Bethesda's upcoming space exploration game Starfield recently got a release date for November 11th, 2022. The release date and a new trailer were both shown off at Microsoft's E3 conference, and while there wasn't any gameplay footage in the trailer, the game did seem to be focused on exploration and discovery. With a little over a year until Starfield releases, fans of sci-fi games looking forward to the game's release could tide themselves over with the much-improved No Man's Sky.
The game's initial release was met with plenty of criticism due to a lot of lofty expectations based on interviews and some slightly misleading gameplay footage. Originally releasing in 2016, developers Hello Games have spent the last five years pushing forward tons of updates to the game that have made it closer to the originally expected project. Starfield seems like it's aiming to be a similar experience, so now's the perfect time to give No Man's Sky another go.
No Man Sky has a truly massive universe to explore, though any good sci-fi space simulator wouldn't be anything without things to find. With multiple, different planets, uniquely generated flora and fauna, and much more to discover, each planet feels like a brand new experience. The randomly generated animals have gotten a pretty significant overhaul with updates after the launch, with multiple different types of species and families of animals able to be generated.
The different types of planets that players can come upon have several different factors that can be randomly decided. Things like the planet's climate, weather, geography and even color palette can all be randomly decided. While players will undoubtedly encounter repeat factors, there are enough random elements to make every single planet feel unique. The best part with this is the game's pseudo-multiplayer element, where another player can visit the same exact planet and see the same exact features.
Outside of exploration, No Man's Sky is able to make the galaxy feel alive and lived in. Multiple different distinct cultures have their own languages for players to learn. Players can meet these alien cultures at different space stations around the galaxy. The more of their language players know, the more interactions they'll have with that race, and the better they can make their relationship.
Many of the game's random encounters also help, such as seeing random ships pass through planets, random pirates going after players with expensive cargo and traders landing on a planet with a player's base set up on it. While the many NPCs in the game don't really stand out in terms of characters, the small little interactions players have with them are enough to make the world feel alive. If players are in the game's multiplayer, they can even encounter other characters at random while exploring the galaxy.
Exploration is tied into No Man Sky's gameplay as well, as players will often have to travel to new planets to find specific resources. The crafting and building mechanics always give players some goal to aim for, which is great for an otherwise mostly aimless game like No Man's Sky. There's also the game's main story that acts as a tutorial and as a way to not instantly overwhelm players with the sheer amount of content in the game.
No Man's Sky is a great game to give a second try for those anticipating Starfield, especially since Hello Games have managed to turn the game around in many fans' eyes. There's over a year until Starfield releases, and if it's going to be the space-exploration game that the trailer is making it out to be, Bethesda should look to No Man's Sky as a baseline. It manages to give players a reason to explore and make exploration feel like its own reward with the kinds of creatures and planets players can find.