Reviews

No Man's Sky - PS4 Gaming Review

Posted on: 2016-09-01

The first few hours are great when you explore the first few planets but the “random” nature of the galaxy starts to show its restricted nature as you start to see the same structures and wildlife.

---

I remember when No Man’s Sky was first announced back in 2013 during the time when the PS4 and Xbox One were being announced. Sean Murry the head of Hello Games promised a universe to explore with millions of planets and solar systems which got gamers excited including me. However, the game has released and most of those promises seem to be missing such as not being able to land on asteroids and the lack of multiplayer which they promised throughout different interviews they appeared in. Let’s go into more detail about the positives and the sheer disappointment this game was to me.

No Man’s Sky begins with a flashy title screen as you fly through the galaxy seeing the names of different planets. The game then proceeds to dump you on a random planet with a crashed ship where you have to find the resources to restore it back to normal. What I like about this game is that every time you start a new game you won’t start on the same planet or solar system and this is the game’s big selling point - that nothing is the same for you or other players and it’s great for the most part.

The gameplay is a first person survival game which you have seen countless times if you’re an avid user of Steam Early Access where you gather resources so you can repair your armour, weapons and shelter: it’s not original by any means other than that it's set in space. The game has a strong start where you’re exploring the planet analysing the wildlife and finding outposts looking for blue prints for your mining tool, weapons and ship to help improve different aspects such as power and longevity. However when the gameplay sets in it becomes tiresome as the repetitive nature starts to take over and honestly starts to put me to sleep, I’m not joking I’ve never played a game that has physically sent me to sleep.

The first few hours are great when you explore the first few planets but the “random” nature of the galaxy starts to show its restricted nature as you start to see the same structures and wildlife - this is where I started to realise that this game is as wide as an ocean but as deep as a puddle. There are other characters in the world who occupy space stations and outposts on planets but they don’t really serve a purpose except sit on their backsides and spew nonsense at you with the odd trading now and again they feel very static. There is combat but the feedback is terrible because the weapons lack impact and the sound effects sound pathetic, it’s like a child is making a “pew, pew” noise.

Graphically it’s not the most visually impressive game I’ve played as it has bland and blurry textures, however it compensates that by having a bright and vibrant colour pallet which really shines on some planets with the glow of lava and radioactive materials it can be awe inspiring sometimes. The star systems look beautiful as well with different colour skies from crimson reds to violet purples. Not the best looking game but it makes up for it with a good use of colour.

No Man’s Sky ultimately falls short. It has a great start with the first few hours but it swiftly falls into an endless cycle of boredom and tedium as you do the same thing over and over again. In my opinion it’s not worth the asking price. Maybe pick it up in a sale.

3/5

---