It’s almost 2016, and with 2016 comes the most ambitious indie game—or at least the highest-profile indie game—in many years. In June 2016, No Man’s Sky is coming to PlayStation 4 and PC, and with it, the quest for space exploration, the quest for the center of the universe, will begin worldwide. And certain things are required of us, the fans and probable players, before the game comes out. First and foremost: Adjust your expectations back to reality.
No Man’s Sky Gameplay: Adjust Your Expectations
When we first saw No Man’s Sky, it blew us—us meaning everyone—away. However, it was very unclear what the actual gameplay of the space exploration game would be like. And based on the game’s apparent limitless nature, a lot of us projected some pretty crazy things onto No Man’s Sky. That it would basically be Space Minecraft, for instance. That it would bring in a totally new kind of gamer. That it would change the world. Full disclosure: Yup, I wrote all those articles. Even games journalists (especially games journalists?) are vulnerable to hype.
But the truth is, now, at the end of 2015, we know what the gameplay will be like in No Man’s Sky. It’s a survival-based exploration game with a smattering of trading, space combat and faction-based systems. It isn’t Minecraft and it isn’t an MMO or a new version of Eve Online. It never will be. For those things, we have… well… Minecraft, MMOs and Eve Online. We shouldn’t project gameplay onto No Man’s Sky that won’t be there—it’s a guaranteed recipe for having a bad time.
Instead, get excited for No Man’s Sky and its June 2016 release date for the right reasons. It’s going to be an epic game of space exploration, with near limitless potential for discovery, and the most exciting use of procedural generation we’ve seen in a long time—maybe ever. And it really might bring a different kind of person into video games, just like Minecraft did. The game is still going to be a really big deal, and still looks pretty incredible. But your job in 2016 is to take the time to actually read up on the gameplay. Know what you’re getting into, so you don’t expect features that have never even been promised.
It’s the danger of such a hyped game—such releases can fall short of expectations even when the game itself is amazing. Fallout 4 is suffering from this. It’s the most-hyped big game in years, and doesn’t always fully satisfy what gamers hoped it would do… despite fulfilling pretty much everything Bethesda promised. The game is massively successful regardless, just like No Man’s Sky will be, so don’t worry on that account. Just adjust your own expectations now—adjust them to what’s realistic, to what has actually been promised—and you’ll have a great time.
