Tuffty
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Post by Tuffty on Sept 30, 2021 9:49:58 GMT
Figured it was a good time to start up a thread for one of the best games ever made considering the DLC, Echoes of the Eye, was released to little fanfare or attention this week. Feels like sacrilege to add a new area onto an environment that's so familiar, but my doubts kinda washed away upon seeing it and I'm invested all over again. Anyone that's played the original knows it's about mystery and exploration so might be good to share some experiences or guidance here.
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Post by dfunked on Sept 30, 2021 9:52:35 GMT
For some reason I never got around to playing this one (and will never stop confusing it with Outer Worlds...)
Essential badge for the DLC over at the other place, which has tempted me to give the original game a proper look. Shame that it's not on GP any more.
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Post by bichii on Sept 30, 2021 11:31:25 GMT
One of my favourite ever gaming experiences. Truly special. Will have a look what the dlc is about.
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Post by serbobiii on Sept 30, 2021 12:48:31 GMT
I played and bounced off the outer wilds when it was released originally. The DLC has made me go back to the original game and completely fall in love with it. Turns out on my original time with the game I didn't realise that there was a computer in the spacecraft.... things have gotten much easier to remember since finding that the second time through.
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Post by docrob on Sept 30, 2021 13:40:21 GMT
For some reason I never got around to playing this one (and will never stop confusing it with Outer Worlds...) Essential badge for the DLC over at the other place, which has tempted me to give the original game a proper look. Shame that it's not on GP any more. Hmmm - I’m conflicted. I loved the atmosphere of the original, and that it encouraged me to just head out and see what I could find. The concept is amazing. But the game had its drawbacks. There was some unnecessarily fiddly platforming, a timed section with disappearing and reappearing objects that could just sod right off, and although many of the puzzles were satisfying, a few were so obscure that I don’t think I’d ever have worked them out on my own. I want to go back to the sense of wonder and discovery, but without the sense of frustration… |
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Post by RadicalRex on Sept 30, 2021 13:53:28 GMT
I played and bounced off the outer wilds when it was released originally. The DLC has made me go back to the original game and completely fall in love with it. Turns out on my original time with the game I didn't realise that there was a computer in the spacecraft.... things have gotten much easier to remember since finding that the second time through. I also almost abandoned it the first time because I just had no idea what I'm supposed to do. I also missed the computer first, turns out that is essential. So glad I didn't abandon it after all. I have bought and downloaded the DLC already but I'm waiting for when I'm in the best mood for the game so I can get the most enjoyment out of it. |
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Oct 2, 2021 11:08:16 GMT
Finished the game at launch, an amazing experience and glad to have made it without any hints. Now I'm playing through the DLC. Spent yesterday night and almost this whole morning in it. Made quite a bit of progress, I think, and got a vague idea of what's happening, but still haven't quite found that connecting thread that makes me go "oh, so THIS is what I need to do". It's pretty good so far, and still has the feeling of elation when you discover how to access a new place, but there are also a few annoying design choices that make me prefer the base game. No spoilers, but since access to the DLC appears to be neatly integrated into the game, it should be perfectly possible (in fact even likely) that a new player could find it and start it fairly soon into the story. Which I wouldn't recommend, since it feels quite different. At the moment, there is one bit that is stumping me: The stealth section in the first dream chamber, I just don't understand how to get past the guards in the lakeside house without being discovered. I've tried concealing the flame, but they always see me when I go through the door leading outside. Maybe I'm not supposed to go there, but I don't see any other paths.
Edit: oh wait, wait, I think I got it. As always with this game, I just needed to explore other places first. |
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Oct 2, 2021 18:52:15 GMT
God, this game is crack. I had to tear myself away from the TV, kept thinking "just one more run to see if this idea works". It also knows how to play with my excitement.  |
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Post by Duffking on Oct 4, 2021 10:43:21 GMT
The DLC is striking me as significantly more cryptic than the base game.
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Oct 4, 2021 11:36:21 GMT
I finished it yesterday. It's really not that hard - in fact, looking back at some of the stuff I had to do to get through the base game, the DLC comes across as much clearer.
The important thing (as with the base game) is that, if at some point you feel like you are stuck on one puzzle, you should move on and explore elsewhere, because hints are all over the place.
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Tuffty
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Post by Tuffty on Oct 4, 2021 12:21:31 GMT
Can definitely testify to that. I was coming up stuck in the Stranger only to realise there was a path to a whole new region I didn't take, which then gave me the hint to solve something I was stuck at before which has lead me to progress etc.
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Post by Fake_Blood on Oct 4, 2021 12:29:18 GMT
I started this last week but got kind of overwhelmed by the opening area. I got to the moon, died and gave up.
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Post by Duffking on Oct 4, 2021 13:51:27 GMT
Spoilers for the new DLC I thought I'd seen everything in the "real" world until I stumbled across the recording in the subterranean lake in the other world, which I had to go by a few times until I even realised it was a vision I could view. That showed me the clue for the secret door in the tower. IIRC that got me the door codes for the temple and that's revealed 3 secret areas I can visit.
I haven't really explored the rest of the dark world (didn't seem to much I could do in the village for now, aside from a double light boat I haven't used yet), I'm curious how much of my progression will be dependent on finding something so relatively obscure. I think part of why I'm finding it so cryptic is that because the threads in the main game all intertwine across each other and across locations, it's hard *not* to find something useful or new as you explore, which isn't really the case here. |
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Oct 4, 2021 14:12:06 GMT
The majority of the hints is in the real world. There is lots to learn in the dream world as well, but to understand what you need to do in the dream world and not go around aimlessly, I'd first make sure you haven't missed anything in the real world first. The ship's log will help you keep track of which areas still have something to see (but won't tell you which areas haven't been discovered yet). Hint: since it's a halo world, don't forget you can simply look above and around you to ascertain if there's any areas where you haven't been yet. |
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Post by Duffking on Oct 4, 2021 14:16:15 GMT
Yeah I'm fairly sure I've been everywhere. It's why I started traipsing into the dark world in the first place, pretty sure the only thing I haven't found before I started going in was the code for the temple.
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Oct 4, 2021 14:23:38 GMT
This is kind hard to explain without any big spoilers, but I'll try. Have you found the three reels in the real world that tell you where to find the secret codes? For the most part, the dream world exists to let you find those codes. So it's not too important to enter it unless you already know what to do in there.
Though there are also some visions that can be watched in the dream world, and those help too. And you might want to enter it anwyay, to get a feel of the place (it will be hard to understand the hints to where those secret codes actually are, if you don't know what the various areas look like) and try to work out what it all means.
For now, also don't forget there is more than one entrance to the dream world. |
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Post by Duffking on Oct 4, 2021 15:08:07 GMT
I'm not asking for advice to be clear, I'm pretty sure I know what I need to do next. I'm just finding making progress far less natural and more structured compared to the base game.  The secret room I found in the tower has pointed me to 3 locations I'll be visiting next, but my point is that finding that entrance it requires you to go to a pretty specific place in the dark world and solve a pretty specific puzzle. I'm mainly curious if there's any other way you could find your way into that room, as the sequence of
go to dark world via the chained thing underwater
open the sarcophagus thing enough to peer in
watch the vision
recognise the painting from the tall tower
realise you have to visit the tower in the dark world, blow out the lights, then come back and enter the room in the real world
Requires a lot of joining the dots and having already seen that stuff to make sense. Just think it would be weird if there's no other way you'd find your way in (though I did almost do by accident, I figured the candles weren't a coincidence). If you saw the vision and then visited all these places it seems like a big ask for you to piece it together. |
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Oct 4, 2021 15:25:00 GMT
Not really. I think the game relies on the fact that you are likely to have already seen those places by the time you get to the vision, so it's not that difficult to put two and two together. It would be different if you watched the vision first, but then again, like I said, the way the world is strctured makes that situation much more unlikely.
Anyway, if you have managed that one puzzle, the remaining ones are not as convoluted.
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Tuffty
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Post by Tuffty on Oct 15, 2021 7:29:02 GMT
Completed the DLC last night. Thought they did an amazing job with the new environment, recapturing the awe, exploration and mystery of the base game. Some of the reveals in the story and even the mechanic reveals, challenging what you know of the environment were so cool and the fact they easily separated it out from the base game almost feels like a pseudo sequel. Definitely a welcome addition to the game.
But fuck the last third or so of the DLC, my word. Easily the worst part to experience in the DLC and the base game. It was certainly scary, it succeeded on that part, but the amount of trial and error needed to get through it definitely made me turn on the in game option to tone that difficulty down as it was blocking progress.
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hedben
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Post by hedben on Oct 15, 2021 8:04:06 GMT
I also bounced off the original game- think I found the computer but then, as usual, got distracted by something else and then forgot where I was and found it hard to resume. Typically, I'd just about decided to give it another run from the beginning when they announced it was being removed from Game Pass so I figured that was an omen to leave it alone.
Fingers now crossed that it comes back to Game Pass at some point, maybe they hope a new audience will then buy the DLC. I don't want to buy it because I've already fallen off it once, but it's definitely on the list of Top 5 Puzzle Games Everyone Loves Which I'm Ashamed To Have Abandoned (along with The Witness, Braid, and Fez...)
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Post by stixxuk on Oct 22, 2021 11:17:38 GMT
If anyone has been waiting to get the DLC, the current Epic sale might be good as it's discounted and you can get a coupon for signing up to their mailing list.
I played the original on Game Pass on Xbox, so needed the bundled "Archaeologist edition" which is normally £30 but I got it for £11 with the sale price and coupon.
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askew
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Post by askew on Oct 22, 2021 12:54:16 GMT
Running through the game for the first time at the moment. I think I've actually done more of the Echoes of the Eye questline over the OG game, but it's all good: all adds to the wonderment.
I do find it quite scary at times: Giant's Deep is particularly unnerving due to the scale of things.
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Post by stixxuk on Oct 22, 2021 14:52:06 GMT
Can't wait to revisit this solar system!
Hope I haven't forgotten how to fly a spaceship.
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mrharvest
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Post by mrharvest on Sept 1, 2022 19:52:52 GMT
I played 5 hours. I just can't be bothered now. It's like, yeah, this is very cool. But whenever I start exploring something the world resets and it just feels bad.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Mar 6, 2024 20:59:45 GMT
This is finally coming to retail (PS5 and Switch) in June, if anyone's interested.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Aug 30, 2024 20:44:46 GMT
This is finally coming to retail (PS5 and Switch) in June, if anyone's interested.
With the retail versions having been delayed from mid-June until today (August 30), in order to accommodate a Switch performance patch and put "the best possible version of the game" on the disc/cartridge, it seems as though the PS5 version doesn't come with the DLC as advertised; it also doesn't include many of the updates the game has received over time, meaning that a patch must be downloaded as part of the installation process.
Kind of a clusterfuck, to be honest. Is iam8bit usually this bad?
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Aug 30, 2024 23:06:00 GMT
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Post by Nanocrystal on Aug 30, 2024 23:38:36 GMT
Oof that sucks. Still haven't got around to the DLC for this yet, despite it being one of the very best games I've ever played.
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Post by peacemaker on Aug 31, 2024 6:54:48 GMT
Oof that sucks. Still haven't got around to the DLC for this yet, despite it being one of the very best games I've ever played. Same. I’ve seen it on sale loads of times as well so it’s just a bit odd that I’ve never purchased it. Maybe I just want to preserve that 10/10 feeling I got from the original. |
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Sept 16, 2024 7:58:56 GMT
By way of an update to the above, Iam8bit will be reprinting the PS5 discs with the DLC included thereupon - apparently it'll take about eight weeks (seven, from the time of writing). Unless they're actively recalling the misprinted discs, it sounds as though it'll be a crapshoot as to whether buyers will get ones containing the DLC or not.
EDIT: The corrected versions will only be available from a couple of online retailers, including Iam8bit themselves, unless something changes. Good news: no crapshoot! Bad news: if you want to obtain what was advertised, you'll have to use one of the retailers in question.
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The secret room I found in the tower has pointed me to 3 locations I'll be visiting next, but my point is that finding that entrance it requires you to go to a pretty specific place in the dark world and solve a pretty specific puzzle. I'm mainly curious if there's any other way you could find your way into that room, as the sequence of
