I’m reasonably confident that this was said before, though it bears repeatings. Hello Games’ 2016 release of No Man’s Sky is possibly the most remarkable redemption arc we’ve seen in gaming for at least 10-years. Upon the launch of Sean Murray putting the entire lower portion of his body into his mouth after statements about 18-quintillion planets and 10% of those having life, promises were broken. After all, there was also no genuine multiplayer and no actual game outside of dull chores, so it’s safe to say people weren’t happy. Understandably so, as the game was a catastrophe upon launch, not because of bugs but promises, hype, and nothing to do but get shouted at by drones for progressing even slightly.

I recently returned to No Man’s Sky after a metric ton of updates had been issued. At the time of initially writing, the latest updates were in the 3.8x range. Personally, I’m not a big fan of this retrospective naval-gazing over games several years down the line, as it isn’t entirely true of the product you are buying on disc. If you’re like me, you’ll have bought the physical edition: The edition that has the 1.0 game on the disc. When Sony (or whomever down the line) shuts down their servers, Boof! That’s it, you are stuck with the original 1.0 edition.

With that said, six years from the release of No Man’s Sky, everything the game does is emphatically improved upon. I still have issues, such as launch systems taking up 25% every time you take off your ship. That is something that can be economized eventually, but when on your original planet, it makes the use of the ship a burden rather than an aid. It’s the fun maneuverability thing, akin to Just Cause 4‘s wingsuit, 2004’s Spider-Man web swinging, or Watch Dogs: Legion‘s construction drones. Restricting the ship and keeping you on the ground a lot more (even for a short while) makes No Man’s Sky less about space exploration.

That brings me to the other issue I have with what is undoubtedly a space game: There is no space in space. Every planet in the system is about two minutes away with pulse engines. Between them there are massive asteroid fields filled with more resources in the event your pulse engines run out, and you have about a 10% chance of finding a planet that is actually dead but still has biological horrors. When I found a Black Hole, nothing was moving towards it as if there was a gravitational pull. If anything actually had proper gravitation pull in this universe, there would be no planets left.

Why do I like it better now? Remember Elite Dangerous, that hugely popular game that is actually a game over Eve Online? It is the “My First Space Adventure” version of that. You don’t need a degree to simply fly the ship, it is Plug ‘n Play: Dangerously. To some that may still be a bore, and I can’t blame them, it is at times. Even at its most exciting point in time, Elite Dangerous is a game of trucking across the universe as you constantly fall through the void that is space. No Man’s Sky is just that but after someone put the washing machine on too high. It lacks the scale of a Rodina while featuring more typical gameplay, without the fundamental need for a podcast to fill the long silence.

Nevertheless, I’m reminded of Rebel Galaxy Outlaw, which I reviewed a while back. You are space trucking with the quests you obtain from space stations, though you also learn languages from the diverse peoples of those stations instead of playing pool. That’s the second thing that puts me in the adventure mood, the idea of Star Trek‘s, “To boldly go where no one has gone before!” concept. Though every portion of the galaxy is more populated than the Pitcairn Islands, it is the frontier to explore and stumble upon that adventure.

Charting distant planets, listing the flora and fauna found there, and even excavating parts of the many worlds gives a sense of open adventure. The enjoyment comes from flinging yourself into the world and seeking out those strange new worlds, life, and civilizations. The uneventful and sedate issues of the launch may not be there in full, however, I won’t say No Man’s Sky is without moments that are outright dull. It is still a slow game, one that isn’t helped by a mystery story that I simply can’t be bothered with. Though, as I’ve said countlessly in just a few short words, it has improved.

The core gameplay loop is focused on gathering resources, however, now you have a greater sense of purpose than doing it for fun like in Minecraft. That said, missions aren’t as varied or difficult if you simply want to go the Star Trek role-play route, or in my case, Red Dwarf crossed over with a touch of the adventure from Rodenberry’s socialist utopia. There are a number of missions that will allow you to chart planets, gain your resources and currency, and progress well enough to slowly build your mining and exploration empire. In the runtime of a typically alliterative action-adventure game of the PS3-era: I’d managed to own two freighters, multiple ships, and had a couple of million units in the back pocket.

I feel I am repeating myself, though despite being slow by comparison, No Man’s Sky seems to be less akin to modern RPGs and otherwise asking you to put in the 9-5 when they release. Again, it is an improvement over the nightmare that was the launch progression and lack of enjoyable direction. Nonetheless, I’m still struggling to figure out what it is that makes me enjoy the cartoon-ish adventure as I get harassed by pirates and plod along, hoping the next corner will see me calling upon Number 1 as we make out like bandits with the newly found treasure.

I keep using the typical metaphor of puzzle pieces in reviews, but it is true: I have a collection of small pieces with what I assume to be an English cottage, I have big pieces with Thomas the Tank Engine, and I have a half-naked woman on some medium-sized pieces, but I can’t figure out how it all comes together. Side missions offer resources to build up my ship, weaponry, and other portions of No Man’s Sky‘s gameplay. The plot sits in the corner playing with its belly button while the core gameplay loop very rarely entertains on its own. So I’m not sure why I keep coming back either.

It is shallow in many regards, especially in comparison to other games of its ilk, yet No Man’s Sky somehow brings me back for more after many hours of exploring even the slightest of its crevices. The redemption of its creators and its launch is nevertheless something to be applauded. It attempts to accomplish so much with a direct concentration on resource gathering, which may harm it, particularly in my view, though I don’t hate it as a result. What No Man’s Sky lacks is something beyond busywork. While the aforementioned Rebel Galaxy Outlaw had Pool for your downtime, Hello Games’ title seems unwilling to acknowledge you’d have such a thing in a game as open-ended.

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No Man's Sky

$59.99

7

Score

7.0/10

Pros

• Going boldy, and exploring for life and civilizations.
• A great improvement upon the original release.
• Screenshot pornography.

Cons

• For a void, it is quite cluttered.
• -25% launch fuel.