By skyforbes In my opinion, game design is one of the most important aspect of video games. They are very essential for the experience. Lazy and bad game design in games are annoying 😄
So what are the peak game design moments you've ever experienced that you can remember?
For me, it's the start of the DLC of Outer Wilds called Echoes of the Eye.
Unfortunately, I can't say the details of it because it'll be a huge spoiler that would take away great moments in the game. I'm sure you've heard and got annoyed by this already when people mention Outer Wilds but it really is a game that spoilers can take away great moments 😄
All I can say is that the sequences here are so cool and awesome. But I will try to explain in a not spoilery way but might still be spoilery if you played the base game and have context 😅
My Non-spoilery answer
The DLC starts out by trying to find a strange thing that technically didn't exists in the base game before the DLC was released but canonically, it has always been there. Finding it involves a few of steps then when you find it, the sequence is ominous, it looks ominous, and the music is ominous and nothing looks familiar even after playing the base game.
Then the next sequence is my favorite. You check things out and find glowing things. You try to interact with anything you see then boom, you fall from a dark ominous place to a brightly-lit place and there you are disoriented on what's happening, trying to comprehend where you are and then you realize and see something cool. It's not exactly new or unique but in my opinion, it is so cool. This sequence is like a roller coaster of emotions.
Barely anything is scripted in this game so this sequence was so awesome because it was designed for players to experience it this way without actually making it a scripted event.
Going back there may seem hard because of the many steps involved but there's an existing feature in the game that you can use to go back quickly and easier. You don't even have to go through the same sequence because they designed it to be accessible in 2 ways, the first is the reveal sequence and the other one is the practical and quicker way. And if you realize how this is the case, it's actually simple and just makes sense.
My very spoiler-y answer (Only for people who already played Echoes of the Eye, which is actually ironic because they don't need to read this because they already know these LOL)
The DLC starts out by trying to find a strange eclipse-looking event in the solar system. You can only see it in a specific angle from the Sun. As you approach it, the black circle slowly engulfs the Sun then you find an ominous big ship or something. Nothing looks familiar to you and you explore inside and ends up in a dark room. You see glowing balls then you see an interactive thing. You interact with it and you suddenly falls from darkness to a brightly-lit place. At this point you are disoriented and trying to comprehend what's happening and where you are and at the same time being amazed how cool the place is. It is a mini Halo world and you're on a raft going down a river ::)
You don't have to repeat the same steps to get back there because you can just mark the location on your ship. There are also 2 entrances to this place. First one is where you first went through with the dark room. This is on the dark side since it's facing away from the Sun. Second is the one you go through when you use your ship by marking the location. This one is facing the Sun so it's brighter and the door gets you quicker inside without the fall sequence.