Approximately a year and a half ago, I decided to give No Man’s Sky a spin on the PS4. At the time it was a Playstation exclusive and had seen somewhat of a renaissance since release, so I was pretty excited to pick it up.
Everything was good. Fun even. But I’m not a survival/crafting kinda guy.
For the most part games that require massive amounts of mining and crafting and building, don’t engage me in the same way as something with direction and a story does.
That’s fine though, No Man’s Sky just wasn’t my bag. I wrote about it enough and spent plenty of time getting to grips with it. But I just struggle with aimless wandering and spending time without any real focus.
Something weird has happened since then, though. The back of my head has been host to some kind of space wanderlust. Between keeping-up with the news and updates, and seeing friends play on Xbox, the allure has been building over the past six months.
No Man’s Sky – All change
Does No Man’s Sky feel like a totally new game after so much time away? No.
I’m pleased, though. The familiarity, mixed-in with the massive glut of new, free content means that I had no problem starting again. Hopefully one day I can find my old planets and systems, but I’m not quite there yet.
The most important change for me, is that I went ahead and got a copy of No Man’s Sky for Xbox. Now I can play with friends! Although I haven’t yet….
The fact is, that I can. And well, that wasn’t an option until the NEXT update last year.
The introduction is significantly improved, seeing me start to build a home already. That’s something that I really like. Not being strung around different systems on a half-story. I have some purpose, but without urgency.
Urgency is the key here. With a billion things coming to a head in the real world, I use games as an escape (like loads of us, right?). This calm, solo jaunt through space is just what my head needs.
I don’t care too much for S-class ships and freighters right now. I’ve planted a flag in a little moon, which is all mine. I’m building a base, learning that element of the game, and I’m just floating around at my leisure.
Sure, No Man’s Sky has changed and improved. But if I’m honest, I think I’ve changed, too. I see and feel the benefits of just kicking back without any pressure from time to time.
Carving out my own little corner in an impressively massive game galaxy is something that helps scratch an itch I didn’t really know I had.
Noticing the difference
As it stands, I’m not sure I’m qualified enough to say how much has changed. Due to not playing a massive amount initially.
What I can do, though, is start again and see how it goes. So far, I’m both exploring and settling down at the same time. I have a home, I’m building my warp drive, and I’m re-learning.
Things seem different, I seem to be mining different materials for fuel etc than I did before. I know I need to upgrade my starship, and I’d one day like to have a land vehicle (you can get buggies now!).
No Man’s Sky puts me in a good place, with the wonderful soundtrack creating a lovely ambient soundtrack, composed of electronics, pianos and electronic guitars.
I can never “finish” this game, and I’ve made peace with it. What I can do, is just enjoy myself, take my time and explore my (so far) untouched piece of the galaxy.
Part of me wants to explore with friends, or meet strangers on distant worlds, and I will. But for now, being that solo explorer is just what I need. The antidote to high-action, high-drama and fast-paced games that I fill my time with otherwise.
Time to put that headset on and just float around for a bit.
I’ll see you in space.
