The Protagonist is the player avatar. As with all Hearthians, they have an indeterminate (or possibly none) gender. Also as with Hearthians, they have an affinity for toasted marshmallows and Sap Wine. They are young, probably adolescent[1], and the newest cadet in the Outer Wilds Ventures ranks. Their name is never specified, and they are usually affectionately referred to as "Hatchling", or some other descriptive term.
Due to the nature of this character being decided by the player's actions and attitude, this page will describe the Protagonist based on the extrapolation of all of the choices the player can take. In other words, this is a description of the "ideal" Protagonist. Most of this information is taken from the 'Self' paradox ending, which provides the most exposition by the Protagonist themselves.
History
The game (and each loop thereafter) begins with the Protagonist waking up in front of a campfire, roused by a mysterious flash surrounding the Giant's Deep gas giant. The abruptness of their rousal depends on the manner in which they terminated the preceding loop (if they had suffocated, they will awaken gasping for air). They soon attempt to warn their fellows of the time loop and the impending doom of the supernova, to no avail.
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. [2]
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 and well-composed, if resigned, and curious of the universe around them (if only to attempt to stop it from exploding or fizzling out). They are affable and concerned for the wellbeing of their fellows. However, they eschew safety as a concept of importance[3], perhaps due to their foresight and functional immortality. While patient, they are wiliing to forego procedure if they are able (such as using the Launch Codes before formally receiving them from Hornfels). They can be braggadocious[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 are, unsurprisingly, terrified of anglerfish[5]. They can also 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, and most of their abilities come from their EVA pack and their equipment. The main conceit of the game is their unwitting pairing to the Nomai sculpture at Hornfels' Observatory. As such, they are precognitive of the imminent destruction of the solar system. When they die, their memories are sent into the past and bequeathed to them as they sleep in front of the campfire. They seem to possess a sizeable technical aptitude, able to operate devices of both Hearthian and Nomai 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).
They are able to learn how to meditate and fall into peaceful sleep, even in the face of imminent (or excruciating) demise, such as being crushed, asphyxiated, impaled, cooked, vaporised by Ghost Matter, or by the eponymous apocalypse. They cannot swim. 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 at Timber Hearth's south pole.[6] They are not shown to possess any musical talent or affinity, though it could be argued by the Ending that they are at least an adequate conductor.
Intended Ending
Armed with the knowledge that there is a warp-capable spaceship nearby and an Advanced Warp Core, they 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 civilisations and the heat death of the universe. They gather together the surviving(?) members of the Outer Wilds Ventures team (and Solanum, if they've met her), and instruct them to play music around the campfire one last time. They leap into the anomaly presented to them, and are consumed by the expanding nuclear fireball of the Big Bang.
If they had become separated from their Little Scout on the Eye (such as by launching it into the maelstrom), it is seen in the sky 14.3 billion years later.
Notes
- ↑ It thus far appears to be impossible to see the Protagonist in their entirety without their EVA gear on. Modifying the game to allow the player to toggle their EVA gear and going to the part of the Intended Ending where they briefly encounter themself reveals that, for rendering purposes, the Protagonist is headless. However, they cast a proper shadow.
- ↑ Conversation with Past Self.
- ↑ Slate: "What, you suddenly care about safety now?"
- ↑ Conversation with Past Self upon entering the ATP black hole a second consecutive time, having at some point reached the Sun Station without using its Warp Tower.
- ↑ Past Self: "Besides, an extra version of us is definitely better than if we'd created an extra anglerfish, or something." Present Self: "GEH." Past Self: "My thoughts exactly."
- ↑ Conversation with Gossan.