No Man's Sky

No Man's Sky combines two seemingly completely different genres. The game allows us both to explore the vast galaxy using a ship, as in the classic space simulators, and to discover the surface of planets, as in action adventure games with a touch of survival. The game was developed by the independent studio Hello Games, which previously became known thanks to the Joe Danger series. It is not only the most ambitious work of this team, but also an impressive example of using the possibilities of procedural generation.

Despite the fact that the discussed item was not initially received too warmly by players and reviewers, as the creators' pre-release announcements ultimately mismatched with what they put into our hands, the authors quickly rolled up their sleeves and began to expand it with various updates introducing new content. As a result, over time No Man's Sky began not only to "grow", but also to gain a larger and larger group of fans.

Plot

No Man's Sky is set in a giant galaxy made up of over eighteen trillion celestial bodies. During the game we play as an explorer whose task is to reach the centre and discover what is there. It's not easy, because we start our journey on a randomly selected planet at the edge of the star system. Of course, we are not alone in space - we can meet representatives of various races both on the planets and on board of huge stations and in space.

Although the journey to the centre of the galaxy was initially the main motive of the game, with time the developers enriched it with additional story lines introduced in subsequent updates, within which we have to complete various tasks.

Mechanics

In No Man's Sky we can observe the action from a first person perspective (FPP) or a third person perspective (TPP). The game world is fully open, which means that we can move freely both in space and on celestial bodies (on their surface or under water). We travel through interstellar space on board of various ships. In addition to technologically equipped ships, unusual animals capable of living in a vacuum, in the interiors of which we explore the cosmos (which is why they are known as "Living Ships"), are waiting to be tested. Planets and moons are explored on foot or with the help of vehicles; apart from that, we can use mech, i.e. large powered armour that protects us from extreme conditions.

Our exploration possibilities are largely limited by the equipment we have, purchased from merchants or created thanks to an extensive crafting system. The second requires resources, which with the help of the so-called multi-tool we obtain both from rocks and from encountered plants and animals characteristic for the planet or the moon. We use the resources to produce new elements of equipment and improve the ones we already have, or even to build our own base. With time we even gain the ability to construct our own fleet of frigates and send them on various missions. On the other hand, we can not only supply ourselves with new items, but also get rid of unwanted equipment and resources. It is worth remembering that they represent various parties, and if we clash with their allies, they will not be too cooperative (and, for example, will refuse to sell us the most advanced technologies). We can improve relations with particular groups by performing various missions for them.

Since hostile creatures (either representatives of intelligent races or aggressive animals) often stand in our way, the mentioned multi-tool serves us both for work and for defence or attack. However, be careful with the multi-tool, because the galaxy is patrolled by the Guardians, which are robots that guard the balance of the cosmos. If we get under their skin, they will not rest until we are dead. We also fight in space (for example with pirates), using weapons installed on board our ship.

The game can be played in one of three modes. In addition to the standard normal mode, there is a creative variant, in which we enjoy unlimited amount of resources and immortality, and a survival mode, where enemies are stronger and the amount of resources is reduced. There is also an optional permadeath mechanic, which makes us start the struggle from the beginning after death.

Game modes

No Man's Sky can be played solo or in multiplayer mode. While console players can play in an 8-player group, PC users can engage in 32-player battles. The community hub is the Space Anomaly, where we can meet up with other players at any time.

Technical aspects

No Man's Sky operates on the basis of Hello Games studio's original technology. After numerous updates, the graphic setting of this game can be liked. Thanks to the use of procedural generation, the planets are diverse, as are the organisms living on them. Also worthy of praise is the atmospheric soundtrack, behind which stands the ambient performer Paul Wier and the British post-rock band 65daysofstatic. An interesting fact is that selected elements of the audio layer are procedurally generated. Furthermore, on PC and PlayStation 4 the game makes use of virtual reality headsets.

Last updated on August 14, 2015