Think of your favourite game or a game you know well. What do you think would be the hardest part to test and why?
A game that comes to my mind would be Outer Wilds, developed by Mobius Digital. This is easily one of my favourite games I’ve played to date and sees you as an alien astronaut, equipped with your trusty spaceship on a path to explore and unravel the mysteries within a strange solar system. You’re given the optional task of unravelling the clues surrounding a lost civilisation known as the ‘Nomai’ – all the while being stuck in a 22 minute time loop, within a galaxy which is constantly moving.
Testing a game as intricate as Outer Wilds would likely be an adventure on its own, and I imagine there were many challenges the development team encountered along their way. I think the toughest elements to test in the game would be the interconnected and ever changing solar system.
The non-linear nature and interconnected universe would have been a significant challenge, particularly as any actions in one place could trigger unforeseen consequences elsewhere. Ensuring that changes on one planet do not disrupt the balance on other planets must have required meticulous testing across each interconnected event.
For example: there’s a binary pair of planets in the game which is named ‘The Hourglass Twins’ as it is essentially two planets connected by a gravitational pull, which sees the terrain (sand) transfer from one planet to the other. So picture one planet getting smaller whilst the other gets bigger, but there are caves all over these planets which get uncovered or concealed depending on which one you are on. Now imagine trying to balance this and make sure players still have fun exploring!
Combining this with the core time loop mechanics, which is key to player progression, it must have been very difficult to test. Each loop provides an opportunity for players to learn, adapt, and uncover new information each and every time. Guaranteeing that all elements reset seamlessly, and players can advance with different levels of knowledge would have been quite the challenge.
And then you have the unpredictable nature of players, who always have a knack for finding new solutions or hidden items. Testing would have needed to include a wide array of player paths and actions, embracing the unexpected to ensure that player discoveries enhance, rather than detract from the overall experience.
Exploration in the game is also narrative driven and adds an extra layer of challenge to testing. This is because the core story is communicated through tangential writing within wall carvings that the player scans to decipher. It’s an entirely new way of writing which players need to understand. Testing how players interact with the text, gather clues, and piece together the story in a non-linear manner would require the developers to have a deep understanding of the intended progression while also anticipating the unique approach some players might take.
Testing Outer Wilds would have been a difficult feat due to its intricate, connected and ever-changing systems. Navigating the complex game mechanics whilst accommodating the unpredictable nature of player choices must have been a fascinating challenge for the developers to overcome, requiring a deep understanding of the game’s design and principles.