I guess you could say I’m an OG NMS player. I had preordered the game, as it was one of my most hyped games back in the day. Like most people who played on release, I was a bit confused and underwhelmed upon first booting up the game; it was nothing like the pre-release footage (I know, old news at this point). Even still, I clocked in around 50 hours, as I was able to find some enjoyment in its simplicity, and could see potential in it (and perhaps I hoped to discover more depth hidden somewhere).

After those initial 50 hours, I uninstalled and didn’t touch it again until the Pathfinder update. I messed around a little, liking the improvements, but ultimately moved on again after about 10 hours. It wasn’t until the Next update that I tried again, and this is where I really started to see some of that initial potential shining through.

All of this is to say, I am just now coming back to the game all these years later. It is absolutely astonishing how much this game has evolved. I started a new save, wanting to experience the game how we all wish it had launched, and I’m loving it. HG have added SO MUCH to this game, it’s honestly a bit overwhelming. Playing NMS today vs the launch version is one hell of a trip, let me tell you. The ability to make bases ANYWHERE you want, and the massive amount of base customization now compared to Foundation…the new planet types…the fact there are now actual deep oceans, and you can even build underwater…the improved cave systems…the look & feel of space, and the improved combat depth…the vehicles and mechs…the improved land combat and sentinels…the new fauna types…the expanded crafting…there is just SO. MUCH.

I honestly don’t even know the point of this post, other than to say this game always has had a special place in my heart, and playing it in its current form is one hell of a ride. This is one of those games I’ll probably never uninstall again. I can’t even put a finger on why I love this game so much…there’s just something…special about it. It gives me a inexplicable feeling when I play it. It’s like a warm mug of coffee on a Winter’s morning.

Thanks, Hello Games. You did right by us players. I can’t wait to see where you take NMS next.

Anyway, sorry for the long-winded post, and thanks for reading!

I had just gotten back into the game back when expedition 5 was juuuuuuuust about to end, and my joy at doing the new expeditions (the first one I did since they implemented new expeditions) was cut short after only a few hours.

Even though I didn’t make much progress, I thought it was really fun. I got distracted and completely missed the sixth expedition, but I was right on time for Leviathan. I didn’t think much of the permadeath mode as they said it was going to have roguelike elements, and roguelike is one of my favourite genres (over a thousand hours in Binding of Isaac).

I died a handful of times as I’d never played on survival (or permadeath) before, but those deaths were all around the beginning, no more than an hour in. I learned that I had to play much safer if I was going to progress.

And progress I did. I got all the way to the third phase and was having a lot of fun. Until I landed on a toxic planet and realized I had no toxic protection. Dead.

Allllll the way back to the starting planet. And what progress was saved? Basically nothing. Three of the optional mission rewards, giving a handful of upgrades to ship and exosuit inventory. That’s it.

Progression on everything else, gone. All the data for the missions wiped (save for the final optional ones). Was it a glitch? Probably not. I guess I overestimated the “roguelike” elements that they made for this expedition. I would honestly say that they have no business using that term because the “progression” that is saved is nothing more than a hollow shell of the experience I had.

I had fun up until that death, but not enough to do the whole thing over again. I think I’ll just start up a new save and play like I used to, and hope the next expedition is better. Would have loved to have played the previous expeditions, too. I think it’s a little disappointing that they’re limited events.

Thanks for reading my rant, I guess. Hope everyone else had more fun than I did this go around. Cheers.