I think one of the best games that characterized the idea of “alone,” (or maybe “solitude”) was Red Dead Redemption, and that’s due to its grand environment. There were large areas of desert that you could explore without a single other soul in site, even animals. It was both isolating and served well as a backdrop for John Marston’s lone “hero” story.

And this is not quite the same, but I thought of “Zelda: Wind Waker” in a similar light. Yeah, it does not take place in outer space, but one thing I always felt the game was lacking were the islands. I thought exploring these uncharted islands way out in the middle of the ocean would be really fun, but pretty much none of the islands were interesting or gave any sense of mystery. Even if it’s in another setting, I kind of think of it as being similar to what you talked about in your post, about exploring isolated planets, but in this case, it’s isolated islands. Either way, that sense of isolation would have been really interesting if it was there, and when it’s not, I think it really takes away from a game’s feel, whether it’s the emptiness of space or the emptiness of the sea.