outerwilds
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This article contains spoilers! Outer Wilds and Echoes of the Eye should be played with minimal spoilers, knowing too much will hinder the experience! Please play the game before reading any of this!


The protagonist is the Hearthian whom the player controls. Similar to most Hearthians, they seem to have an affinity for toasted marshmallows, although, they don't seem to enjoy sap wine[1]. They are adolescent, and are the newest cadet of Outer Wilds Ventures. Their name is never specified, though they are usually affectionately referred to as "Hatchling" or another descriptive term or pronoun.

Due to the nature of this character being decided by the player's actions and attitude, this page will describe them based on the extrapolation of all of the choices the player could take. In other words, this is a description of the "ideal" Protagonist. Most of this information is taken from the 'Self' ending, which provides the most exposition by the Protagonist themselves. A full transcript of this exposition is at the bottom of the article.

Appearance

Without EVA

The Protagonist, as a child, without their suit

The Protagonist, as a child, without their suit

The protagonist has four large, orange eyes, wide, notched ears, and three nailed digits on both hands. Their clothes are primitive, scruffy and roughly stitched together; their sleeves are rolled up, and they wear outdoor socks into which their legwear is tucked. Despite being mentioned as having an inauspicious academic career, they seem to be free of any injuries.

They are the only Hearthian to be seen fully[2] both in and out of their EVA suit.

With EVA

The protagonist's suit consists of a white helmet with a large, opaque gold-filmed visor, a baggy and run-down dark beige outer layer, and thick rubber gloves. They have a reinforced belt and stocky, brown boots with orange strings. Pressure seals are maintained by straps and belts, and they wear an army-green poncho around their neck and shoulders.

The suit's belt holds a small pocket-book and a reel of suture, presumably for tending to ruptures in the clothes. On the back is an RCS jetpack, a rucksack, and a bedroll, with racks for a Signalscope and Scout Launcher. Their EVA suit does not include legwear, preferring to focus on keeping the torso and head pressurised and ventilated.

Helmet telemetry

Being the primary means of ascertaining the status of the astronaut and the universe around them, the helmet is loaded with a great deal of telemetric data. It includes:

Personality

As the Protagonist is a surrogate for the player, most of their personality is derived from the choices the player makes in what they do and how (and if) they speak to others. What is definitely known is that they are possessed of great sardonicism and gallows humor. Initially anxious of their mission (and distressed of the repeated cataclysm), they cope by seeing their cyclical day as choresome, and in one scenario, they wonder morbidly what it would be like to cause a paradox.

They are generally patient, well-composed and curious of the universe around them (if only to attempt to stop it from exploding). They are affable and concerned for the wellbeing of their fellows. However, they eschew safety as a concept of importance, even before they gained functional immortality.[3]

They are willing to forego procedure if they are able (such as using the Launch Codes before formally receiving them from Hornfels), and can be boastful.[4] Their sense of organization is fastidious, able to create a detailed organigram on their ship's computer to lay out what they have learned to extrapolate what they haven't.

They highly dislike anglerfish[5] and can also easily be whipped-up into a panic; when confronted by themself, one possible exchange can involve wild flailing and hysterical screaming.

Abilities

As a Hearthian, they are ordinary. Most of their abilities come from their EVA pack and their equipment. The main advantage compared to other Hearthians is their unwitting pairing to the Nomai sculpture at Hornfels' Observatory. As such, they are precognitive of the impending destruction of the solar system. When they die, their memories are sent into the past and relayed to them as they sleep in front of the campfire.

They seem to possess a sizeable technical aptitude, able to operate devices of Hearthian, Nomai or Stranger construction. They have a great (possibly eidetic) memory, and can recall information to interrogate others or update the Ship Log on a subsequent loop if they are unable to reach it before their demise (although this is probably for the sake of gameplay convenience, or because of the interaction between the computer and the Ash Twin Project).

With Gabbro's help, they are able to learn how to meditate and fall into a peaceful sleep, even in the face of imminent demise. They cannot swim nor breathe underwater, despite their species' semi-aquatic nature. Their practical mastery of aviation is dependent on that of the player's, but is historically poor, as on their inaugural jetpack launch, they had become stuck in a crater near Timber Hearth's south pole.[6]

They are not shown to possess any musical talent or affinity, though it could be argued by the 'Eye of the Universe' ending that they are at least an adequate conductor.

History

The game (and each loop thereafter) begins on the day of the Protagonist's first solo launch, with them waking up in front of a campfire, having been roused by a mysterious flash orbiting Giant's Deep. They accidentally and unknowingly pair with the Nomai statue in the Observatory, causing them to be aware of the ongoing time loop.

They seem to have had a part in the destruction of one of Gossan's eyes, or at least have borne witness to the incident.[7]

Intended Ending

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Spoiler alert
This section contains spoilers for Outer Wilds (and possibly Echoes of the Eye)! Please play the game before reading!

Armed with the knowledge that there is a Decrepit Nomai Vessel capable of Warp Travel nearby and an Advanced Warp Core powering the Ash Twin Project, they use the Vessel to travel to the Eye of the Universe, fall into it, and emerge in a post-mortem facsimile of Hornfels' Observatory, where they learn about the demise of the Nomai and Hearthian civilizations.

They are transported to The Ancient Glade, where they watch all the galaxies simmer out similar to the heat death of the universe. Eventually, once everything goes dark, they pick up a signal of their own breath. They run into themselves but that version ends up becoming a campfire, once lit, Esker will appear shortly after their rocking chair.

They gather together quantum versions of the other Hearthian travelers (as well as Solanum and/or the Prisoner, if they've met them), and offer for them to play music around the campfire one last time. They jump into the anomaly presented to them, and are consumed by the Big Bang. The Protagonist dies, with their presence being the kickstarter for the next universe.

Dialogue

First Loop

Due to how many times the conversation branches, transcribing it could easily become an exercise in recursive futility. This dialogue tree has been constructed in such a way that significant parts of a response may be a link. Clicking it will scroll the browser to that content to continue reading.

Second paradox loop or later

Trivia

Gallery

Notes

  1. ↑ The Protagonist: The Good Stuff is less "delicious sap wine" and more "daunting digestive challenge". Porphy : An iron stomach is the mark of a true Hearthian, my friend. Our hardy hunter-gatherer lifestyle stems from trial and error. By which I mean our ancestors survived eating a lot of bad things.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Outside of projections, it is usually impossible to see the Protagonist in their entirety without their EVA suit, though an image can be acquired through modding by using free-camera (to decouple the camera from the player) and debug (to remove the EVA suit without having to be in the ship) hacks.
  3. ↑ Slate: What, you suddenly care about safety now?
  4. ↑ The protagonist: Remember landing our ship on the Sun Station?
  5. ↑ Self: Hopefully not. Besides, an extra version of us is definitely better than if we'd created an extra anglerfish or something.
  6. ↑ Gossan: Is that so? Funny, I seem to recall the first time you strapped on a jetpack, we had to come fish you out of the crater near the south pole.
  7. ↑ The protagonist: That and the whole mishap with Gossan's eye.
  8. ↑ Riebeck: It sounds like a coming-of-age ritual, like how hatchlings stay hatchlings until their stomachs are strong enough to drink sap wine. Maybe once a Nomai journeyed to the Quantum Moon, they were considered an adult?”