The Impeccable Sound Design of Outer Wilds 

I will literally watch anything about outer wilds. I need more.

One of my favorite facts about the music is that the song “the sun station” is the reverse of “the search”

That thing you said about 14.3 billion years ending on a major chord tickled the music theorist in me so I tried finding it on my piano, and turns out it's a C major, which is pretty much the very first chord any musician will learn in their musical journey. The game also ends with a musical beginning.

One thing of note: If you are far enough from the solar system, all the outer wilds ventures align, and you can hear the full song. As the super nova consumes each planet, the corresponding sound goes out, until the ventures are all gone. This disappearance mirrors the events within the eye, each instrument being added and layered to once again play.

"Oooh, something about Outer Wilds! Let's see what it's about!" _Music Starts_ "Aaaaaand now I'm sad again. Perfect."

Andrew Prahlow really did *absolutely crush it* with Outer Wilds. Doesn't take a triple-A title or millions in budget or popular action movie hollywood composers to get a game to have timeless excellence in its soundtrack, just takes passion for what's being made, and the state of the games industry has clearly proven passion cannot be bought with fat cat funds or marketable name-drops in promotional material. Passion is a choice from each artist who partakes in a project. I'll never stop loving Outer Wilds music. It'll stand on its own forever.

I don't know if it's been mentioned by other commenters but the idea of a new race (instrument) playing music 14.3 billion years later also has a message. Each race throughout the story had their own sound but also their own melodies. However, it was a Hearthean that entered The Eye. All the aliens we encounter play OUR melody at the end, and when we enter The Eye, it's our song, our hopes and dreams that carry on to the new universe.

39:05 It probably doesn't have much impact on your video as a whole, but I'm not convinced that the writing establishes that the Nomai _caused_ the Interloper's core to explode. I think Poke and Pye were just very lucky to get there in time to make recorded observations before the core, already under exceptional and increasing pressure, ruptured on its own. This gives the Nomai's journey to the Interloper more of a parallel to the Traveler's own coincidentally timed journey at the end of the Sun's life.

Fun fact, I was literally sobbing during the sequence where “echoes of the eye” was playing, I don’t know how Prahlow did it, but there is a truly unholy amount of emotion in that song

Outer Wilds is one of my big "to play" games when I get the time, so I wanted to comment and help boost the video as much as I can, but I will have to come back to watch!

Iv spent so much time playing this game, watching others experience the game, watching video essays and analysis's of it, and yet 80% of the things you cover in this video flew straight past me without realising their significance. Thanks so much for opening my eyes, or ears rather, to such perfection!

37:10 Yes! Someone finally mentioned the gasping breaths. No one else I knew who played it even noticed the breaths.

When showing "all the ways you can die," you definitely left out the hideous wet crunch of being crushed by rising sand (or a falling elevator, if you're "skilled"). This is by far my least favorite way to die, just because the sound sets me immediately on edge.

I really never noticed that Timber Hearth was connected to the day/night cycle. That's a great touch.

"Final End Times" got me. It was completely unexpected, it provided confirmation that I was doing the right thing and heading in the right direction, but it also clearly told me that the journey was coming to a end in a different way that I had experienced so many times previously - although at the time I didn't realise to what extent!

I think one of the most beautiful pieces of music is specifically how Solanum and the Prisoners lines mix when played solely together. One of unbounded curiosity and optimism and the other a somber fear of the unknown. The prisoners line feels like a question which Solanum answers. If you haven’t already I highly recommend listening to those on their own together. Even without the full composition playing it really feels like a beautiful complimentary piece which represents both the fear and profound acceptance of ones mortality. In simpler terms, this game is rad and I like it quite a bit.

The prisoner’s instrument makes me tear up every time. It’s an absolute wonder. It displays so so much with no words at all, simply the sad but hopeful strings of his instrument. God it’s lovley

As someone who had always had a deep love of the auditory aspect of video games, I absolutely love how you break down the story *through* the music. Its so fascinating to see each race portrayed through their own instruments and culture in such subtle ways. Plus the use of diagetic ambience over the music just adds such a grounding element to it all, especially when "space game music" can be imbued with so much grandeur and etheriality. It really adds to the personal journey for you and the traveler.

i think what made this game what it is, is that this game is about the love of life. Each individual person who had any integral part to play in the creation of this game put their soul into it, and every part of this game is therefore infused with passion. Every single part of this game was loved dearly.

Thank you so much for this. The part where the player tells the story of the Nomai from his own point of view to let the owl person know what he did made a difference, sharing the cycle of generations afterward just gutted me in game. I did not realize at the time the Hearthian instruments were playing the Nomai theme, but I felt it. Hearing you break it all down was beautiful.

We all know Andrew Prahlow’s music is absolutely perfect for the entire soundtrack, but I think it’s understated just how skillfully it was integrated into the game, alongside all the rest of the sounds. The sound design in its entirety, is impeccable for this game. The fact that you can close your eyes and still “see” the world…amazing.

I'm of the opinion that, unlike most of the music in the game, "End Times" and "Final Voyage" are actually diegetic. Specifically that they're part of the ATP, the former as a warning to anyone connected to the system that the loop is almost over, and the latter a more dire warning that something is wrong with the ATP itself (specifically in this case that the power source has been removed). I also love all the little sounds of putting on the suit and buckling into the pilot's chair. All tiny, inconsequential noises that at the same time make it feel just so much more immersive.

This one piece of information just made my entire body get the biggest wave a chills and the start to tears as I realized why I loved that one segment of the song that plays by our protaganist

The instrument playing the Nomai theme is actually one called the “Una Corda”, a piano designed for Nils Frahm that features only a single string per note, as opposed to traditional pianos that usually feature 3 or sometimes 4 strings per note. This makes it sound just hauntingly mellow ❤️ It’s available as a plug-in instrument from Native Instrument 👾

This is perhaps the most efficient and comprehensive outer wilds spoiler I’ve ever seen. Fascinating how the sound design is tied that deeply to the narrative

This game is one of the very few to affect me musically the way it does. The DLC tracks in particular. I can't help but tear up at the River's End, or the Prisoner's final vision. And their mournful but slightly hopeful addition to the Travelers Theme at the end. I really love this game. Like, more than I thought I did immediately after finishing it.

the tragic beauty of the prisoner's story is how in the end, he wholefully accepted it's fate, happy of the thought that what he did was not in vain. That the nomai heard the signal , came looking for it, and then we completed the voyage. he is sad that his people did what they did to him, sad that he had to stay prisoner of this place for centuries while it's people shivered in fear,sad that there was no way for him to go any further as his body was long dead by now, but he accepted it all and stepped in the sunlight one last time, accompanied by his friend, with it's head held up high . in a sense, it confronts us with the fact , and prepares us in a way, to realise that in order to do what has to be done, we must accept there is no stopping the supernova. one can only accept it, and move on as if it was just a new adventure. and i think its beautiful

in my first playthrough i did hide and seek with the children and talked with everyone in the village. i only barely got to finish my conversation with eskell and find a tape recorder before the ground evaporated suddenly

One of my favourite videos of 2022, thank you for making it. Love your content!

I'm going to be completely honest. The track "Traveler's Encore," the song that everyone plays around the ending campfire, almost brings a tear to my eyes every time I hear it. It's a beautiful display of unity of all the races that ended during their journeys of discovery, of research, of a misguided attempt at saving those unknown from a fate that had been set in stone since their conception.

I know I’m a bit late, but as a musician, producer, and audio engineer, thank you so much for this video. Legit made me cry, reminded me why I do this

27:07 "These things have a very nice, pleasant sound to them, but they are also categorically unnatural." Ironically, and excitingly, those sounds are based on harmonics/overtones which are perhaps some of the most NATURAL of all sounds! Andrew Huang has a video on that topic for those interested

As somebody trying to show a non-gamer how wonderful Outer Wilds is, I love this video! Thank you for formatting it in the style of a guided tour accessible to all :)

YES I’m so stoked for this! It’s bittersweet the way I can only return to this game for the vibes. I’ve experimented with ‘pretending’ I’m solving the mystery again, filling out the ship log, acting like I’m following leads. I miss being stumped by this game

Actually had tears in my eyes during the end. So great to follow your sound analysis for this tremendous piece of art! Makes one relive the amazing moments of the game. Thank you so very much for this. ❤️

The breath the hatchling takes after dying of suffocation is the worst to me. It makes me skin crawl so much and sometimes even my heart rate goes up. It's so fucking good.

Something I personally really love is that movement (especially rotation) in space is never silent - it always has the sound of a reaction control thruster - a tiny little jet that allows for rotation in airless environments.

Outer Wilds is my favourite for many reasons, but I think a key one is the music. I feel like I’m someone who connects particularly strongly, emotionally speaking, to music and listening to the soundtrack always brings me right back to how I felt playing outer wilds!

I will never get tired to say it, but this is by far the best game I've ever played, not only my favorite, but it is the best thing I will probably has the oportunity to experiment Not only the music and ambience, everything in the game is perfectly crafted to evoke what the game wants to tell us, the storytelling, the message of the videogame, I've never seen such a perfect game like Outer Wilds and has the feature to be the one time experience that you can only play once. Thank you so much for existing outer wilds

I'm glad to have another excuse to visit the Outer Wilds. You've approached this game is such a unique way and with a focus I haven't seen any other content creator focus on. I never even realised the complexities and intricacies of its audio design -- I just took it for granted and immersed myself in its world. Now I just have an even deeper appreciation of this incredible experience of a game.

I love this game so much. Videos like these, along with others’ playthroughs are the closest I’ll get to the feelings of playing it for the first time again. I would be content with a video just pointing at things saying “and this is awesome. And this is awesome. And that is awesome” But I really appreciate the effort in this.

Excellent video essay for such a gorgeous game! Echoes of the Eye is such a heartwrenching arrangement, especially with the prisoner's cry at the end.

Watching this video made me feel like I was listening to the music for the first time again, and that is something I can’t thank you enough for. There are very few times I’ve cried playing a game, but outer wilds has done it each and every time. This game is absolutely beautiful. My first time listening to Timber Hearth and 14.3 billion years just had me sitting there hanging on to every little note. The music in this game is perfect, and I love this game to death. The dlc just added on to it, with the absolutely beautiful section the prisoner adds to travelers encore. I tried to get 14.3 billion years added to our final concert pieces for my high school orchestra, but I couldn’t. I’m never going to forget this game and what it means to me. I hope the people who made outer wilds know just how much it’s affected people and how many people adore their game. 11/10 wish I could play again.

Outer Wilds is so great that it instantly became my absolute favourite game ever made. That means it surpassed Half-Life 2, which is a damn feat to leap

I absolutely love music, and I absoutely love Outer Wilds. I've cried to both, and I cried to this. Thank you, so much, for this video. I've consumed tons of Outer Wilds content, video essays, theories, gameplay, etc, but an entire video dedicated to just the /sound design,/ and done in a format like this? Utterly amazing. I remember remarking to my boyfriend about, 60, 70 minutes ago "It's a video on Outer Wilds where the dude is going through all the gameplay and sticking to just an audio perspective and talking about the sound and music" and, well, yeah! And, as someone who /loves/ music, this was... Beautiful. Thank you.

I knew exactly what was going to happen at 55:59, what with the eyes all around the room, and I still jumped in shock when the Owlk came to blow out your lantern.

it isn't part of the main story so I understand why it was left out, but my favourite piece of sound design (and the most genuine fear and surprise I have ever felt from a game) is when space-time fractures following a paradox created by entering the ash twin's black hole at the end of a loop

Such a beautiful video for this amazing game. Honestly, some of your personal observations about the sounds and music brought a tear to my eye. It was like a poetic reading of the game's plot as much as it was a deeper reading of the audio. Thank you so much for this.

My personal favorite song in the game is Echoes of the Eye, I love how it uses the instrumental and melodic leitmotifs of all three species in a way that's recognizable, but still unique.

I knew about the base game but i had no idea about the dlc. It's so interesting, so purposeful, and really feels like a complete part of the core experience. Truly incredible game. The video was so brilliant, I love this focus on sounds and music, so few creators in the gaming scene of youtube do, and it's such an important aspect of videogames. Sound editing was top notch, you really pulled off translating the sound in game into the video, even on my old headphones!

The music and sound of Outer Wilds is perfect. The game is a masterpiece. It's mindblowing to me that it's the debut game from such a young team. Also it's interesting to me that you described Final Voyage as feeling more 'triumphant'. I just found it extremely stressful.

Small correction at 24:30- the bridge isn't wooden, it's stone. The nomai make *everything* out of stone, because their tools have the ability to reshape and manipulate stone basically at will. Remember how Solanum makes those stones and lifts those rocks when you talk to her? So yeah, it's not wood, just pale rock.

Extraordinary video, taking each detail that could have passed unnoticed for the player. I never related the Morning Cello with the Timber Hearth song, it's brilliant... So much information can be given to the player without it even realizing that information, but it's there, the feeling is there, the goal was successful. Thank you so much for making this video.

39:10 I will say that the nomai did not cause the interloper to explode. it just happened when it got into the system. it was nothing more than a cosmic coincidence

OuterWilds is a Master Piece in every sense of the word. i have never and i don't think will ever play a game that's made me want to play a game for the first time again and id say the fact that this game is about accepting this and letting go and I'm over here never ready to leave is a testament to how good it is.

It's crazy how I ABSOLUTELY didn't discover the game the way you present it it's crazy how this game offers a unique experience to everyone

This video is a hour and 20 minutes of sound design tugging on my heartstrings excessively and me getting goosebumps the entire time. Impeccable is is the perfect word to describe Outer WIlds sound design for sure, never before have I played a game where the sounds have meant so much to the player and were so deeply connected with emotions. The source of the best and absolute worst sounds I have heard in gaming. Amazing video and a great analysis, thank you for doing it!

The elevator sounds are for the elks going down to where you're about to be, down the well.

i love this game so so much and the music makes the game hit so much harder. thank you for taking the time to make this video. there were so many details you pointed out that i missed (like the melody of echoes of the eye ost being the same as the nomai ost,, wow) i've started to pay more attention to and appreciate the sound design in other games!

Can't name a youtuber that is more underrated than you, thank you for making me see a new perspective to one of my favourite games

This is the best game ever, I love it so much. There is so much thought and effort that went into the sound of this game I never realized. A really good video about it (there are so many) is "saying goodbye to outer wilds" by braai films, I love the message it has

It's been years since I finished Outer Wilds and still, nothing comes close. I find it so poignant that acceptance of the end is the main motif of the game I somehow cannot let go. I think that Outer Wilds will stay with me until the end. It's funny how a game like this can help find perspective about the inevitability of time. Thank you so much my man. It is truly an amazing video and it shows how much time, work and love went into it. It always feels good to see our family grow in such a spectacular way. Not all of us can speak from the height of the internet and be heard like this so it warms my heart to see that there are others who feel the same and do it proudly :) Cheers fellow traveler

This video is so well made and mesmerizing that I have to keep coming back. I've cried playing the game, and I've cried again while watching you finding connections between sounds, visuals, and songs. (Especially the Echoes of the eye connecting with the Nomai part. It kills me every damn time). Thank you so much for making this video!! I can't even imagine how much time you've spent finding these connections and recording this video...

Wow, I can listen to the game as an audiobook ♥️

17:46 The polite little beep As the sun is de-selected Because it isn't there anymore

This is quite a unique video on Outer Wilds definitely stands out amongst the rest, and I can’t pass up the opportunity to learn more about my favorite game.

1. Lie down 2. Try not to cry 3. Cry a lot

commenting because i’m on my third rewatch of this video and i owe at least this much for that many hours of enjoyment.

I really love this video style - it's somewhere between a playthrough, a review, and a video essay. Well thought-out script as well. Definitely looking forward to watching more of your stuff!

Outer Wilds will always be so special to me, though I've always adored the music, I never realised quite how deep it went and quite how much of the game's cosmic dance had such unique tracks!! Thank you for opening my ears to it!!

Such a great vid, so many details I didn't pick up on through the sound design. I will never forget Outer Wilds, both a blessing and curse.

Gods knows if you'll see this, and I'm sure it's been posted below but, I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for taking me back through this game, allowing me to experience it again for the "First" time, in a new way. Through your eyes, and ears, and your deep appreciation for sound, and music.

I convinced a friend of mine to play this game just so I can watch him experiencing it the first time as I did.

I cried while listening to this the other night. great video before this I wouldn’t have guessed the effect this games music has over me

Great analysis. Despite the fantastic music and sound design, this is the first video I’ve seen that focuses to such an extent on these, and it’s her way to hear how the sound tells the story. Thanks for sharing!

One of my favorite details is how the nomai droning is included in Echos of the eye and 14.3 billion years, it is a small detail that always feels good. The only additional thing I could want out of the soundtrack is a version of 14.3 billion years that also has the prisoners instrument included

Another outer wilds essay video I love this community

Tremendous video- really, really enjoyed the passion, pace and craft you produced with this essay. Thank you!

Truly underrated video and underrated channel. The effort you put into this was amazing.

Thank you. Thank you so much for making this video and taking apart one of the most unnoticed chunks of the game to help those of us who aren't as aware realize the impact of the amazing sound design. I love watching videos talking about Outer Wilds that help me further appreciate this incredible game. Seeing a condensed version of the story lets me relive my favorite moments from the game, and I will never not cry at "Departure", "Let There Be Light", "Morning" or "14.3 Billion Years". Again, thank you for helping me love another facet of this game even more.

A game, a "simple'' Beautiful game. a game whose end affected my view of life to enjoy the journey and if we end, look back on the great journey we had and be happy with what we saw and learned. and tears were definitely shed when the credits rolled.

i think this convinced me to play the dlc finally, cause i was on the fence of whether or not i wanted to from what i saw from piecing together wiki entries and peoples' lets plays, but seeing how much (story wise and music) its worth it? Yeah i am gonna go do that then! and buy a friend a copy of both .Lol

Ooh I'm so glad someone has spoken about the music and sound! I listen to this OST nearly daily.

This deserves so many more views than it has. With how ravenously I consume Outer Wilds retrospectives and video essays, I'm shocked that I missed it until now. May the algorithm bless that hard work you put in and the clear passion you have for this game.

There are some really good insights in this video, such as the couple of banjo notes at the end of the Nomai theme or the nomai melody being played with the hearthian instruments, but the chronological order of this video hamstrings it in. This is because to find these interesting jems you have to watched a long summary of the gameplay, which isn't especially nessacary as the majority of people watching will have played the game before. I would suggest a less narrative focused video that can focus on instruments techniques from multiple part of the game rather then having to wait through lengthy game play summaries. In this way you can structure your video around themes or similarities which will help create a much more concise analysis. That said you clearly know what your talking about and the knowledge you impart in this video will definitely stay with me the next time I play.

Haven't finished the DLC yet so I will be back. Super impressed with the video so far!

Thanks for this essay. You made me realise that i needed to write an academic thing about this game. thanks !

Really nice video, I never noticed that timber hearth plays based on the position of the sun in the sky, such a cool touch. 13:00 the sound used here is likely just a piano, but one that has been felted - where a strip of fabric is placed between the piano hammer and string, giving that soft and dusty quality to the start of each note. I'm 99% sure that it is a sample library called Una Corda - which is a comprehensive collection of audio samples recorded from a particular felted piano that aditionally has only one string per key, giving it a strangely metallic or bell like tone. Compared to a traditional piano that has up to 3 strings per note I can see why it might sound similar to a hang to your ears ::)

I once thought I would make a video essay on Outer Wilds. Now I’ve watched too many and feel like even my own thoughts may sound derivative. Oh well, guess I’ll listen to another (probably fantastic) one! Edit: please tell me you cover “The River” Edit 2: fantastic video!

Great video. Always excited when you put out new content, thanks for always making great stuff!

Great video. I can feel the love you have for this game and that's amazing.

This is incredibly well made. Wonderful analysis. Thank you for such a great video!

Got to give you credits for such an amazing video. Just passed a great hour and a half.

10/10 video, cried, would recommend

I'm listening to this with the tab minimized, like a podcast, and just letting the audio paint the pictures for me, and I'm in love.

crazy good video! learned a lof of details that i would've never know playing by myself. amazing sound analysis for an amazing game, thank you!

This is a truly beautiful video about Outer Wilds. Thank you.

Only partially in, but loving the video so far. I've watched a lot of content on Outer Wilds, this is unique and well done.

this is a beautiful video. i always get a little emotional whenever i hear the music again, but hearing it all again in context and with such a fantastic attention to detail brought the emotions back in full. it's wild to me how years later it can still make me cry with the same intensity. thank you for making this it's really well crafted and does appropriate justice to one of the greatest games of all time

Thanks for putting all this into a video that will live forever on RU-vid. The gameplay, progression, and overall really good cohesive world design part of the game I had a pretty good grasp of already being a game designer, but it's nice to feel validated on that front lol Now, as a musician as well I knew this game score's and sound design details were awesome, but certainly not to this level. Loved your analysis and it gave me even more appreciation for this amazing game, so thanks again for this!