Note: Answers are mainly provided by Alex Beachum, assisted by Jackie Kreitzberg and Logan Ver Hoef.
Nintendo Life: Outer Wilds is one of our most anticipated games of 2021, and we imagine many Switch players will be actively avoiding it elsewhere while waiting for this release! Can you tell us a bit about how and why the release timeline changed from the original ‘summer 2021’ window?
When we were choosing the launch window, we were probably a little too much like Nomai, Avens, and we should have been a little more like Daz or Yarrow. There were also complications due to the fact that we were still working on ‘Echoes of the Eye’ — which we decided to add to the Switch release after the delay was agreed. But it really comes down to a bit too much enthusiasm for the Switch version at the start.
…it really comes down to a bit too much enthusiasm for the Switch version at the start.
There’s a lot of Zelda in Outer Wilds’ DNA and Alex said one of the reasons it exists is because Skyward Sword “broke it”. What games did you play during development and did they change your design approach with Outer Wilds in any way?
There were a lot of games that inspired aspects of the original approach, but once we figured out how to make “curiosity-driven exploration” work, we were pretty committed to making Outer Wilds our own thing. Our creative director, Alex Beachum, specifically gave up playing Breath of the Wild during the final stages of development to avoid being overly influenced by how they handled open world game design.
Since Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom took a very different path than Skyward Sword, have your feelings towards Skyward Sword changed at all over the years?
Not.
After finishing the base game of Outer Wilds a few years ago, is there anything you’d change if you could start over? Have you ever made adjustments based on player feedback or data?
We are constantly testing the game and often draw inspiration from player feedback. For example, the Quantum Moon that disappears when you blink during the awakening sequence was suggested by a player tester.
There are always things you would do differently in retrospect. One thing that comes to mind is bringing more attention to the autopilot and landing camera features on board. Another does a major customization of everyone’s favorite teleporter puzzle. And we would try to scare our players even more — Alex likes to scare people.
Outer Wilds touches on some ideas and themes that may be familiar to Star Trek TNG fans (like me!) and sci-fi fans in general. Are there any sci-fi role models or even non-sci-fi works that you had in mind while developing the game?
The biggest inspirations were 2001: A Space Odyssey and Apollo 13. There is also an open reference to Sun. Less well known, Twin Peaks it inspired some of the lighting decisions in the game’s final sequence.
What do you think about the different types of time loops? (ie those that can be changed vs. those where everything is predetermined and everything you do is already destined to be done.) Have you gotten wrapped up in paradoxes during development? How did you decide on The outdoor wildernesstime loop style?
There are always things you would do differently in retrospect.
Honestly, we never even thought about predetermining events. Predetermined timeline narration is much better for non-interactive media. This is a game about players choosing to explore because of their own inner sense of curiosity and therefore the player’s choice really matters, which is the opposite of a narrative where everything happened because that’s how it always happened.
Dancing around the details if possible (although we may mark this answer with a spoiler if necessary), what were the demands you placed on the composer of the song at heart Outdoor wilderness
We knew we wanted to use instruments that you would hear around a campfire. From there, Alex gave Andrew Prahlow, our composer, some reference pieces — ‘Journey of the Sorcerer’ by The Eagles was included in the list — and a vague guideline to make it seem cyclical in nature to fit aspects of the game well — like bodies in orbit and time loops. And Andrew came back with a bang.
Looking at the Switch version, how did you feel working with Nintendo’s ‘maturing’ system? Were there any headaches other than the obvious limitations compared to other platforms?
The size of the Switch’s handheld screen required us to resize the in-game text and UI in a way that could be resized on the fly. In the end it was positive because we were able to add a big UI mod to all versions of the game. Now, players on other platforms can select a larger UI mode to better see the text on their current settings or on other handheld devices like the Steam Deck.
What do you think of the genre name “Metroidbrainia”? How would you call the genre? Outdoor wilderness is it in there?
Outer Wilds absolutely counts as “Metroidbrainia” and as a team we embrace linguistic chaos, so it’s an honor to be categorized as a portmanteau pun.
After living and ‘messing with Outdoor wilderness for over a decade now, how does it feel to be nearing the end of this particular project? Or is this not the end?
Outer Wilds absolutely counts as “Metroidbrainia” and as a team we embrace the linguistic chaos
The whole team is so excited to embark on new projects. We love Outer Wilds and are thrilled that it’s on Nintendo Switch so more people can experience it. But we’re also ready to move on and bring fans a new game and experience. As Riebeck would say, “um, time for something new, now.”
The Last Zelda Question: Breath of the Wild Vs. Tears of the Kingdom — which is your favorite?
I think we have to say that Breath of the Wild is the team favorite of the two. It really paved the way for Tears of the Kingdom with its beautiful, hand-crafted world and commitment to player-driven exploration. And few of us had the chance to play Tears of the Kingdom for various reasons. But it’s on everyone’s playlist!
Finally, what’s the hardest thing about making a time loop game?
Designing things that players will need to understand and pay attention to while under time pressure. And then remembering that the player has that time pressure because we’re just debugging all over the place as we test things during development. Another reason why we keep testing!
This interview has been slightly edited for clarity.
Thank you too Alex, Jackie and Logan for answering our questions The Outer Wilds: An Archaeologist’s Edition. The game is out now on the Switch eShop. Keep an eye out for our review of this critically acclaimed adventure and let us know if you play it in the comments.
