Xbox Game Passis losing a number of games next week, as part of its monthly shuffle. The popular subscription service regularly rotates its games to keep its library of content fresh, offering players a range of different titles and genres to explore. A couple of the titles leavingXbox Game Passthis month are well worth experiencing, and gamers should look to try out bothOuter WildsandGorogoabefore they both leave the service.
RELATED:The Best Games on Xbox Game Pass (December 2022)
Outer Wilds and Gorogoa Are Both Worth Playing
Released in 2019,Outer Wildshas an intriguing premise. The unnamed protagonist is tasked with exploring a Solar System that is stuck in a 22-minute time loop. At the end of each loop, the Solar System’s sun goes Supernova, ending all life. The player must quickly explore the Solar System, looking for clues as to what is causing the loop and how to break it. Any progression the player makes is carried into the next loop, such as the ability to fly a ship. After each death, which can be caused by the sun’s explosion or by other more natural means, the loop restarts.
Using a time loop as part of a video game’s narrative is a concept that is becoming increasingly popular, with more recent titles such asReturnalandDeathloopboth excelling by diving heavily into this premise.Outer Wildsuses this gameplay device perfectly, encouraging the player to explore far and wide in search of answers, and useful tools and abilities to aid in their quest. The game won several awards including Best Indie Game at the 2019 Golden Joystick Awards and proved popular among both fans and critics, following up with some DLC in 2021 titledEchoes of the Eye.
Gorogoais a lesser-known title thanOuter Wilds, and the two share little in common save for them both being published by Annapurna Interactive. Impressively developed by just one man in Jason Roberts,Gorogoais a unique puzzle gamefeaturing up to four hand-drawn images in a two-by-two grid. The player is tasked with manipulating these images, clicking on things within them, and moving them around in order to try and solve puzzles. Interestingly, the game contains no actual language, so players must figure out how to solve each puzzle purely by studying the images.
The game received almost universal praise from critics, many of whom praised its beautiful visuals and simple, stylish gameplay that rarely sees players get stuck to the point of frustration. As well as its BAFTA win, the game also picked up Best Mobile Game and the Innovation Award at theGame Developers Choice Awardsin 2017. Both of these titles, while vastly different in terms of gameplay, offer high-quality, unique experiences that shouldn’t be missed, and gamers should take the chance to play them while they still can, as Xbox Game Pass continues to rotate its offerings.
Outer WildsandGorogoaare both available to play onXbox Game Passuntil December 31.
