It doesn't get much bigger than No Man's Sky – quite literally. Hello Games, the humble British developer behind the likes of Joe Danger, caught the imagination with its retro sci-fi romp from the minute that it was announced – but many pondered whether the slender indie studio could possibly deliver. Three years later and the ten or so person team has answered its sceptics emphatically: the firm's first PlayStation 4 game really is as enormous as promised.
But is it as entertaining as it is ambitious? After spending a handful of hours stomping the colourful terrain of the newly crowned Push Square Planet, it's a question that we can't yet answer; this is a game that's dense and purposely obtuse, and we're not afraid to admit that in these early exchanges we're not quite sure what to make of the Guildford-based studio's limitless sandbox. It's impressive, undoubtedly – but is it fun? We're honestly not sure.
The opening moments of the game certainly capture the imagination. A brief title card courses through the universe, showing the names of nearby galaxies as it passes them by. It's a brief peek at the unparalleled scale of the experience; a tease at the boundless bounties that lay before you, waiting patiently to be discovered. But as an elegant piano motif kicks in, it becomes clear that you are but a man, and you have a ship to repair.
Having only played through the opening once, we're unsure if the beginning is identical for every player, but we assume it is – obvious planetary differences aside. We started out on a vast expanse of orange land, dotted with blue and green trees. The game gives you very little information, but it quickly becomes clear that you need to gather resources to repair your ship, and after a brief sojourn in search of iron, it sends you in pursuit of rarer materials.
This guidance is useful at first, but the game is still far more obtuse than we've come to expect from more modern titles. There's no tutorial, so you're left to suss out how the crafting works, alongside all of the title's other systems and controls; we only learned that we could run after about an hour, and we lost over 30 minutes of progress due to a lack of communication regarding the release's save system. These are the kind of rough edges that you'd expect from a smaller team.
And yet the lack of handholding is sure to split opinion. From our perspective, the game could benefit from a better feedback loop, but many will enjoy organically unravelling all of the mechanics – and we daresay that communities on message boards and Wikis will revel in figuring out the foray's many nuances. We're still fumbling our way through the first few hours so we're not going to draw any firm conclusions either way, but we have felt pangs of frustration at the lack of direction so far.
That said, these same gripes can't be levelled at the presentation, which feels much more alive than we were expecting. There are none of the pre-designed spectacles that you'd expect to find in more linear games, but this title is all about the game's mathematics conjuring up something incredible: freighters flying overheard, animals lurking on the horizon, and seas so lush that you want to strip down to your underpants and dive in headfirst.
It's not the best looking game on the PS4 by any stretch, but it's got a sense of style that's unmatched. Heavy visual filters and great use of colour offer the appearance of a sci-fi novel brought to life, and the audio work is similarly staggering. Of course, you can name practically everything that you're first to discover, and it's a real novelty knowing that you're leaving your own personal mark on a universe that exists inside your PS4. Whether that will last remains to be seen.
Upon repairing our ship – and naming a sprightly deer-like creature after associate editor Robert Ramsey – we were able to blast into outer-space, and settle at a nearby space station. Here we encountered our first NPC; a suited space alien speaking a different language. It's another example of the game being intentionally obtuse – we'd need to comb the universe for language plinths in order to translate his comments. With nothing else to do on the space station, we followed up a distress beacon.
Our second planet – a moon circuiting the aforementioned Push Square Planet – looked entirely different to the first that we landed on; waters cover its surface, while its atmosphere is toxic and causes serious damage. Interacting with the stress beacon reveals a safe house that we must seemingly investigate – it's an estimated 32 minute hike. With our key resources depleted but inventory full of miscellaneous trinkets, it becomes clear that this isn't a game designed for hoarders.
But we're not sure who this game is designed for yet. No doubt some will be entertained by the variety of the treks that lay ahead, but surely there needs to be some purpose? An ambiguous opening paragraph hints at an overarching narrative, but it takes a backseat in the opening hours. Perhaps our expectations are misaligned; we're approaching a game obsessed with the concept of infinite freedom anticipating direction. But this is very much the experience that we expected – it's just too early to say whether it's one that we actually want.
No Man's Sky is a strange and beautiful beast, then – the kind of game that can be played for multiple hours without really showing its hand. In an age where more structured campaigns are frowned upon, perhaps it will capture the imagination of those who don't want to be told what to do. As we write these words, though, we can't help but wonder whether we're the only ones utterly bemused by Hello Games' opus right now.
At least, you could say, our introduction to the epic expanses of the universe has made us think.
Have you started playing No Man's Sky yet? What are your thoughts on the intergalactic adventure so far? Travel to the deep recesses of space in the comments section below.
Comments 51
Honestly the lack of hand holding is refreshing. Minecraft did the same thing. Nobody knew anything in the beginning but you talked to friends or went online to find out what others were doing. It gets people talking about the game the way gamers used to do during the NES days where you figured it out as you went. I hate being force fed every single mission or direction in agame. It's tiresome & just frankly lazy of people to not want to try & figure stuff out on their own.
I don't mind figuring out things as I go, as long as the developers meet me halfway by streamlining mechanics. From the get go, I've been as bemused as I was awed by the scope of this game. I should get it in the next few months, when my backlog is a bit smaller than it is now, and hopefully I'll like it - but as of right now I'm honestly not sure.
I don't get why everybody expects final objective from a game that's been since the start about exploring and just having your own story! I was actually really surprised when I realized you're supposed to get to the center as part of the story (from what I've seen everybody say).
Sounds intriguing, I can't wait to be left to my own devices to simply explore and learn without being constantly told what to do
Pretty boring so far to be honest. Yes the lack of a proper tutorial can be frustrating and will bother some more than others, but it's the lack of narrative, direction, and purpose that really gets to me. Outside of collecting materials so you can move on to the next area to collect more materials, there doesn't seem to be a lot to do and that just isn't engaging at all to me. Obviously I haven't played a lot and I hope it opens up more options to dig into but right now I'd rather play a game like Xenoblade Chronicles X and explore one amazing planet with tons to do, than this with billions of boring planets with barely anything in them.
As a long time fan of Elite since the first (on C64 though) on through Elite:Dangerous I'm so looking forward to this been following it since the first announcement, although I have to wait since the damned ps4 hdd died on me.
The lack of handholding is fantastic and only gives more to the exploring strange new worlds bit....as in Elite it is what you make it...and that is fantastic
Looks like too much of a commitment for me. "Limitless sandbox"!!! Eughh!!! What a turn-off!!!
I love the idea of this but I am not sure that I can dedicate the time to just flying around and exploring. I like the sense of closure of finishing a game though I understand that some people prefer something that has more legs.
I'd be interested in learning about the story elements and how you progress before a purchase.
I will let you know what I think after midnight tonight. Looks amazing.
I love the obtuseness and off-beat pacing personally, it's one of the things that first attracted me to the game. I mean, surely that's what actual space exploration is like? We've already got Mass Effect for the shoot-n-shag-em-up space adventure. Now I just want to get lost in a cave and bring back my horde of trinkets and rocks to some trader to see if I've struck gold while peering at strange creatures and enjoying a spectacular soundtrack swirling around me. It's like combing the beach as a kid but on a galactic scale. Can totally see why a lot of modern gamers would be put off by it all but I really can't wait to get stuck into this tomorrow.
@JoeBlogs I don't it's lazy, it's just that as Sammy pointed out in the article, there doesn't seem to be much of a 'feedback loop' in this game, which a lot of people find essential to enjoy a game. For pretty obvious reasons I guess! Maybe it's because I tend to space out a little but I think I can be happy just enjoying going through the motions even if there isn't a 'point' to it. If I'm out and about in the countryside I'm perfectly happy being 'aimless' for a few hours - I don't need to have a task and reward to enjoy being outside. But that's not what most people want from their games but I like having something like NMS as the absolute antithesis to modern game mechanics.
Sean Murray has described NMS as a 'very chill game' and I think that's going to be the source of most disagreements/criticisms about it.
Part of me knows I don't have time to play this at the moment, but another part of me just wants to hit that pre-order button and download it at midnight tonight so I can try it! I think the only thing stopping me is I have to be up at 5am tomorrow for work
Funny how many gamers complain about linearity but get an actual sandbix game and can't take it. The closet console gamers have is Minecraft and Beth games. All these other open world games getting released are false sandboxes.
@Neolit So what do you think?
@tabris95 This is basically what I was expecting. It's not freedom to DO anything you want, it's freedom to GO anywhere you want, with little to do once you're there. Freedom of movement is only briefly entertaining or meaningful if each location offers the same actions, even more so if there are only a few actions.
I think I'm going to get it on PC where it can hopefully be modded and be given more content. Again, varied content and physical space are different. A small room with a 1000 games, albums, films, your friends, lots of food and drink is obviously preferable to a vast empty warehouse with nothing in.
Comments section already proves what I anticipated, really: people are going to love or hate this game.
@get2sammyb
I think most "art" is divisive. Even if the game disappoints, glad it's been made
Played for around an hour last night at launch, got my wrecked (preorder!) ship repaired but started looking for materials to convert to fuel. The planet I'm on is pretty beautiful, haven't explored too far away from my ship. Combat isn't the best, probably my least favorite part so far, aiming feels clunky and just firing a constant beam isn't too satisfying. But looking around for materials and finding creatures is pretty fun Inventory management is pretty overwhelming at first and storage space is pretty minimal. But overall I think this will turn into a fairly relaxing and beautiful experience.
My game is waiting to be picked up after work (thanks Best Buy), so once 4 hits then I'll be exploring the Galaxy... I wonder what kind of planet I'll be on.
I've played for a good few hours and I'm loving it even though I still haven't left my first planet. I've discovered and named lots of varied plants and fauna, traded with aliens and upgraded some of my tools. Every now and then I'll just stop and stare at the other planet and its moon visible in the sky. Blissful and beautiful.
@Dreamcaster-X just thought the same thing about that too, tired of so many games with dots everywhere telling exactly what to do and how to do it.
and I know they commented about the lack of tutorial but when crafting items it tells you what's included.
@ApostateMage I love the naming! I'm getting pretty creative in that department lol
If anyone see's a system named Tallon Iv, WittyPixel that is I
These reviews remind me of the game my avatar pic is from, Crystalis. In the years since it is a cult classic. It had the action/rpg elements but was seriously frustrating at times with its lack of direction. I spent money calling Nintendo Power just to get past a few parts that really had no instruction at all on how to pass them. One of them involved just standing and waiting for an event to occur, sort of like Castlevania II: Simon's Quest where you have to kneel in the corner of a screen, with an object you collected, and wait for a dungeon to unlock. That was with no direction to do those things. There is a reason there is so much hand holding tutorials now. The 80's games were at times punishingly brutal in their lack of direction. While it is possible the pendulum has swung in reaction too far the other direction, Like Legen of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, I think devs are realizing this and trying to moderate. What this means for NMS? I predict a future cult classic.
I need help! So i started no man's sky today, and landed on my 4th planet. I continued to roam around taking my ship place to place, collecring resources. Now, i tried taking off. However i am out of fuel, and dont have the plutonium to repair the ship. I also dont have the materials to heal my freezing meter or life support so i cant explore for this valuable material. So, i jumped into water and killed myself, only to spawn back at my ship- with no fuel. What do i do??? Any help is greatly appreciated!!
The weight and the height are mixed up when you first scan a creature...
@Bananaman678 as far as I ve seen from videos, plutonium can be collected from flowers, which means you don t need the beam, just pick it from the plants. I hope this helps
@Bananaman678 as far as I ve seen from videos, plutonium can be collected from flowers, which means you don t need the beam, just pick it from the plants. I hope this helps
@arnoldlayne83 thanks for responding but im on a planet without flowers
Started on a toxic planet. It definitely added to the stress of the learning curve.
@Bananaman678 Press pause and go to options. You can reload a previous save there.
After playing for 4 or 5 hours I can honestly say that the game is pretty awesome!
It could use some little updates like having cities to explore, more ways to engage in combat, less repetition in tasks (having to create the same cells and replenish shields over and over gets boring)!
I don't find the planets visually repetitive but I would really like variety in the sense that: 1-enter a planet and land. 2-find a landmark that's similar to other planets. 3-collect the same resources.
The game visually is very appealing and I think it's hard to get bored in that department.
With that said I leave a tip that I saw that some people don't know! If you want to choose the galaxy near you then use the free exploration mode, you don't have to follow the quest path
@AFCC Those updates it could use sound more than little! Lol
@Neolit I did! After watching 20 minutes of the 45 minute demo PS put on their channel I pressed the pre-order button. Downloading now. Also looking likely I can't make it into London tomorrow because of the train strike, so will have to dial-in - what a damn shame!
@kyleforrester87 Just a way of saying it lol. But yeah, that's just my opinion, maybe they could slowly implement those things since we're already getting base building and such
@AFCC cities would be cool, not sure they'll ever be able to manage it though!
@kyleforrester87 If they can do Fauna randomly generated maybe they could do cities?
The game keeps me thinking "If my character is intelligent and there are other alien intelligent species, then where do they live? Only in space stations?"!
In my idea they can keep adding variety for years (like minecraft but way better)
I really want to love like this game, but I'm not sure yet. I think once I upgrade my gear a bit so I'm not forever recharging it I'll enjoy it more.
@Bananaman678 There are also, like, what do you call them — erm, like little shards or crystal clusters that have plutonium in them.
@Bananaman678 There are also, like, what do you call them — erm, like little shards or crystal clusters that have plutonium in them.
I guess people (and myself) expected a AAA open world and got something that is clearly less, and its still full price.
@get2sammyb thanks but i cant find any! This is really frustrating. It lokks like i might have to restart...
I wish it had a coordination marker for when you're on planets or moons. I came across coordinates for a downed ship but I didn't have the materials to repair it. I went to a nearby trade port to buy said materials but I can't for the life of me find that crashed spaceship again.
It was a nice looking ship too and much better than the one I have.
Oh my god, I fricking love this game...
Visually, I like the game but I'm not sure if its for me gameplay wise, though. What's great is that future DLCs for NMS will all be free. We don't see that too often nowadays.
Everybody is playing no man sky, and here I am still waiting for the game to arrive in my place. Soon...
@Neolit my standards for a full priced game are higher. No offence. Its cool if you like it. I wanted to like it. Maybe I will get it after a certain amount of updates.
@WanderingBullet exactly what I thought. It looks cool, but I will wait to see if it gets better with updates.
@AFCC hey the free exploration mode, is that after the main tutorial, and do you know if i can resume the quest line later?
@scubydo You get a choice at the beginning to follow the quest or just explore. I'm not sure what the difference is as I'm following the quest and there's nothing which is forcing me to do anything "quest like". I'm perfectly at liberty to roam and do what I want - in fact, I've had a hyper drive for a while yet, but I'm still pottering about my own system exploring. I'm sure when I do eventually hyper drive out, I'll pickup the next objective.
@scubydo I'm not 100% sure but from my experience, after I traveled to a random galaxy in free exploration, the game just picked up another path towards the center! So I assume you can go anywhere and resume from there!
And the free exploration is available since the first time you press down on D-pad to use the map! Just press R1 from there! You can also put waypoints on the galaxies..I didn't find another way to keep track of galaxies I had already visited and wanted to visit again! If someone finds please do tell me
ah, thats what the red orb does...okay thanks. I just automatically picked the first choice.
Thanks @AFCC That is what I needed to know...good to know I can do both and go back and forth. This game is going to drain hours of my gameplay. But the fact of pure exploration, really seems exciting to me.
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