No Man’s Sky: NEXT

The more things change, the more they stay the same – I think that’s the best way to describe how I feel about this latest update to No Man’s Sky. For all the graphical and gameplay overhauls introduced in this update, the core of No Man’s Sky remains the same. If you didn’t enjoy it before, you probably won’t enjoy it now.

No Man’s Sky has had quite the remarkable journey since its initial release, and it appears that for many, NEXT finally delivers the game that was promised. It’s taken two years and numerous minor and major (free) updates to get this far, so I’ve got to give the developers credit for sticking with it.

The big new feature of No Man’s Sky: NEXT is the introduction of multiplayer to the experience. But honestly, I can’t say MP was ever a selling point that particularly appealed to me, and not just because I don’t have any friends. I guess I just don’t really see the point of MP within the NMS experience.

The content, as it currently exists, just doesn’t lend itself to co-op gameplay, at least in my opinion. This may, of course, change over time as more meaningful co-op content and interactions are introduced. But in its current state, I have no interest in playing NMS with others. For me, the solo experience remains the most compelling aspect.

Another major feature of NEXT is a pretty extensive graphical overhaul. There’s been a noticeable bump in texture quality, lighting and particle effects. NMS has never looked better, and I’m pleased to report that the game is running more smoothly than ever – at least for me. NEXT also incorporates a new third person mode, complete with character customisation. I prefer to play in first person, but it’s a welcome addition.

As far as gameplay overhauls go, NEXT introduces many changes to the resources of NMS. The types of resources you can collect and now refine has been expanded, and the ‘fuel’ requirements for your ship, exosuit or multi-tool have been adjusted accordingly.

But these changes . . . I’m not so sure about. Does it make the resource harvesting more in depth? Or more needlessly convoluted? I’m currently leaning more towards the latter. Before, you only had to worry about harvesting a singular type of resource but now, it’s pretty much a requirement to refine your materials.

Refined resources – such as condensed carbon – give far more bang for your buck. On the plus side, you won’t have to harvest quite so much carbon. But on the negative side, you’ll be spending a lot of time waiting for your resources to be refined. That’s why I’m kind of torn on this new system. It just feels like another unnecessary step that slows you down. Sure, you can ignore refining materials, but you’ll burn through their raw forms so quickly that you’ll be constantly harvesting to replace them.

No Man’s Sky was always quite a slow, grind heavy experience, but now it feels even more so due to these changes. It should be noted, however, that this impression is based on the early part of the game (I began a new game for NEXT) when your inventory is quite limited and your exosuit and multi-tool are at their most basic level. I’m sure, over time, once you have an established base, upgraded tools and multiple refiners, that you won’t find the new resource system quite such a tedious chore. But in the early game? Yeah, I’ve found it a little tiresome.

Which brings us back to my opening line – the more things change, the more they stay the same. For all the changes, updates, additions, improvements and overhauls to No Man’ Sky, it’s still – at its core – the same experience it was at release. I really do enjoy it. Hell, I’ve sunk 90 hours into the game. But the problem is, I only enjoy it for a short time, before getting kind of bored and stopping. The core gameplay loop becomes monotonous and repetitive, and there’s just not enough good quality structured content to keep me coming back.

I think they’ve done enough with the sandbox elements – although, once again, I still think they need to massively expand the flora and fauna components, as repetition becomes a serious problem once you’ve visited several worlds. But as far as the survival/exploration elements go, they’ve got that shit locked down. What we really need now is an expansion to the structured systems.

They’ve done a good job of introducing new quest lines and overhauling existing ones, and they do seem to be moving in the right direction in terms of race / guild reputation systems and a selection of randomly generated – if rather basic – missions. But I still think combat – and combat encounters – need a serious overhaul to make them a more important part of the experience.

Overall, NEXT is another important step forward for No Man’s Sky, but I hope it doesn’t stop here. There’s yet more potential here they can unlock, and with more time, updates and support, I can see NMS becoming one of – if not the best – space exploration, combat and trading game on the market. As I said, the potential is here. It will mean shaping the game into an experience that perhaps wasn’t quite what the original ‘vision’ was, but NMS has potential to move beyond that vision and become something even greater.