No Man's Sky Limited Edition

Finally we have a modern game that makes artful uses of material colors. This efficient use of RGB is one of the game's hooks and in small doses is excellent. Even something like a stark spaceship hanger looks look like a vision from 'Tron.' Sadly, the creativity is not sustained. Up to now, I've omitted talking about the flora and fauna up that riddle the rocky worlds, and I suppose it is because it's all scenery. These seem perfect for filling out stylish screenshots but not much else.

I'm normally flummoxed by games like 'Skyrim' due to their modular design and over frequency of kibble, but aspects like actual NPC characters, quests, enemies, locations, etc. are merely a dream here.

The game's short soundtrack feels at home here in 'No Man's Sky.' There is ambient sound as well, though it's often drowned out by the sound of a passing ship or an annoying sentinel. There are some creature cues, weapons/mining sounds, and UI. It's all quite minimal but cohesive. As with the rest of the game, it helps to be in a sci-fi mood. Without distinct places or people, (there are more distinct things to be found in 'FTL' by my view), it almost seems like the game needs a 'Metal Gear' like tape player to spruce things up. In-game audio log items may be a done-death feature, but a striking narrative would have been welcome here. As it is, I listened to 'Sphere' when not playing (a book I've read many time over the years) to help set the mood.

In short bursts, 'No Man's Sky' is amazing, but going deeper, I found only a void. There's a great framework, and an arresting visual style to go with an ease of mobility, but in a short amount of time, I despaired of finding any more interactivity or progression in the all-too-similar horizons and star systems. My search for Nada ended in a whimper.