'No Man's Sky' review: A beautiful and immersive journey

“No Man’s Sky” is a first-person exploration-based game that is one of the year’s most eagerly-anticipated titles. Created by Hello Games, the goal of “No Man’s Sky” is to reach the center of the galaxy, which contains 18 quintillion planets. It is safe to say that the possibilities for “No Man’s Sky” are truly endless.

The game starts off panning through all the solar systems, showing you how far the trip will take to make it to the center of the galaxy. Stuck on a random planet with a broken ship, you have to make repairs and escape. The planets within the game are beautiful and mysterious – while some planets could be -58 degrees, for example, others could be packed with dangerous lifeforms. Just like the planets, the creatures are randomly generated. There are a number of alien races that you can communicate with. There's the Vy’keen, the Korvax and the Gek, each with their own language and reputation.

Exploration is a key part of “No Man's Sky”. It is how you collect resources to make fuel, parts and upgrades for the various aspects of your journey. At first this can be a little overwhelming, but eventually, you will learn what you need to keep. While exploring, you will find new planets, creatures, fauna, and solar systems. Through every new discovery, you will earn money and the option to name this new discovery for the whole world to see, if they ever find that planet. While flying throughout the universe and experiencing quiet space, exotic creatures and storms, you will sink into the ambience of the game. You slowly realize that there is literally no one around.

Customization is key on your path to the center of the universe. You can make changes to your suit, ship, and you’re all-important “multi-tool”. The multi-tool is everything for your character. It is how you defend yourself, mine resources throughout the galaxy, and alter the landscape of planets. Ships can also upgrade their firepower, shielding and carrying capacity for longer resource runs. Additionally, your suit can offer underwater breathing capabilities, increased inventory space, and longer sprints. You can try to live peacefully and only collect resources, but conflict will somehow find its way to you. In particular, you need to be careful of the vengeful sentries and dangerous space pirates.

Hello Games has created a game so unique, that you will rarely share the same experience as other gamers. The first-person shooting aspect may be a little choppy, and the visuals take some getting used to, but that won’t detract from the experience of playing the game. The stunning galaxy vistas and the audio tracks are what make “No Man’s Sky” so addictive. “No Man’s Sky” is absolutely beautiful and immersive to the point where you won’t believe how much time has passed, and yet, you will need to play more.

Verdict: 9/10