FIRST LOOK: No Man's Sky

  In video games, as in all media, the world in which the story takes place can make or break an entire concept. The setting and place of a game or story can add emphasis and personality to the actions made by the characters. I doubt that the film TRON: Legacy would have been as interesting if the setting was a beach in San Francisco, or if Fallout had taken place in the arctic tundra!

   Today, we’ll take a look at an upcoming game called No Man’s Sky, an ambitious indie game slated to be released by Hello Games in June of this year . This game will boast multiple worlds and planets for the player to enjoy, with the gameplay mainly focused around exploration. Let’s jump right in and see whether or not this game deserves the amount of hype it has received, and discuss how the game’s world affects the player experience. 

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   I suppose that a more fitting word would be “worlds” plural, for there are a great many to be found in this game. 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 to be exact, or roughly 18 quadrillion. Each planet is not only relatively earth-sized, but each world is fully explorable with new vistas and secrets for the player to discover. The player is an unknown being who begins life on a planet close to the outside of their galaxy, armed only with an object called the “Multitool.” This tool can mine resources and used as a light firearm in case of danger. The player is instructed to mine resources and earn enough money to purchase a ship, allowing the game’s literal galaxy open up a little further for exploration. The more the player explores, the more resources and animals can be found, and the further the player can progress. Since the planets are procedurally generated, or stored in a mathematical form that takes up less space, the game has no loading screens to hamper an otherwise seamless experience. 

With a wide variety of terrain and creatures to explore, No Man's Sky promises to be visually magnificent

   While there is no “endgame” per se, the developers have offered a goal to strive for: If the player can reach the center of the galaxy, a great surprise will be revealed. The player isn’t required to reach the center, however. In fact, the player doesn’t even have to leave their starting planet. The player is entirely in control of how they experience the seemingly infinite universe. One could be an explorer, another a pirate. Another could be a valuable space warrior or a peaceful explorer. The story is up to the player to tell. 

   Perhaps No Man’s Sky is attempting to emulate titles such as Elite: Dangerous, or games that rely on the player to construct the story of the game. Personally, for a game that has no end or beginning, I think that the lack of narrative works well for an infinite open-world style game. Other games that try to balance an open-world style and a rich story fall flat on both, since a tight focus needs to remain on the story for it to work, and a loosening of the reigns needs to take place for the player to really enjoy an open world. 

   However, there are a few quibbles that I have with No Man’s Sky. Due to the lack of a story, there may not be anything left to engage the player after the wonder of the explorable galaxy wears off. Sure, new scenery is nice, but exploration usually takes place once a player has a need to do so, e.i. an end goal. Also, there is a distinct possibility that the planets may start to see similar the more you explore. This issue was relevant when Spore was released, and with a bigger playable universe No Man’s Sky is even more susceptible to this stagnation. 

With a map the size of a literal galaxy, will No Man's Sky be the perfect exploration game, or will it be too big to handle? (Image courtesy of www.gameinformer.com)

   Nonetheless, No Man’s Sky will truly be a marvel of both artistic and mechanical merit. Sean Murray, the CEO of Hello Games, mentions that his love for science fiction storytelling was what originally inspired the game. “You’re living out your sci-fi fantasy,” he says, “And when you tell me your story of what you’ve done in the game it sounds like a legitimate science-fiction story.”

Dinosaurs and red grass? What else could possibly be out there? (Image courtesy of no-mans-sky.com)

   Will No Man’s Sky be the marvel that everyone claims it to be? Or will it be the bust of the century? Discuss below in the comments, or at our Twitter @GamerGweek!

   Written by Spence