u/wayshush

For many years, I've always thought "Outer Wilds wasn't for me". But I decided to sit down and lock in (and also getting help from my partner who LOVES the game), I finally finished the game. I'm glad I finally experienced it, it was a beautiful experience, and I get why people love this game so much now.

Also, the DLC! I thought it was even better than the base game, but that might've been because by then I was already 100% into the game. Also returning to the Fire when dying in the simulation is much less frustrating than restarting the loop. Regardless, I love the ending of the DLC, that last slideshow alongside the music, absolute cinema.

If you have someone in your life you really want to play Outer Wilds, but they are struggling to get into it for whatever reason, perhaps you could do what my partner did - help with directions, ask leading questions, suggest locations to go, etc. Anything that can help without completely spoiling the game.

TLDW:

I showcase examples of strategy games that include save-scumming mechanics, and discuss the impact they have.

• Desperados III (and other Mimimi Games) with the quick save/reload being a core mechanic
• Tactical Breach Wizards - Infinite Current Turn Rewind
  • Specifically I compare it with Into the Breach with it's limited resource "Reset Turn".
• Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Divine Pulse
• Monster Train 2 - Built-in Restart Battle button

The benefits it brings to the players are plenty, but mainly it provides the player freedom to be creative and experiment, and also saves precious time.

Other benefits that aren't that universal, is it reduces cognitive load and allows for more actions per turn (Tactical Breach Wizards); allows the player to learn the game, especially in the later stages (Monster Train 2).