Captain’s Log: Preorder Ship Issues, Backstory Possibilities, and Lonely Pianos
Written by Jonathan Lee, Star Date: August 13, 2016, Somewhere in Space
Captain’s Log. Hyperspace warp successful! Entering a new system! There’s Daft-Punk-looking-aliens!
Through a blazing tunnel of light, I have made my first jump with the hyperdrive that came included with my preordered ship, and I came to realize that because of this ship, I had unwittingly flown myself into one of the early-game issues this game possesses. Firstly, I wasn’t supposed to start the game with a hyper drive-ready ship. Normally, I should have had a quest to get a hyper drive, the recipes to create the parts, the antimatter, etc. Instead, my preordered ship has just catapulted me light-years to my second star system and I’m just now getting a quest to pick up a hyper drive recipe.
So what’s the big deal? Well, you see, I don’t have a recipe for anything else involving the hyper drive. I can’t make the fuel (antimatter) for the Warp Cells that power the darn thing. And I don’t have a quest to help me get those recipes. I have to buy antimatter and that’s if I’m lucky enough to find one of those trading posts or trade robots–and then see if they sell antimatter. (Some have reported that upon a jump to a third star system I will get a quest to get the recipe for antimatter. I hope that’s the case!)
It’s 15 Hours Later…
A lot has happened since my first five hours into No Man’s Sky. Five hours since my first diary entry on this humongous game. And I’ve seen a hell lot. I’ve blasted a hell lot. And holy crap–I’ve mined and gathered a HELL OF A LOT. In fact, I’ve probably mined enough that I could’ve split that asteroid from the movie Armageddon in two.
Truth about this game is: No matter how much you mine and gather… It will never be enough.
You will always. Always. Be mining.
Yes, Bruce Willis, yes. I’ve spent probably sixty to seventy percent of my time gathering materials to construct various upgrades, and sell enough to buy what other things I can’t construct due to lack of recipes. And I’ve only just made it to my second star system.
Why did I take so darn long to get out of my first star system? Maybe I’m a little bit of a completionist. I did just catalog every animal and plant in my first star system before making that fateful jump. But I was also giddy with the joy of discovery and adventure! I wanted to see what each world offered, and learn the lore through the enigmatic ruins, plaques, and monoliths.
The Plot So Far (If There Even Is One)
In fact, thanks to those well-kept light-up blocks and spheres of basalt and granite, the backstory has become incredibly engaging, and has filled me with questions about both myself the player and the world around me. Why don’t I remember where I’m from? What if my only reason for heading to the galactic core is because it’s the only true constant in my amnesiac-state, lost in this vast, procedural generated galaxy? Are the Sentinels really the bad guys, or are they actually protecting something? Is the player character meant to be an innocent element in all this intergalactic drama? Or am I actually a mineral-sweeping, bot murdering, harbinger of galactic doom that’s only getting stronger and more unstoppable with each upgrade?
There’s a whole lot of sentinel bodies behind me, worlds stripped of much of their resources, and I’ve essentially funded the raid and destruction of at least four planets (for the cheap price of some plutonium) by satisfying the conditions of four violent lizard-hippo-space-men. In hindsight, I’m not sure how much of a good guy I feel.
Or maybe the plot is simply how you make it out to be. You have so many options in No Man’s Sky in where to go, what to do. Maybe it’s just about jumping in puddles while bathing in super-acidic rain on a barren world. Or maybe it’s just about stuffing yourself to the gills with as many monetary units as possible. Or wielding that mining laser and turning every darn pillar of Emeril into a rough sculpture of Yoshi from Super Mario! (I might have tried all three…)
I’ve been juggling that over the past 15 hours, in between the lonely walks amidst solitary piano notes that long for a chorus as much as I long for a sign of another player.
Thoughts So Far on No Man’s Sky…
It’s far from over. It’s still too early to give a verdict on this game’s quality when I haven’t seen what the “end game” is like at the Galactic Core. I’ve purposely avoided reading or seeing any spoilers so I have no idea what I’m in for. I’ve learned how to go from star system to star system. With luck, that third star system will yield the recipe for antimatter. Now it’s just a matter of time before I reach the Galactic Core!
Wait! There are some issues. I have noticed something from the seven planets I’ve visited so far. While yes, these planets are generated in a seemingly random way–there is a slight pattern I’m noticing to them. You’ll notice caves or mineral blocks are spaced out almost in a kind of order. Drop pods are not as rare as you thought. And occasionally, the game will bug the hell out and when you take off, you get launched STRAIGHT INTO SPACE! So then, you have to land back on the planet. Also, my game has crashed once on my PlayStation 4. Nothing too major.
How am I feeling about putting down $59.99 for this game? So far, I’m still feeling good about it. While I enjoy deep storytelling and riveting character development, I also love games where I can endlessly explore and do whatever. It’s a simple thing, but I love cataloging the alien life I find on each planet!
Is it for everyone? Certainly not. This is definitely for the lovers of exploration, without the guiding hand of a comprehensive narrative.
