GameOn: First Impression of No Man’s Sky

GameOn: First Impression of No Man’s Sky

               No Man’s Sky is finally here. All the controversy leading up to launch is over. Everyone who sent death threats to Sean Murray for delaying the game, who thought that 30 hours of gameplay wasn’t worth the money, or who thought the game was small with only 6 GB on the download. It’s now out and all of that is over. A lot of people ask” what is No Man’s Sky”? It is a survival-exploration game. No Man’s Sky was developed by 15 people. Being such a small studio with a massive game can sound discouraging, but Hello Games did a great job capturing the feel and atmosphere of the game. This game has so much to offer, and I in tend to do as much as I can in the universe of No Man’s Sky.

The first thing you notice when entering No Man’s Sky is how colourful, and large the world is. I started out alone in a random planet without food, water, and resources. The first goal was to fix the ship with a mining laser (multi-tool), which you will obtain at the beginning of the game. Now you’re able to mine resources. Everything you mine has a purpose. Using carbon will heal your life supply, fill up fuel for your ship, and repair your multi-tool. When exploring any planet, you need to watch out for the environmental dangers. A planet might be too hot; it will show the temperature on the UI at the bottom left of the screen. To keep you from dying from the heat, you need to find shelter, a cave, or a ship. You will find new technology to upgrade your ship, exosuit, or multi-tool when exploring. To find resources you need to repair a scanning device, it scans the area around you revealing nearby minerals and undiscovered creatures and plants. Before you can name a creature or plant you need to discover it first. To discover a creature or plant you need to use the Analysis Visor, this allows you to scan, name, and upload the plant or creature to the library. Most planets will have monoliths, each monolith you encounter will unlock an alien word. Once you have collected enough words you can find other lifeforms and understand their language. This game’s sense of scale is amazing. When walking around it feels like you're one person on a massive planet.

First 3 Hours of Gameplay

I entered a planet, naming it “TinhMin.” Not knowing what or where to go. I open a box and a small robot (Atlas) appeared, asking if I need its guidance or explore freely. I chose to explore. I got in my ship and realized it needed to be fixed. Roaming an unknown planet might sound adventurous and fun, but really it’s just a bad time with rewarding accomplishments. When searching for resources I need to be careful when I come across a sentinel. Sentinels are robots that patrol the planet. If I hurt the planet, like mining, killing creatures, or destroying buildings it will attract the sentinel and kill me. While scrounging around for minerals I came across a cave. This cave was amazing and beautiful. The soundtrack of ambient music creates a more immersive atmosphere. This was where the game really grabbed me. Remember the planets are randomly generated, so a lot of caves don’t give you a direct path to an exit. I got lost in many caves. It was annoying. Trying to find your way out without a map can be difficult.  When I finally found my way out of my first cave, I felt a relief of fresh air. Then I notice the landscape and the sky, it was colorful and breathtaking. Admiring the land, sky, plants, and living creatures. That is what No Man’s Sky is.

After exploring around a bit more I found my first creature. I named its species “Springler”. It was such an exciting moment, when I found something for the first time and make it more personal. I then found a small statue-looking object (monolith). I interacted with it and it showed me an alien word and another word “gone”. It was some kind of translation monolith. These monoliths are scattered throughout the planet. It is used to communicate with other lifeforms. After roaming around I finally had enough resources to fix my ship. I needed the launch thrusters and pulse engine operational again. The launch thruster needed four Carite sheet, this can be crafted out of iron. The pulse engine requires two Carite sheets, 25 Heridium, and 25 Zinc. When I got the ship running, it was time for another adventure on a new planet.

The experience of the game was breathtaking. All the sounds in the environment makes the game immersive. Every creature has a different sound. The world looks colourful and living. No Man’s Sky made me feel like I’m a small organism living in a universe so big it’s impossible to know and explore everything. When playing No Man’s Sky remember the people that created this game. Look at the sky, landscape, music, and sound. This game is great at immersing the player in the world. It is relaxing and lonely in the No Man’s Sky Universe.