Outer Wilds is a stunning achievement in game design, solving a multitude of problems that have been the norm in mainstream open-world games for a while now. This video turned into a bit more of a diatribe against the current state of games than I originally envisioned, but hey, you could say that all of the most important games are the ones that show just how wrong everybody else has been doing things.

Footage credits:

Footage from Assassin's Creed II, Death Stranding, Metal Gear Solid V, Super Mario 64, Metroid, Super Metroid, Dark Souls Remastered was taken from the Longplay Archive on YouTube.

The below footage was taken from World of Longplays on YouTube and played by the person indicated:

Bayonetta, Breath of the Wild - Spazbo4
Pyst - Aero

Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
4:23 - Outer Wilds, Inner Workings
18:18 - The Open World Problem
30:34 - Immersive Simp
42:04 - Knowledge Check
56:00 - Something From Nothing
1:02:19 - End Times