Review: No Man’s Sky

It’s been a little under two weeks since the launch of No Man’s Sky, I’ve spent hours playing, creating, dying and rebuilding since then and since then I’ve only jumped to a handful of planets. I’ve seen planets full of life, lonely planets, scorching planets, and freezing planets. I’ve collected samples of many local plants and animals, I’ve met interesting aliens who were curious by me.

And I started my adventure crash-landed on a mysterious planet hoping to get back to the stars. I didn’t know what to expect when I left my first planet.

No Man’s Sky has had its fair share of controversy before and after it’s launch. The game has been delayed a few times, too. Hello Games has created a wildly dense exploration-survival game that spans a mind-blowing amount of planets (18 quintillions to be exact!) that each have something to offer you.

Now while there is so much to do and to see, there is actually a goal in the game; you need to reach the center of the galaxy to unlock the secrets of the game. This will take some time, however, as you need to build up your character, buy a better spaceship and make sure you’re prepared when No Man’s Sky informs you of that final jump.

The game I’ve been playing for the past few weeks is not the same game I’ve spent analyzing, reviewing gameplay videos of, or reading about. It’s a game that has its own hype and momentum work against it. No Man’s Sky is first and foremost, a survival game, you will need to collect resources to sustain your suit’s life systems, recharge your tools, ensure your ship has enough fuel to land, and enough to build more space in your inventories. This is not the game we saw through featurettes on the internet.

Combat in No Man’s Sky takes place on planets and in space. The way these play out depends on what you’re doing at that time, if you’re on a planet and spot a Sentinel who is patrolling the planet for those who mine the planet excessively of materials will be attacked and it’s up to you to take out these drones. The shooting mechanic is a bit clunky and limited. In space, you’ll run into space pirates and engage in basic dog fights, unfortunately, these systems are limited here as well.

The menu system used in No Man’s Sky is unfortunately weighed down by clunky menu’s that are counter-intuitive to use. Using these tabs to store and explore m owned contents was many times a drawback of being encumbered.

It might seem like a negative review of No Man’s Sky, it definitely is not that, I genuinely enjoy playing this game, exploring and studying planets, crafting, exploring – these are fun ways to explore such a vast universe. Scanning for treasures, speaking to local aliens, selling trinkets, I enjoy them all.

No that No Man’s sky is out in the wild, Hello Games has the freedom to create and shape how their biggest game to date will do post launch. There is room to improve existing systems and bring in better ones to provide a long lasting experience that will stay for years to come.

No Man’s Sky is not the game we expected and whether this is good or bad is left up to those who want to know the answer. There is a massive sandbox to explore and play in, there isn’t anything like it out in the wild. The ideas created for No Man’s Sky are hopefully stepping stones to a sequel that runs with the ideas set in place here. You will get lost and found, amazed by the sights of planets you explore but this will fade and you’ll want to find what lies in the center of the universe much more quickly because of it.