Outer Wilds is a game that's equal parts beautiful and stressful. On one hand, Outer Wilds gives players an expansive solar system to explore, and each planet has a unique climate and atmosphere. On the other hand, the game only gives players 22 minutes to explore it all.
Outer Wilds is a time loop game, which tasks players to discover the mystery behind their loop and the universe at large. Keeping track of time is an important part of the game. Some areas and information are only available for certain periods, like parts of the collapsing planet Brittle Hollow.
It can be frustrating to miss an important window of time. Players may feel compelled to wait out a futile loop if only to make sure Outer Wilds properly saves. But the game is kinder than it looks, and Outer Wilds gives players a way to end a loop quickly, and that is through meditation.
How Outer Wilds' Meditation Works
The most obvious way to end a loop early is for the player to kill their character, and many go through the whole game only using this method. But players don't have to rely on Outer Wilds' hazards once they learn this hidden skill.
Simply put, meditation lets the player reset the loop at any point from the pause menu. It's similar to the quit option, but instead of booting the player to the main menu, it keeps them in the game.
It's a simple quality of life feature, but many don't know it exists. The option to learn it is hidden inside a dialogue tree.
How to get Meditation
Players start looping after a mysterious statue in the Timber Hearth museum opens its eyes and shines a light on the player. Others in the museum note that the statue was retrieved by fellow astronaut Gabbro, who is currently on the planet Giant's Deep.
Players can find Gabbro by using the radio and following his musical frequency on Giant's Deep's surface. Talking to him, they'll discover that Gabbro is also aware of the loop, and can get more information about where to look next.
Because he's aware of the loop, Gabbro's dialogue will update throughout the game. Three loops after initially meeting him, the player should get the dialogue prompt, "How do you stay so calm in the face of repeated impending death?"
He says that he meditates through it and is willing to teach the player. If the player says "Nah, I'm good." then the game continues normally. If the player says "Sure, why not." then the loop immediately ends, and the player wakes up with a new option in the pause menu.
Outer Wilds is available now for PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.