When I hear about a new game, I usually read the first sentence or two on Wikipedia. I rule out games described as certain genres or types, like soulslike or online-only multiplayer games. Then, I check reviews on a site like Metacritic. If the critic or user reviews (doesn’t need to be both) are good enough, I add it to a list to play.
I also do this with movies and tv. Obviously, with sequels/series I know a little bit more about the games/movies/shows but I still go in as blind as possible.
It’s always nice when this happens. Like I was recommended Outer Wilds, and didn’t even look at the screenshots before starting it. I was actually pretty disappointed at first tbh, but then it started to grow on me, and grow on me, and grow, and then >!it was just a constant rollercoaster of wonder and discovery and mystery!< as I discovered more and more about the lore and mechanics
Well, it seems I am putting Outer Worlds on my list now.
Be aware that the Outer Wilds and Outer Worlds are different games