I’m a huge NMS fan (bordering on apologist). Given the hundreds of hours I have in it, I’m always surprised when it pulls me back in.
Like, “it’s the weekend, I’ll just log in and grab some quicksilver missions and… Oh hey, new patch – an expedition is starting… Why have I been sitting here for 7 hours…”
It’s also super chill when you want it to be. Presuming that you’re late game, the only truly rare resource left to harvest is quicksilver. So I log in, trigger some fleet expeditions, visit my colony and kill a few drones that are harassing it, harvest a few resources. Maybe I decide to try to be a completionist at one of the many many side elements of the game – like building a base for each minable resource, or collecting one of every ship part (ship hunting is fun!), or what is this egg synthesis thing (oops, there goes another weekend).
It reminds me of playing post-game pokemon sometimes. There’s no reason to still be there – you beat the game, right? But the pokedex needs filling and, oh, let’s breed this rare special move onto an unlikely critter just cause and…
If you’re able to make your own fun, rather than just following a plot, then NMS is an amazing sandbox.
I’ll add, they’re rerunning the Omega Expedition from 27th Nov - 11th Dec – this expedition is a fantastic entry point for returning players – it’s basically the fast track if you’re starting a new save.
I keep trying to get into it but it hasn’t clicked. I love the idea of free roaming in space but I find the gathering/farming aspects boring. I need to some how smash that game with Everspace 2, I feel like a game in between those could be a lot of fun.
I thought it had been for a while
I guess that includes"now" too.
Oh? Have they fixed some of the core features? Is running no longer clunky and terrible? Is learning an alien language not an obnoxious chore? Do space stations in different systems actually offer anything new or are they still identical? Can planets have more than 2 biomes now (one on land and one underwater)?
Otherwise, last I played it was not a very good game.
I started playing around 2022, so I don’t have a point of reference for some of your points. They did overhaul space stations visually, but they are mostly the same functionally system to system. I can’t remember if they made multi biome planets because frankly, I rarely land on the same planet twice. Again, they did revamp the appearances of land and water biomes to make them more interesting as well.
To me, No Man’s Sky is more about breadth and discovery rather than depth and simulation. I have come back to the game a number of times because of interesting expeditions or the addition of new mechanics like piracy or organic ships.
It’s not a game for everyone, and it doesn’t do any one thing better than any other game, but it’s a great experience if you want a solo space sandbox experience.