Though many will believe that it is a little late to review “NMS” after its initial first release back in 2016, maybe the only reply in my defense would be this. It is never too late to review anything. In this Review (not the first) I will give an account of my experience throughout my 639 hour Game Play – thus far – which will, without a doubt include Spoilers. Though I will keep these to a minimum and leave out the End Game details.
“Everything that Destiny & Starfield should have been… And more.”
The Little Details That Matter
Starting The Journey
Finding myself on a strange planet, I find my Life Support low (which requires me to find Sodium/Oxygen) before the discovery of my Starship reveals a lot of information, including means and methods of fixing the broken craft. The need to find Minerals and Ores (Ferrite Dust & Ferrite) helps me in my mission to enable a functional Scanner that further helps in repairing the damage caused to both the Launch Thrusters and Main Engines, adding a purpose to my situation, but lacks vital information on how I crashed or why I am here. And once I gain the ability to Scan (Ferrite Dust), I start to make Units (the galactic currency) with every Mineral, Flora and Fauna that I successfully register with the Archive Discovery Journal.
The entire purpose of Scanning is to make money that will enable Purchases on both Space Stations and Way-point Bases that are found on every planet. Nanites will be awarded too, so that I get the best of both worlds in the way of Upgrades and Materials that cannot be bought with Units. Everything Scanned successfully will be added to the Archive, which I can access at any time through my DISCOVERY JOURNAL. The ability to rename each of my findings adds further immersion of the game.
Once the ship is fixed, the story and adventure really begins. Launching my Starship and heading Off-Planet toward the Space Station allows me to test the Starship Thrusters, Pulse Drive and Hyperdrive Engines. These are without doubt the most important features of my Starship, considering the journey forward will be long but all the same bountiful. Next stop the Space Station.
Space Stations & Anomalies
The Space Station can be somewhat daunting at first, the open Landing Doors being small and not easy to navigate into if using Pulse Drive, so marking the Station and initiating auto-docking sequence is quite nifty, though needs a faster approach and hard brake once I am near enough to allow the Starship to be pulled into the Dock automatically. Once onboard, the work of a mission is given, and when this is done, I am free to explore, purchase and learn three of the languages that add to experience points. Missions are not available until later in the Story-line, though I can obtain Supplies and Navigation Schematics that enable me to find old Ancient Artifacts, Treasures, Upgrades and, eventually, additional Starships. These Schematics alone peak curiosity, as well as Wonder, with unknown finds that are Logged with fascinating facts and information of past civilizations and species.
Having up to 3 alien species aboard both the Space Station and the Anomaly: Vy’Keen, Gek and the Korvax, allow me to widen my searches of many various objects, destinations and in some of the missions very rare Discoveries. Interacting in conversation can be rewarding in more ways than one, too, so the necessity to learn words is a priority, especially when encountering new NPCs in space or on the ground. A Translator will be necessary – each word discovered is stored and can never be lost from the Data Capture that stores them in the Archive Discovery Journal.
Choosing Your Path
Having 3 Main Story-lines, so far, I can choose to find Artemis, follow the path to the Anomaly or Navigate through planets to Survey and report my findings. The choice is mine. Also, I have the choice to initiate Multiplayer or go it Solo without interactions from other Online Players.
The In-between
In between the Story-lines, there will be various mini-missions which take me across the Galaxy into uncharted territories where new opportunities arise, sometimes these lead to beneficial and lucrative discoveries, such as Rare Upgrades and Crashed Freighters that will me assist in modifying my Freighter, my Starship or Exosuit. If given a choice between any one of the three, it will be to choose wisely which is needed the most that will help me progress. Exosuit Storage is limited at first, until finding Drop Pods that open one Storage at a time. I find that I have just enough storage between Exosuit and Starship to help me gather valuable Minerals, Food and other necessities along my journey.
Incoming Signals often pop up on my Starship screen, good advice would be to answer all that are sent, as these can lead me to places rarely found or given elsewhere in the game. The random encounters with Trade Starships, too, can open a wealth of Cargo that are not found on the Space Station or Anomaly, not even in those Pirate Systems that can also offer items hard to get – some Banned Upgrades can make your Ship and Equipment better, though these are in some way Banned for a reason, as I soon discovered. I have to make special note that Banned Materials can be detected on my Starship and once detected give me two choices – Give them up or be hunted.
There is literally so much to do – to keep you busy between Missions and To-Do’s, including the relaxing ability to settle down on any ‘Ocean Planet’ to fish! Yes, I said it, fishing with the very special fishing rod and catching anything from normal small fish to squid and even octopus. To be able to just stand out on your ship (Aqua-Landing Thrusters needed) and relax until the sun goes down is very immersive, if not rather addictive, too. Be a chef, cook up Recipes that will help in various ways toward your Abilities and Survival, Refine Salt into Chlorine and Trade for big Units, while other Minerals and Ores can be refined and traded to increase your wealth to buy more ships and needed equipment. The In-Between Missions abilities that are available in this game are beyond imagination – though the limit is left to that of your own.
Minerals, Flora & Fauna
On each planet I find a lot of Minerals, there will always be more Minerals than there are Flora (plants) and Fauna (animals), each giving various prices on their worth. Fauna will always bring more Units, as the Discovery Journal seeks new lifeforms more than it does Minerals and Plants, and those Flora that are most sought after will bring more Units than Minerals.
To make money from Scanning, the objects that show ???? must be Scanned Successfully, and to show that I have, my Scanner will vocally inform me that they have been successfully uploaded to the Discovery Archive Online Database. A lot of Units can be gained just by exploring the planet’s surface and seeking out everything. Completion in finding all of the Fauna will grant an additional reward of Nanites that can be accessed in my Journal.
Beware The Angry Fauna
On most planets, the Fauna (animals) are timid, docile and friendly toward my presence. On occasion, however, I encounter Predatory Fauna (the Scanner picks these up as Red Paws) and can either be avoided or Culled – Executed – for their Mordite and Food Supplements that will aid me in more ways than one throughout the game. Food can be Processed through a Nutritional Processor (blueprints needed) that can be used in Survival Mode as Sustainable Food or used with the Fishing Equipment to catch various Fish on Water Worlds (again, Blueprint needed). Missions will be available to Track and Cull these Predatory Fauna later in the game and gain me both Units and Reputation with the local alien races. Some are easy kills (depending on your Weapons Upgrades) and some are not so easy to kill. Shooting Fauna will in probability raise other Fauna to attack you, so being careful and selective would be wise.
Gaining Reputation With The Locals
When I finally start to pick Missions, I talk to alien species or present them with an Idle found in random containers, doing this I will gain favor with that species. High standing Reputations will open up bonus rewards, such as opportunities to seek out Rarities and One of Kind Upgrades for my Starship, Weapon or Exosuit. This can also give me a lead on a lost Frigate that offers more Bounty and Units. There is also the Mercenary Guild that offers me further unique Missions and Challenges that would otherwise be unavailable to me without the Reputation Level. Although it is not essential to gain the Reputation of ALL factions, it is worth noting that the balance can never be 100% on all Species or Guilds – you can’t please everyone in NMS, unfortunately, but it is possible, even if for a little while.
Searching For Earth… Is It Out There?
Doubtful, but there’s no harm in looking, right?
The Review
The Attraction Of The Stars
For as long as I can remember, there has always been a strong fascination I have had with the stars and the universe. The very first, as I remember, was at the cinema watching a new Sci-Fi movie called The Black Hole and sensing the anxiety of the crew as it inevitably fell into a pit of blackness. This, of course, in all probability will be the demise of Earth one day, unless we are hit by another Global Killer Asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, that is. And, even though there have been other space games out there, such as the Alien franchise, Frozen Planet and umpteen other titles, I have to admit, I have never come across anything as unique as No Man’s Sky (which may further itself with the new soon to be released “Light No Fire”).
Stumbling across NMS when the frustration – anger even – at Bethesda’s bubble-popping and eventually tedious “Starfield” lost it’s edge, I asked around a few of my friends to see if they had heard of it, only to discover that not only had they heard of it, but they had also bought it on launch. With their recommendation to buy it, I did – £25 all-in – which I thought was great. From that day when I downloaded the game, I have spent only several hours playing another addictive game (for all those wondering what this other game is, it is Subnautica).
For NMS, starting from such a good position, having crashed landed and having no means of escaping the planet without first repairing the damaged ship, it was this that clinched the deal more over with the fact that at any time a new game can be started – Unfortunately, at the moment naming each save is not available, but keeping a record of the Dates, or even the hours played comes in useful. After fixing my ship, it was the sheer magnitude of the open space, planets and moons that were in between and, of course, the Space Stations that would later bring mini-missions to increase both cash (units) and Nanites to buy and exchange for other needed equipment and weapons. The mechanics of this game is fluid and easy for any new player to pick up and enjoy for years on end.
One of the very first wonders of this game was the claims that there were over a Quadrillion stars, planets and moons to explore in a vast open world, a claim that is not an exaggeration, but a fact – once you obtain your Hyperdrive Tech – upon opening the Star Map you will see a colossal mass of systems: Galaxy after Galaxy, adding some slight feeling of smallness within a multitude of star-fields, where no planet is unreachable – depending on your stock of fuel cells – or unreachable for landing upon. The traveling across the stars is one great thing that will keep any new player enthralled, captivated and eager to explore more.
Graphics and cut scenes from entering Hyperspace, either by Starship or Portal is an amazing experience that is unforgettable, to say that sound and vision lures the senses into wondering what exactly is on the other side. Black Holes, too, bring a great crescendo of vision, as entering the Event Horizon, a first for any game (I believe) heightens the excitement. As for Sound and Vision overall, the balance is unequaled, though more attention is given to the ambient music that changes to both Planet Climate and situations. When danger is near the music changes to a more dramatic tone, ebbing off when that danger is over.
HQ RATING: 9.3/10
SATISFACTION LEVEL: Intense
RECOMMENDATION RATING: 9.5/10
