No Man's Sky for No One in ParticularI have finally reached a point of satisfaction with the game. With the current saga of Hello Games being hacked to say that No Man's Sky was a mistake, I think it's time to finally give this game a final "score".
When it comes to No Man's Sky, this was a game I expected to be a Game of the Year contender. It was my most hyped game for 2016, and when I first played it, it matched and even exceeded my expectations. For a game that was rushed by both Sony and an impatient fanbase, it was remarkably well done, even if by normal standards, it is mediocre.
With that said, take this review with a grain of salt, because I am accounting for a rushed dev cycle with a small dev team. Under normal circumstances, the game would have taken a bit longer to release, and it would have been much more polished.
Although, I won't be pulling too many punches.
Graphics - 8
I have to both give credit and take some away. This game is absolutely beautiful, the atmosphere you explore in is perfect. The purple grasses on planets under red skies, the desolate wasteland moons, the acidic rain dripping down on your face as you struggle with cold creeping onto your UI, all of it is done in a way that really hits you.
There's a major problem, however. All the creatures begin to look the same. And many of them look a little... creepy. Not in the good way, either.
In a game where you can name your discoveries, having a bunch of phallic shaped species isn't really a great move.
Sound - 7
I was torn on whether to hit low or hit high, so I'll settle for playing it safe and taking the middle route. No Man's Sky, for me, represents a grand achievement with its musical score. It does not impede in the slightest, and often, I find myself wondering, "Where is the music?"
Then I realize, wait, "Where IS the music?"
It's not that the music is non-existent, but there are too many times where it just is not prevalent enough for me. The characters all speak a different language, so there's no hope of that saving the score any more.
Addictiveness - 5
If I was judging this game on the first hour, I'd probably give it a 10. It's super exciting, fresh, and gives you hope and optimism for the future. But... then there's no more hope after that.
The game becomes a chore for most, and for those of us, like me, who can overlook goals in the name of exploration, at best, it becomes your typical relaxation game. The type a stoner might play, while, well, stoned. It's a beautiful game, and there's tons to explore, but none of it really matters, and awaiting you at the end, is nothing worth mentioning.
The game is still fun, but it just fails to get you to the levels it was at the very onset of your journey. It's still fun to discover new planets, and there is always a little joy when I discover something I wasn't expecting. But there are only so many types of planets out there. What's after I exhaust them all?
Depth - 4
Another major failing of this game is just how little there is that matters, as mentioned above. Once you explore one purple planet you've explored almost all of them, there's not much mystery in what lays behind a giant tree on one world, and what lays behind it on another. Being procedurally generated, it has to follow some rules, and once those rules have past the limit, there's just no more adventure to be had.
Once you get to the center of the universe, you'll feel as if the mystery is gone. You get to do it all over again... yay.
It's fun to explore a planet, but it just isn't great for people unless they are me.
Story - 2
I can't in good conscience score the game high here, either. Unless you choose a very specific path at the beginning, there's no story whatsoever. I chose to explore. So my playthrough had zero story to speak of. It's hardly worth exploring though (having seen what little there is).
This is a game that is about the journey rather than the destination, and requires you to make your own story to really enjoy the game. With a game like Minecraft, it works really well. But with a game like No Man's Sky, that is this barebones, it's not a good strategy.
Difficulty - 6
This isn't quite a case of "Guide Dang It" or anything, but this is one game that really would benefit from having a more accessible manual. 90% of what I know I picked up in forums across the internet. This is great for making the community and discovery so important, but it is horrible for someone like me, who just wants to play a space exploration game, alone.
Did you know you can lock yourself out of being able to complete the game, by changing your pre-order ship out, early on, for a ship without a hyper drive? Because you totally can, with no warning. Or at least, when I played. Even if they eventually patched it out (haven't seen if they had), it's terrible for that to be part of your launch. The game should never be impossible to win because of user error early on.
GRADING FOR NO MAN'S SKY
Graphics - 10% (10% of 8 is .8)
Sound - 10% (10% of 7 is .7)
Addictiveness - 35% (35% of 5 is 1.75)
Depth - 20% (20% of 4 is .8)
Story - 25% (25% of 2 is .5)
Difficulty - 0% (0% of 6 is 0)
Total - 4.45
I'm going to give a few bonus points and round up, just because I'm taking pity on a game I actually did enjoy, even if it's not for everyone.
Overall - 5
I am actually shocked I've ever given a game this low of a score. Especially a game I liked. But that's where we are, with No Man's Sky. It's a fun game, but it is not a good one.
Graphics
8 Sound
7 Addictive
5 Depth
4 Story
2 Difficulty
6
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