No Man’s Sky opens up with the same level of ambition and promise that all its marketing has exuded for the past three years. The camera flies past thousands of stars, each with their own systems orbiting them. Hello Games, a small studio for the scale of the game, have been selling the idea of scale since day one. A staggering 18 quintillion planets, spread out across a shared universe just waiting to be explored. A universe that sadly is nowhere near as engrossing as you might have hoped it to be.
Drawing from an array of sci-fi novels and films and leveraging some incredibly complex (and fascinating) procedural generation algorithms, Hello Games set out to achieve the impossible. Creating a game world on this scale is unprecedented, never mind that the team creating it doesn’t break 20 employees. No Man’s Sky’s ambition is arguably what has sold the for all these years, with the promise of near infinite exploration kicking imaginative minds into overdrive. But once this paper-thin facade is peeled away, the only thing that remains is a pretty standard survival game. And not a great one at that.
No Man’s Sky is first and foremost about one gameplay loop. Using your multi-purpose gun, you’ll mine a variety of elements from planet surfaces and in orbit, quickly filling up your criminally limited inventory space (which is a pain to navigate from the get go). These elements are sorted into three classes to keep things simple, they’re the crux of what makes No Man’s Sky tick. Not only does the abundance of one or scarcity of another have a direct impact on the planet you’re exploring, elements are your means for survival For better or worse.
Every planet brings with it some form of hazard, keenly communicated through two life bars on the overcrowded HUD. The top refers to environmental effects that the planet might be imposing on you, be it radiation poisoning, freezing cold temperatures or sweltering heat. This bar changes according to what it needs to be, supplemented by an ever-present Life Systems bar below it. These both tick down constantly, requiring elements to keep them topped up and stay alive. It’s the carrot on a stick that splits in multiple directions, but taps into the primal need to simply survive.
Survival, as it turns out, is severely overrated though. Mining is the only meaningful way to obtain elements to stay alive, craft tools and complete recipes. It is also mundane and boring, requiring you to simply aim and hold a trigger until a crystal shatters, rock falls apart or carbon miraculously appears from strange looking space mushrooms. Most of your time spent attempting to explore this universe will be hindered by this too. It’s an inescapable part of No Man’s Sky’s gameplay loop, but also one of its weakest.
Crafting is also just as important to progress, as hopping between star systems requires a resource known as Warp Cells. Each one of these requires a build up of four recipes and burns immediately once you make the jump, keeping you entrenched in the loop in-between stints of exploration. This grinds the sense of discovery to a halt almost all the time. Instead of being free to explore, you’re forced to touch down frequently on planets to look at the same elements and mine them again. Coupled with the ridiculously slow moment speed, it’s almost as if No Man’s Sky doesn’t want you to explore that much at all.
Which is a shame, because it’s the strongest component of the game that breaks the monotony of its otherwise boring tasks. On ground you’re free to visit alien outpost to converse with one of four alien races. You’ll open up trade and frequently be rewarded for playing a guessing game of response, granting you new recipes, better weapons and more. You could alternatively, dedicate your time to learning their language, which happens a word at a time. Increasing your standing with a race, seeking out ancient ruins or simply chatting will open up their vocabulary to you, replacing once unknown words with slight translations here and there.
It doesn’t help that much though, as quickly becomes evident. The vague way in which questions are presented still makes responses almost impossible to predict at times, even if you’ve made it your life’s purpose to learn ancient languages. Still, seeking them out does offer up it’s own form of gratification. Learning of ancient alien histories and observing their design is fascinating, so it’s a shame that they’re given little else to do than occupy colony outposts and space station stores.
Sticking with ground exploration, you’re free to tackle the ridiculously massive masses of rock as you see fit. A handy scanner (which can be upgraded, like almost every component of your mining tool and ship), lets you know where elements are, but true explorers will have to seek out outposts with longer range scanners. These reveal one of four points of interest, non of which change from planet to planet. A shelter will always reward you with an Exosuit inventory upgrade. A Monolith will reveal alien ruins. Before long you’ll exploit these to your needs, which makes individual planets feeling ridiculous similar within no time.
Planets themselves thankfully offer up some delightful visual variety from time to time, even if all the buildings on them don’t change in the slightest. The range of colours and hues used to generate simply breath-taking views can break the monotony from time to time, even if these moment are fleeting. It is, however, common for plants to start looking oddly familiar the deeper you explore. You’ll notice slight window-dressing changes over fundamental designs that remain rigid, as the sense of explorative wonder slowly fades until nothing remains.
The same can be said for each of the planet’s ecosystems, which feature a variety of put together wildlife and plants. You’re able to scan these in for small monetary rewards (and rename the first one or two before becoming bored), and the initial few first contacts are memorable. That quickly fades when animals designs become twisted monstrosities of the algorithms that created them. Sometimes floating off the ground or chipping right through it, it takes away most of the splendour that observing these strange creatures is probably supposed to evoke. But hey, at least that red leaved tree looks pretty in the sunlight.
And when wildlife isn’t so friendly (or you find yourself at odd with the Sentinel space police), No Man’s Sky does its best to try and give you a reason you fight back. Your mining tool doubles as a gun, and you’re able to easily fend off most enemies with heavy auto-aiming and lifeless shooting. I never really felt in any real danger during my travels, only dying a handful of times to nasty space pirates who ambushed me while warping. That’s mostly down to space combat being a drag too, but thankfully the penalty for death is so light its just as easy to shrug off.
At this point it might seem like No Man’s Sky is devoid of any redeeming qualities, but the irony is that its more handcrafted elements are those that ultimately save some face. Spaceships, for example, offer up some delightful visual variety and showcase some creative designs, making me stop at every passing space station just to check out what flies in. Being able to purchase any ship you see is neat too, if not for some weird design choices that force you to replenish travel systems every time you do.
Mining tools and weapon design fall under this bracket too, with some quickly and colour designs distinguishing each one of your new procurements from the last. Since they’re hand-crafted though, the well only goes so deep – and before long you’ll run into the same designs with different paint jobs. The same is sadly true for weapon and ship mods, which quickly cease being new discoveries only after a few hours.
There are no such issues for No Man’s Sky in an auditory sense though, with both the soundtrack and sound design being two of the most solid aspects of the entire experience. The slight whoosh of your ship air-locking before travel or the eerie pings of a space station are delicately used to great effect here, and breathe life into an otherwise dead universe. The soundtrack is especially sublime though, giving your explorative meanderings a pleasant backdrop of soothing synth and riveting beats when necessary.
It’s just a same some of those elements take a back seat to what is ultimately No Man’s Sky’s biggest problem. As a game, No Man’s Sky is simply boring. After a week with it I’m struggling to find any real inclination to return, with the splendour or discovery and the excitement of surprise being washed away by repetition on a grand scale. No Man’s Sky is a technical marvel in some aspects (the game is also riddled with bugs and performance issues in other departments), but its sense of wonder is so wafer thin that you’ll need to hold on tight to that notion to draw any drops of enjoyment after only a handful of hours.
And it’s a pity, because those drops can be intoxicating. The rush of breaking into orbit for the first time, or landing on a planet that looks like some of the promotional work that the game has pushed for so many years. Those fleeting moments of wonder are where No Man’s Sky is at its best – delivering a sense of astonishment that few other games have before. But they’re padded with inescapable, poor gameplay – and it won’t take long before you considering shutting down that space ship for good.
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Last Updated: August 16, 2016
No Man's Sky | |
No Man’s Sky is sadly one of the more disappointing games of the year, mixing small moments of grand wonder with inescapable hours of tedious, boring survival gameplay. If you’re willing to fight through that, there’s a game here for you. But it’s often not worth the effort
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No Man's Sky was reviewed on PlayStation 4 | |
71 /
100
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Ottokie
August 16, 2016 at 12:34
I am pretty sure you mixed up “The Division” and “No man’s sky’s” review scores xD
Admiral Chief
August 16, 2016 at 12:38
No 4/10 dafuq?
Ottokie
August 16, 2016 at 12:39
I mainly use GIF’s to score games. The Division score is as follows
http://www.reactiongifs.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/pile_of_shit.gif
Admiral Chief
August 16, 2016 at 12:40
You like weird things, so your opinion is invalid
Ottokie
August 16, 2016 at 12:41
Stardew Valley is game of the year. CALLING IT!
Admiral Chief
August 16, 2016 at 12:46
…”he says while riding a unicorn listening to doefdoefdoefdoef music”
Ottokie
August 16, 2016 at 12:48
you forgot the gun that shoots a rainbow
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 16, 2016 at 12:51
Nyanottocat
Deceased
August 17, 2016 at 11:21
What is “doefdoefdoefdoef music”? O.o
( Like rave/dubstep music? )
Admiral Chief
August 17, 2016 at 13:35
Yes, his favourite, high tempo rave
Umar
August 16, 2016 at 12:35
Pretty much…I don’t think I can invest anymore time into it. It feels pointless. I wish they focused more on the lore
Admiral Chief
August 16, 2016 at 12:38
#HL3EP3 will have more lore
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 16, 2016 at 12:58
Aren’t you giving up a bit soon? FF XV is only coming out in Nov. *run*
RinceThis
August 16, 2016 at 13:57
Ohhhhhh!
Admiral Chief
August 16, 2016 at 12:38
A pity
Admiral Chief
August 16, 2016 at 12:39
18 quintillion planets, 4 races…
DragonSpirit009
August 16, 2016 at 12:41
It’s a pity… But I still want to play it.
Ottokie
August 16, 2016 at 12:42
If you just warp in and land on a planet to check for rare resources and then immediately warp to the next set of planets in search of fast moola…you are gonna have a bad time
Deceased
August 17, 2016 at 11:22
lol
Matthew Holliday
August 16, 2016 at 12:44
Played some this weekend at a friend, snore fest aside, flying that damned ship is a royal pain.
0/10 flying mechanics.
Aries
August 16, 2016 at 13:08
Being going on about that whole weekend, bullshit flight mechanics, theres no freedom in it for a game that has freedom of exploration as its seller
Matthew Holliday
August 16, 2016 at 15:50
No freedom if you feel like you can only fly in circles because controls are so shit.
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 16, 2016 at 12:44
WarProcedural Generation.WarProcedural Generation never changes.RinceThis
August 16, 2016 at 13:57
Stop you…
Raptor Rants
August 16, 2016 at 14:03
lol
Raptor Rants
August 16, 2016 at 13:10
Please say it isn’t so. If this game’s hype is all false I just don’t know how much longer I can be a gamer. It was the last game I hoped would be truly good 🙁 Something that could re-ignite my wonder of gaming 🙁
Aries
August 16, 2016 at 13:11
If you want a space exploration game get elite dangerous
GooseZA
August 16, 2016 at 14:21
This! Elite is awesome. Plus it has actual multiplayer!
BacchusZA
August 16, 2016 at 21:04
I love ED, coming from the ’84 original. I’ve got well over 1k hours played so far, & will be playing it for years to come. NMS on the other hand…….. the art style put me off, and the very obviously arcadey nature of the game play didn’t appeal either, so I was always hesitant to fork over the shekels for it, & decided to give it a miss until it’s on a special sometime. These reviews are just validating that decision.
That said, it looks like they’ve done some stuff really well, or at least have good ideas, and frankly Frontier would do well to have a careful look and perhaps take a few hints, especially in terms of fleshing out exploration in ED.
Ottokie
August 16, 2016 at 13:14
This is a very specific genre aimed at the minority of gamers. NMS is great fun. First game this year that I put in 14 hours in the first day in one sitting.
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 16, 2016 at 13:26
The gamers who long for the meditative relaxation of performing the same repetitive action on a factory conveyer belt? *run*
Raptor Rants
August 16, 2016 at 13:37
Ok, there is hope still. I love just aimlesly running around in games but have nothing that really allows me to do it. Tis why I was hyped for this. There is a glimmer of hope still
chimera_85
August 16, 2016 at 15:26
I can’t put it down, flaws and all.
Gunther Fenz
August 18, 2016 at 08:18
> “This is a very specific genre aimed at the minority of gamers.”
Yeah, strange people who seem to get a kick out of repetitive boring tasks.
> “NMS is great fun.”
No it isn’t. Once the novelty wears of it’s boring and repetitive.
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 16, 2016 at 13:54
The game isn’t bad. It’s set in the crafting genre for the mos part sure and the last thing I played close to this was Minecraft. I played it most of the weekend and I still feel like exploring
Raptor Rants
August 16, 2016 at 13:56
yaaaaay
Jonah Cash
August 16, 2016 at 16:58
No man, Deus Ex MD, Titanfall 2, Destiny: Rise of Iron and Fifa 17 all have me very giddy for one or more reasons. Deus Ex for the story, Titanfall for the story O_o, Rise of Iron for the gun play and story and Fifa because it is on a new engine and I want to know if my players can defend yet… Hahaha
Hope you find something that suits. 2015 was according to most the best year for gaming, I bought 3 games all year. 2016 is much more in my line!
Deceased
August 17, 2016 at 11:23
Get Overwatch
konfab
August 16, 2016 at 13:16
Congratulations, you have basically paraphrased what Hello Games said they were going to make:
http://www.no-mans-sky.com/2016/08/what-do-you-do-in-no-mans-sky/
For me, this sentence says it all:
It’s a weird game, it’s a niche game and it’s a very very chill game.
It is basically the casual game for people who hate casual games IMO
James Anderton
August 17, 2016 at 09:19
Except that’s not what they said for all the years leading up to release.
https://www.reddit.com/r/NoMansSkyTheGame/comments/4y046e/wheres_the_nms_we_were_sold_on_heres_a_big_list/
Kromas GG
August 16, 2016 at 13:25
Called it.
Admiral Chief
August 16, 2016 at 13:29
Pariah
August 16, 2016 at 13:31
I love it. Exactly what I’d hoped for. Pro tip for you lot: Do not rush. Chill. Discover. If you don’t like this rock, find another. And chill.
Raptor Rants
August 16, 2016 at 13:37
Phew. Good to hear. Tis how I want to play if I do.
konfab
August 16, 2016 at 13:42
Chill is the word that is needed for NMS.
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 16, 2016 at 13:48
Doing the same, collecting and selling, upgrading exosuit. I even bought a bigger ship that can deal with pesky space pirates
Admiral Chief
August 16, 2016 at 13:49
Avast and arrrrrrr
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 16, 2016 at 13:53
Took down five of them with my bigger ship. Best part is that it almost looks like this
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CBj5uQtgxxE/VaNXXTXk_6I/AAAAAAADxxk/NgCRGuNllUw/s1600/DSC_0208.JPG
Raptor Rants
August 16, 2016 at 13:55
BARF
Admiral Chief
August 16, 2016 at 14:05
EPIC
Pariah
August 16, 2016 at 14:05
I went into this cave on Saturday morning. Beautiful cave, lovely colours, crystals, flora. It was amazing. And I got lost. Literally and figuratively. Luckily the resources needed to charge your life support were abundant here, so I could just keep going. It was wonderful. I look forward to my next delve. 😀
Ottokie
August 16, 2016 at 14:10
If I get lost in a cave I point upwards and just grenade my way out xD
Pariah
August 16, 2016 at 14:13
hahahaha where’s the fun in that? XD
Ottokie
August 16, 2016 at 14:20
I do it while impersonating Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s pretty fun then
Admiral Chief
August 16, 2016 at 14:25
GET TO DA….ummm….SPACESHIP
Ottokie
August 16, 2016 at 14:26
WE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE!
Ottokie
August 16, 2016 at 14:27
It’s probably a good thing this is SP xD
Greylingad[He Charges!]
August 16, 2016 at 14:34
I WAS TRYING TO STEAL SOME TORTILLAS!
Ottokie
August 16, 2016 at 14:35
xD
Admiral Chief
August 16, 2016 at 14:37
HAHAHA
HvR
August 16, 2016 at 14:28
GET TO THA CHOPPA
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSEkrRZHZSlY_–KGKh1lTqtw7FmGHhwxaoA-2O2DjmuXHlRp2DF-lyLzM
Pariah
August 16, 2016 at 14:29
GET TO DA SPACE SHIP!!!!
I’LL BE BACK!
Pariah
August 16, 2016 at 14:29
Or Mr Torgue. 😀
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 16, 2016 at 14:33
That’s the problem with procedurally generated caves
Pariah
August 16, 2016 at 14:34
Problem? I loved every second of it 😀
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 16, 2016 at 15:04
XD
Greylingad[He Charges!]
August 16, 2016 at 14:39
I think one of the problems with a game such as this, is that it is so beautiful, I mean, look at the colours and the art style, with it having that aesthetic, and it being that pretty all of the time, it also saturates very quickly, don’t get me wrong, but I think you could easily be fatigued, unintentionally so, by the game…
Pariah
August 16, 2016 at 14:41
Which is why I intend to do this in between games when I need a break but still want to do something fun. 😀
Greylingad[He Charges!]
August 16, 2016 at 14:44
That’s the thing, I went into this game thinking “Oh, I’ll go looking for a story and work my way through it” which is the complete opposite of what the game actually is, it’s there to have you slowly chip away at some really spectacular scenes and just take them in, I realised this way too late, but it is the way I’ll be treating it now…
Pariah
August 16, 2016 at 14:47
At least you’re able to realise that and change perspectives, then appreciate it for what it is. 🙂 Props to you man, that’s super rare.
BringBackRucking
August 16, 2016 at 14:30
I always said you are either going to love this game or hate and it as it stands, I love it. For those who are into exploring this game is for you, for those who are into mindless action and shooting, this game is not for you. I see this game going the Drive Club root. Im hoping the devs patch us a base building tool in the near future.
Pariah
August 16, 2016 at 14:33
They are planning on adding building to the game yeah. Don’t worry. Maybe find a home planet so long? 😀
Admiral Chief
August 16, 2016 at 13:35
I still want to play it, and these crappy review scores will just help getting the price down faster
iusedtobe(a)regular
August 16, 2016 at 14:32
Its the second fastest selling game on the PS4, dont think that price is coming down any time soon.
Greylingad[He Charges!]
August 16, 2016 at 13:38
I’ve now put quite a few hours into NMS, quite a few hours where I’d hoped that the Multi-tool will turn into something exciting, instead I’m faced with holding a button down in the hopes of it not overheating while harvesting,what seems to be, some really redundant elements, only to discover that my inventory(after having upgraded it extensively) is full and there is no space in my space ship, which then makes it a massive slog to return to an outpost or a space station to sell said commodities, also taking into account that singular “Alien items” are worth way less than the commodities and take up a whole inventory slot…. Through all of this, I do not feel the relaxing effects one usually associates with meditation, rather, I feel my patience running low, like a drunk at a bar poking his olive for the millionth time and still missing…
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 16, 2016 at 13:52
I’m still exploring, also looking for aliens and ways to upgrade gear. Also trying to find enough monoliths to learn a language. I hear what you’re saying and the olive part made me laugh but this game feels like a marathon. It’s deliberately slow paced so that you can explore. Holding down the fire button is a pain but that’s where the multi tool upgrades comes in.
Greylingad[He Charges!]
August 16, 2016 at 14:33
That’s exactly it! The game feels that little bit too slow paced, even with the multi-tool from hell, I still find myself annoyed with how long things take to harvest, but I’ve been trying to discover as many of the alien “totems?” as I could, but the payoff is a little redundant, the animals and creatures are quite entertaining, especially feeding them…. It took me quite a while get the economy system of the game too, not because of a lack of trying, it’s just the tutorials are flashed in such an odd way that you feel like a speed reading contest winner when you actually catch one, also they disappear at the most awkward times, leaving me feel like “I was still reading that, thanks…”
RinceThis
August 16, 2016 at 13:56
Bit of a 180 there 0_O
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 16, 2016 at 13:59
No, it’s not on the Xbone.
RinceThis
August 16, 2016 at 13:59
I am sure they are devastated!
chimera_85
August 16, 2016 at 15:25
We are all entitled to our opinion, even when it’s wrong ;-). Seriously though, it’s like all the reviewers are making out as if this game is made by EA or something even although they always mention the small team that made it. What I’m getting at is this: the game imo is everything they said it would be (minus the MP part) but even that in itself is debatable and what it is for who made it is incredible imo and games like this can only get better in time.
As much as I love the game I don’t think it’s full AAA price is justifiable but it shouldn’t be 100 bucks either :-).
Werner Ackermann
August 16, 2016 at 19:41
If they sold it at half the price I might have found it justified, but unless they improve it a LOT with post-release updates funded by all that money they made, there’s no way I’m buying it.
James Anderton
August 17, 2016 at 09:21
“the game imo is everything they said it would be”
Yeah, hate to break it to you, but it really isn’t.
https://www.reddit.com/r/NoMansSkyTheGame/comments/4y046e/wheres_the_nms_we_were_sold_on_heres_a_big_list/
chimera_85
August 17, 2016 at 09:34
In hindsight yes wrong choice of words????. It’s everything I could’ve hoped for????.
I think they were too ambitious for such a small team hey and will probably add onto the game as we go along.
Kensei Seraph - Terran Ghost
August 16, 2016 at 16:20
This is exactly what I feared.
Jonah Cash
August 16, 2016 at 16:53
Eina!!
fred
August 17, 2016 at 09:19
I’ll jump in when it is R99
Dane
August 17, 2016 at 15:06
I’m still trying to cheer my best mate up after friday night NMS, his very first pre-order.