No Man's Sky Reviews
Play at your own risk. There are some amazing sights to see and some weird, hilarious creatures. But you’re getting a half-finished game along with it.
The moral of this story is: No man is an island—not even Sean Murray and his buggy mathematical superformula. No Man's Sky is an ironically small game, but it has a big, beating heart at its center, even when the procedural generation and the sometimes narrow-scoped world building tries to hide it.
No Man's Sky has made enormous leaps forward, and its arrival on PS5 is an opportune time to revisit this ambitious survival game. Whether you upgrade your existing game to the new version or grab it for the very first time, you'll be getting the best experience, with dozens of hours of content and a literal universe waiting to be explored. Some remaining gameplay issues mean it isn't perfect, but it has plenty to offer those who persevere.
No Man's Sky's PSVR2 upgrade fills in a significant missing piece of its existence-spanning puzzle. Hello Games has managed to make this love letter to classic sci-fi even more poignant and romantic than ever before. An already impressive game has reached a new high in player immersion with a fantastic overhaul of its VR capabilities.
On top of all that, there's good use of haptics in the controllers and the headset, and there are decent comfort settings. The default movement is teleportation and snap turning, but you can toggle smooth motion if preferred. While in some ways, the game's complexities make it potentially overwhelming to play in virtual reality, the end result is great once you get used to it. For a slight sacrifice in image quality, you're getting a deeply immersive experience which plays into that sci-fi fantasy more than ever.
No Man's Sky has no real flaws (except the star maps, really a disaster), but many limitations, but often due to his youth. It seems now clear that the objective of Sean Murray is to create another phenomenon ala Minecraft. The designer has already announced the arrival of terrestrial resources, the ability to build our own bases, even larger ships. Moreover, in a similar game structure you can add anything, including new variables, new land, new formulas to make things even more varied and surprising. No Man's Sky is not only gameplay, but there is something more, and that something is hidden in each of us.
Review in Italian | Read full review
No Man's Sky is an experience designed for a very specific audience. The gamers who enjoy exploring and admiring the universe will feel happy with the result of Next; however, for another audience it will be boring to repeat the same tasks over and over again.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
No Man's Sky is all about the pure joy of exploration. It will be a polarizing game that will prove unsatisfying for some gamers, but it offers a vibrant, Zen-like experience others will treasure.
No Man’s Sky is no doubt a magnificent feat in game development. I am left humbled by all that I have seen and intend on continuing my journey in an attempt to see as much as possible, well aware I will never see it all. Space has its hooks in me and I don’t think I’ll ever want them to relinquish their hold.
Much more than a sterile description of its discrete parts and features, No Man's Sky is an astounding artistic and technical achievement worth experiencing. The wonder of stepping onto one of seemingly infinite planets and exploring, even while navigating the title's shortcomings, is unparalleled by any other game.
I hope that we eventually get that from No Man’s Sky and I will come back and continue to try to find that experience. As it currently stands though this game stands out as being just completely average.
In Minecraft, I can invite other people to share my discoveries. In No Man’s Sky, I am utterly alone.
So No Man’s Sky isn’t flawless. It’s probably not for everyone. Then again, No Man’s Sky is exactly as described by the eccentric Sean Murray. If you’ve ever dreamed of being a cosmonaut, of starting with practically nothing and amassing a fortune, of becoming a notorious space pirate, or had any other of the countless sci-fi fantasies out there, this is probably the game for you. Now, those fantasies might not play out exactly as you’d have hoped in No Man’s Sky, but this is a game that begs those who put in the time to come back just once more and see what lies just over the horizon. If this game is right for you, you won’t be able to put the controller down.
No Man’s Sky is a good game. Sean Murray and Hello Games’ vision of creating a vast universe on a scale unseen in video games has no doubt been achieved, and will certainly provide everyone who plays it with something unique.
No Man's Sky isn't the "game to end all games" that some fans have made it out to be, but that's no cause for alarm. What Hello Games' ambitious project does offer is the chance to savor the little details in a massive universe absolutely rife with them — a messy universe, to be sure, but one that's not that different from our own in that regard.
“No Man’s Sky” is a modern marvel in game development. There has never been anything close to a game of this size or scope. But size doesn’t always translate to enjoyment. The game is about exploration and exploration alone. There’s no drama or story-driven hook to keep players wanting to turn the next page. There’s enough game here to keep players engaged for multiple lifetimes. How long they will stay with it will depend on the patience of the player. The game’s reach and beauty can only take players so far.
On the other hand, if freedom, a relaxed pace, and a galaxy made of more stars that you’ll ever be able to visit make your heart beat, No Man’s Sky will grant you virtually infinite hours adventure and joy, and fly with you where no man has gone before… Literally.
In many ways everything that led up to No Man’s Sky felt like some sort of conscription ad campaign. “See the universe! Explore the unknown!” It’s all very enticing and delivers on a lot of amazing feelings, but like most things of this nature, it’s not always all it’s cracked up to be.
No Man's Sky is about cutting your own path through a galaxy teeming with possibilities. It is a playground in which to let loose the human urge to explore and discover, supported by a deep crafting system that keeps players engaged in their journey. Improvements could be made, new features could add greater depth, but Hello Games' achievement here is nothing short of incredible.