I’ll be honest, up until this morning, I was ready to just give up on No Man’s Sky.
To be clear, though, it isn’t because it’s not a good game, it’s just because the whole mining and crafting thing just isn’t my idea of fun. Discovering and naming systems and planets is really cool, and so is the space travel. It all works really well, but I just can’t be bothered with having to farm everything all of the time.
What changed?
I don’t really know…..
I warped to the nearest system, that I could get to, ready to stock up on materials yet again, so I could jump to my destination next time. Then, there was a distress signal, and someone telling me that I’d left them……I had no idea what was going on, but I was suddenly very intrigued.
Next I knew, I was going as quick as I could to the source of the signal. I landed on a really lush planet, and found an abandoned ship, and a damaged piece of equipment that I need to repair to get something from it.
Having passed up the opportunity to swap ships (I’m an idiot), quite early on. I decided that this was my time. Slightly perturbed at the state of the engines, and knowing the work I’d have to undertake, I just got on with it.
I still don’t have a warp drive on Beau MKII, but it’s got a new weapon, and I can repair it for more storage (expensive isn’t the word!).
What I do have though, is some momentum, a need to see this next phase through, whether that is a 20 minute jaunt between a couple of planets, or something more, it’s stopped me on my Atlas path journey, and left me wondering what else this vast universe has to offer.
Reviewing it
I think a game like this isn’t as much about how it plays and looks (it looks lovely though), as much as it is about just experiencing it in your own way.
You’re an explorer of countless planets and systems, seeing unique flora, fauna and landscapes, at every turn.
I don’t enjoy mining and crafting and worrying about storage and fuel, but I do enjoy the feeling of surviving and discovering.
No Man’s Sky is a real lone experience in my mind. Space is vast, and empty, and you have nobody there to help. You’re following signals, exploring things that have literally never been seen before, and you’re just scraping by (I am, anyway). It’s not something I’m used to, and perhaps the discomfort of playing something different, is a good thing?
I don’t know that it’s ever really possible to “complete” No Man’s Sky, and I’m not sure how long it’ll be before I give it up for a while. What I do know is that I’m happy just flying around doing my thing, and I have so much freedom, that it’s mind-boggling.
People really need to give it a chance and let go of the past, and it’s poor reception at launch. I’ve never played anything quite like it, and you know what? I like that.