Pore over the release calendar for last few years and you’ll be hard pressed to find
anything more divisive than No Man’s Sky.
This is a game whose premise was so utterly enchanting, that it could never have possibly
lived up to the hype and expectations set for it.
Fast forward two years to No Man’s Sky NEXT, the fourth major update for the game, and
the one that finally - after all this time - seems to bring it full circle with that
now infamous E3 2014 demo.
I’ve logged over 250 hours into this game.
I’ve been there right alongside it through its ups and downs — of which there have
been many! — and there is a LOT to unpack in this latest update.
So rather than trying to digest every little thing that’s happening, I’m gonna break
down what I think are the best – and worst – parts of No Man’s Sky NEXT.
Let’s start with the good.
First things first…
THE PLANETS HAVE FUCKING RINGS I really should just end this video here,
because honestly what more do I need to say?
Look at it!
It has fucking RINGS.
And CLOUDS.
GOOD CLOUDS!
Truthfully I wasn’t expecting to be as wow-ed by the visuals as I was, but as it turns out
rings are pretty much all it takes to impress me.
Take note, developers.
Prior to the NEXT update, base building was
probably the single best feature that had been introduced post-launch.
It gave players a place to call home in a nearly infinite universe of nothingness.
Not much has changed in that regard, but there are two new things worth noting.
One: instead of being tethered to a specific location, players can now build bases anywhere
they want.
And two: it now takes a LOT of resources and refining to craft even the most basic components
of your base.
So strap in your mining laser, cause you’re gonna be there for a while.
Speaking of refining, that’s a thing you
can do now!
Or rather, it’s a thing you have to do now: refining resources into other resources to
make them more potent.
It adds a weird layer of realism to a system that probably didn’t need it to begin with,
and I’m torn- because I genuinely enjoy doing it, but I also wouldn’t blame anyone
for hating it.
Just think of it as a built-in bathroom break, or one of those apps that reminds you to get
up and move every hour.
But less condescending.
In an effort to quell the mass confusion and
hysteria that happens every time they release an update, Hello Games has now seen fit to
include a guide in No Man’s Sky NEXT, cataloguing every single item in the game.
I cannot express how much this was needed.
And even though some entries in the guide are more helpuful than others, at this point - any helping hand
is better than none.
Let’s switch gears for a second and talk
about character customization.
And yes, I am lumping the new 3rd-person view in here, because looking at your character
is really all that’s good for – but come on, how could I not include this?
I mean, have you seen how adorable my character is???
I’m a nameless, genderless being with pink shoes and a spinning orb for a head.
It is all I’ve ever wanted, and it is perfect.
Lastly, multiplayer.
This is the headlining addition in No Man’s Sky NEXT, and the thing that’s most likely
to bring in new players.
I haven’t messed around too much with the multiplayer, aside from giving someone the
thumbs up and trying to take down a sentinel mech together - which is a weird bonding experience??
But according to the developers, you’ll actually be able to progress through the storyline
cooperatively, which sounds fun if you’re into that sorta thing.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t also call out a few of the smaller changes that are bound
to make your life even 1% easier: Some subtle UI improvements, like not having
to hold down a button to upload your discoveries, or being able to tag locations in your scanner,
these are things that are long overdue -
but still welcome.
Being able to breathe underwater for much longer without an Aeration Membrane - that’s
definitely welcome.
And being able to flee the scene of a space fight that you clearly aren’t cut out for.
All.
Good.
Things.
But... now it is time to talk about the bad.
First up: Sheer and utter confusion.
One of my biggest gripes with No Man’s Sky is that every time a new update is released,
everything gets renamed and it’s confusing as hell.
The NEXT update takes that to the extreme.
In addition to virtually every natural resource being re-named, entire systems have been re-tooled
– which isn’t unheard of for an update this big.
But if you look closely you’ll see that a lot of these “re-worked” systems are
are actually just re-skinned.
Upgrade Modules, for example, which you can now purchase from any space station - offer
improvements to the tech you already have installed on your exosuit, starship, and multitool.
On the surface, this seems like a win - a fun, additional little layer of customization.
But dig deeper and you’ll see that these different upgrade classes — C, B, A, and S
— are almost exactly the same as the Sigma, Tau, Theta, and Omega upgrades from before.
And yes – each one still takes up its own inventory slot.
Which leads me to my next grievance:
EVERYTHING.
TAKES.
SO.
LONG.
Mining minerals.
Scanning.
The scanning stuff is particularly annoying because it is one of the easiest ways to earn
units in the game - and for no reason at all, it now takes twice as long.
And don’t think about trying to scan a fucking bird because it’s impossible.
Or a fish.
Cause they’ll prolly just disappear halfway through.
No Man’s Sky has ALWAYS had a ton of glitches.
Which, given the game’s immense scope, is kind of understandable.
But these aren’t funny, “haha” glitches.
These are annoying glitches.
The kind that make your spaceship land underground.
Or cause the game to just crash when you try to abandon a mission that just won’t disappear
from your HUD, even when you’re not actively working on it.
This feeds into some larger performance issues
with the update, which is that no matter what system you’re playing on - it’s gonna chug.
Even on a beefed-up PC, it’ll be tough to get 60 frames per second.
And depending on what console you’re playing on, performance issues can range from mildly
annoying to downright terrible.
My OG PS4 could barely handle underwater environments, much less pulse drive and hyperdrive - which
would often just result in a black screen.
Not exactly the pleasant and calming experience I want from this game.
And there are a few other minor things I can’t seem to shake either.
Those annoying milestone cinematics?
Still as annoying as ever.
Having to now craft ammo for your boltcaster - yet another thing that takes up precious
inventory space.
And no longer being able to just transfer items to your ship when you’re far away.
Now, you need a blueprint for a Teleport Receiver.
It seems like every update, things we take for granted as being “easy” get extra
steps and layers of complexity added to them for no discernible reason.
But I also don’t think these are things that should prevent anyone from trying out
- or getting back into No Man’s Sky.
The positives truly outweigh the negatives here.
And hey - aside from 250 hours of your life, what do you really have to lose?