Outer Wilds is still my favorite piece of media
I don't really care about spoilers, at least not too often, and not too much.
I've never read a single page of ASOIAF, or watched a single episode of the show, but I know most of the plot, and have a good idea of what role each character plays in the story. I know these things because I think the world is interesting, and the wiki has enough information to satisfy my curiosity. I do the same for other books/series/films/games/manga/...
I still like good storytelling, but usually, I enjoy learning the details and intricacies of a story more than the story itself. It is as if my brain was this little plot goblin who can't get enough juicy details and does not care in which order they arrive, he will piece them together just fine and have a great time while doing it.
Yeah but, what about plot twists?
Those are great too, when done properly. A good plot twist is more than a reveal that makes you go "*gasp, no way!" (our brains love these). The best ones recontextualize the story (or parts of it), in a way that lets you see another layer of meaning you could not see before. It's as if, all of a sudden, you realize there is another whole parallel story you could not see until now. The plot goblin inside of me likes plot twists, just not enough to make him care about spoilers.

Why am I telling you all this? Because I don't want to spoil Outer Wilds.
I think everyone deserves a chance to experience this game without knowing anything about it.
I think spoilers can hurt the experience, even if you don't care about them. So, don't read this article, go play it and find out by yourself why it must not be spoiled.
I think this game is something special, and I'll try to explain to you why. Come back after you get the chance to find your answers, we'll have plenty to talk about.
Progressing through lines and spiders
When designing an adventure game, there are many different choices for how a player can progress through it.
For me, some of the most interesting design choices are the ones dealing with the relationship between how a character moves ahead in the plot, and how they move across physical space.
The simplest example is a game where you don't go anywhere. Think of something like Fruit Ninja: You stay put chopping fruits thrown your way. Games like this are usually thin on the plot side (or there's no plot at all), and progress usually comes in the form of an ever-increasing score somewhere.
There are exceptions, always.
The next category is for games like the classic Contra, where moving forward in space means moving forward in the plot. I would also include things like the first Super Mario and Super Mario 3, even with the warps and flutes you can use for skipping entire worlds. Simple one-to-one relationship between moving forward in space, and progressing forward in the game.
There are exceptions, always.

Things get more interesting when the layout of a game's map/world is not directly related to the order in which you are supposed to move through it.
In some games, the fact that two areas are adjacent does not necessarily mean that you are meant to progress in order from one to the other.
There is an entire genre of games that turn this into their core feature: Metroidvanias (Ignore for a second what a weird name this is). Progressing in a Metroidvania usually involves moving from area to area collecting specific items or powerups that let you move to new areas and biomes. Areas directly next to a starter area may not be explorable until much later, and only when you acquire the right powerup.
This relation between progression and physical space is not exclusive to Metroidvanias, many other games use their layout in creative and unexpected ways.
One of my favorite examples is the original Dark Souls. Progressing through a normal playthrough (and without using glitches or the master key) involves ringing two bells of awakening, then progressing through Sen's fortress to reach Anor Londo and acquire the Lordvessel, and then acquiring four special souls needed to confront Gwyn at the end of the game.

The most noteworthy thing in Dark Souls' map design is how areas interconnect and flow into each other. During your first playthrough, creating the map layout of the world and moving from one area to the next requires a lot of effort, but once you understand how this world is constructed a new depth of gameplay opens up.
Now you know that some things will always stay the same (You need to ring two bells to reach Anor Londo and need 4 lord souls to reach Gwyn) but the order in which you accomplish subtasks is far more flexible. Nothing is stopping you from going straight to Sif and the 4 Kings at the start of the game or from paying Queelag a visit before fighting the Belfry Gargoyles, provided you have the skill to reach them.
It was not until recently that I understood why I loved this approach so much: Knowledge about the game's world and systems changes the progress route I choose when I play it.
I know it sounds like a simple (and maybe obvious) realization, but understanding that the most important tool for progressing through the game was in my head, and not in my inventory, changed the appreciation I had for a game I already loved.
Outer Wilds is like this, from beginning to end. The only thing that matters is your understanding of how the world is constructed and connected.
With only one (maybe two) exceptions, the only thing that prevents you from progressing any further is a lack of knowledge. The progress route for the game looks more or less like this:

From the center of the figure, you can go anywhere at any time. Your end goal is on the tip of one of the rays cast from the center, which one, and how to get there is something you won't know until much later in the game.
Sometimes you will find an important piece of information at the end of one of the lines, something that will help you move closer to your goal. Sometimes, you will find a piece of information that recontextualizes the narrative you've been building for a few hours, and grant you a new understanding of this universe. Sometimes, you will be profoundly moved.
The order in which you build your spider web of a narrative is not dictated beforehand, because each person's journey is different. And this is a journey you will only be able to make once: Once you know, you know.
This form of narrative freedom enhances the exploration experience in a way I had not experienced before, or since, in any other piece of media. It's hard to put it into words, but if this sounds like something you would enjoy, I ask you to please give it a chance.
The first reason I love Outer Wilds is that the only thing that matters for progressing through the game is my knowledge and understanding of its world and systems.
Echoes of the ... past?
In the last few years, I've gained a much greater appreciation for the part of archeology that studies artifacts and early humans: Their distribution, their habits, their culture, and especially, their artifacts. Growing up I divided archeology into two categories: The cool parts (things about dinosaurs), and the boring parts (all the rest), but now I think they are all interesting in their way.
I think this change has to do with a much greater appreciation of both artifacts and records. They are valuable not only as a way of understanding what came before but also as ways of connecting with people who are not around anymore. Cave paintings, especially, are good at making me feel all sorts of emotions I have dificulty describing with words.
I now have a bunch of artifact replicas, and my walls have a few portraits of cave paintings (That also double as puzzles!), each one special in its own way. They all feel like a fragile connection with a fellow human being, an anonymous friend. I find that moving.
There is also a very nice animated version!
This link to the past can be found in many places in Outer Wilds. As you explore the solar system you will find records written on walls (and a couple of cave paintings) left behind by a species that has not been around for a very, very long time.
Their contents vary. Sometimes they will explain some important aspect of the plot, or give you an important clue to solve many of the minor mysteries spread across the solar system. These records serve a gameplay purpose, but my favorite entries are the ones that exist only for narrative purposes: You will find writings where individuals from a species that does not exist anymore talk about how they understood the universe around them, about the things that made them feel excited, about the failures that left them crestfallen, about their fears, and hopes, and dreams.

These are always delicate, moving moments, and have a lot in common with the experience I go through when I appreciate old artifacts left behind by early humans. Being able to blur that line with a fictional piece of media, in such a convincing way, is something I did not expect from a game.
The second reason I love Outer Wilds is that it made me remember why I love hearing echoes of the past, and how they help me understand my place in the universe relative to all that came before.
The part with all the spoilers
I don't want to add much more, because anything I could say here could be a spoiler, so I will try to leave things as vague as possible for anyone who has not tried the game before.
Under the innovative gameplay, the incredibly well-designed world and exploration, the moving narrative, and its core mystery, there is a solid foundation of themes that tie the whole experience together.
The best way I could probably put it is that, after completing the game, I felt more at peace with the fact that I am just visiting this world for a little while and that my days are numbered.
One day my existence will end, as will the existence of everything I know. One day, the universe too will cease to exist, and that's fine too.
There is so much beauty, that I just feel lucky to be able to experience life. It's OK it's finite, it's OK it's fragile, that just adds to its beauty.
The final reason I love Outer Wilds, is because it helps me reflect on my fragility and the finite nature of my journey in this universe. I have no loop, just one life, and that's a wonderful thing.

You may find that the answers to many of your questions can be found not as text, words, or even as whispers, but as a melody being whistled around a campfire.
Thanks for reading.