hope you manage to reach a better head space one day so you can play it!
Props for being able to recognize that! I haven’t played it farther than getting out of the starting area, but there’s been some really great games that have wrecked my week.
Hey, sorry to hear it’s been rough. Hope you’ll get better soon! For now, no need to rush into a game you’re not ready to play. Think of it as a treat to look forward to when you feel better. :)