The Transformation of the Outer Wilds
- Maia Labbe
- Dec 2, 2023
- 2 min read
Echoes of the Eye is the DLC for Outer Wilds. It was released in September of 2021 and completely changed the game.
Echoes of the Eye is essentially its own storyline that builds off of what we learn in the base game. According to an article by The Gamer, it adds about 14 hours of gameplay.
The DLC includes an entirely new celestial body, known as The Stranger, and plenty of locations within it, along with a new alien species.
These new creatures are unnamed. All we know is that they predate the Nomai and resemble owls with antlers.
The Stranger is actually a spacecraft created by these aliens that is invisible to the naked eye due to its cloaking field. The only way to locate it is by observing the shadow it casts on the Sun’s light.
The spacecraft itself is a massive artificial ring world. At first glance, it appears to be uninhabited and partially destroyed.
The environment is eerie and extremely unsettling. When I first started playing the DLC, it made me so nervous I constantly had to check the Wiki to ease my anxiety.
The primary change Echoes of the Eye makes to the game is it adds horror. It is so scary, the creators had to include a “reduced frights mode.” From my experience, this does not help.
It is terrifying, even when it’s not supposed to be. There is nothing in The Stranger that can hurt you other than yourself, but even that is scary.
For me, the scariest part is the simulation, which is exactly what it sounds like. The alien species created a simulation of their home planet that their minds exist in.
Unlike the interior of The Stranger, the simulation is a pitch black world that can be very difficult to navigate.
The thing that helps you, an artifact with a central flame, actually hinders you. If one of the aliens, which I like to call owl creatures, finds you, they will blow out your flame, waking you up from the simulation.
This doesn’t sound scary, per se, but when one of these things jumps out of the darkness and grabs you, it is absolutely terrifying.
Eventually, I gave up on playing the DLC because it caused me so much anxiety, even in reduced frights mode.
Players are supposed to overcome this fear and accept that it is a part of the game. You are supposed to learn by repetition. This did not work for me.
From what I did experience, Echoes of the Eye is an amazing DLC. I really enjoyed exploring the Stranger. I just didn’t like trying to avoid the owl creatures.
For now, I’ll just stick to exploring the rest of the Outer Wilds, far away from those terrifying owls.
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