Games

No Man's Sky - Journey to the Center of the Universe

This world is so arranged that the reality in it often turns out to be very far from expectations. An excellent example of this was the game No Mans Sky, which made so much noise not only among gamers, but also among marketers who still cannot understand how this nondescript, but at the same time quite expensive indie project could gain such popularity. If only because in No Mans Sky hardly a tenth of what was promised by the developers has been implemented, and yet it is a huge commercial success.

Someone praises her to the skies, someone scolds what the world stands for and I must say, there are much more dissatisfied with the game. Which of them is right? Neither the first nor the second are right. The wisest of all were those who took the promises of the creators of No Mans Sky skeptically and did not expect too much from the game, realizing that it could take many years to realize a plan so colossal in scale.

Only the stubborn unwillingness of the developers to reveal their secrets, so that until the last moment none of the players clearly imagined what No Mans Sky was, made the latter expect something unusual from the game and, as a result, caused many disappointment when their own expectations did not match reality.

Universe No Mans Sky

No Mans Sky is a kind of space walker in which the player's task is to explore countless planets in endless outer space. The game universe contains 18 quintillion (!) planets, and each planet is unique in its characteristics. True, this uniqueness, as, indeed, everything in the game is very relative. Flora, fauna, resources, representatives of extraterrestrial civilizations, climate and landscape, although they differ from each other, at the same time have something in common, which becomes noticeable when visiting the tenth planet.

It could not be otherwise, the graphics in the game are not drawn manually, even a whole legion of designers cannot do this, but is generated randomly by software algorithms when visiting each planet. And here No Mans Sky must be given its due - the scenes look diverse, giving the impression of handmade. But the quality of the graphics could be better - if you move on the surface of the planet on a spaceship at high speed, you can see how mountains, buildings and other components of the landscape are created in the distance as if from nothing.

There is no storyline as such in No Mans Sky. There is no dynamics in it, dizzying turns, epic battles, intrigue, dangerous missions and the thrill they give. You just fly from planet to planet, explore the world around you, collect resources, sell them at space stations, and use the proceeds to upgrade the ship and character. And so again and again. Here you can't really lose or win or even die. Reasonable and unreasonable representatives of alien planets are mostly peaceful, and if pirates and other unfriendly creatures come across, then you need to show maximum passivity in order to let them kill you.

In all the actions performed, one feels the sameness. Whether it's finding and collecting resources, trading, or upgrading a ship, routine is present in everything. And also loneliness. Yes, there is no multiplayer in the game, and no matter how much you plow outer space, you will not meet a single living person, and if by some miracle you find yourself with another player in the same place and at the same time, then everything you will still not be able to see each other, although the developers promised such an opportunity.

But along with all the monotony and slowness, there are many positive aspects in No Mans Sky. The landscapes in the game are unusually bright and colorful, and there is something psychedelic about it. Animals and plants amaze with their fantasticness, sometimes bordering on the absurd. But most of all, the musical accompaniment deserves praise - and if the creators have clearly succeeded in what, it is in choosing a composer. Plus, space sim is not so aimless anymore. Reach the center of the universe, where a mysterious something awaits a space traveler - this is the main goal of the game. What should meet the hero there, the developers decided to keep silent about this, let it be a secret. At least, at least some mystery, for the sake of which it is worth continuing to exhaust yourself with the routine of interstellar exploration.

Instead of total

To complain about the primitive graphics and the lack of dynamics in the game for the author would mean to follow the instincts of the angry reviews and rather cool reviews of the crowd, but he is not going to do this. The impressions left by the game in No Mans Sky are rather ambiguous than negative, and if you feel anger, it is directed more at the creators of the sandbox themselves, who so shamelessly deceived the expectations of users.

Perhaps in the near future, the developers will implement part of what was promised in the announcements, thereby giving impetus to the development of the project, but for now, why not accept the game as it is. Poor graphics by today's standards? Let's remember at least the space sim Parkan: Chronicle of the Empire, released in 1997, don't they still play it, although almost 20 years have passed since its release? By the way, this retro toy has common features with No Mans Sky, take at least the same endless space with many worlds. So will No Mans Sky continue to be a success? We believe so, but on the condition that it continues to develop and improve. In general, time will tell.