Disclaimer; I haven’t played any other No Man’s Sky builds on any other platform. So yes, this was my maiden voyage with the game No Man’s Sky. I read the news back when the game was released, so I knew what I could expect and went in with zero expectations. And they were blown away by the quality of the port. Curious why? Let’s dive in.
The latest sensible thing we wrote about No Man’s Sky dates back to 2018! That was four years ago! For those needing a quick reminder about the game’s state back then, I kindly direct you to the review Sam did back in the day. For those that want to dive in as I did, I’ll do a quick summary of the game and then look at the Switch port.
Summary:
No Man’s Sky is a procedural science fiction exploration and survival game developed by English developer Hello Games out of Guildford, UK. Hello Games is best known for their Joe Danger series and brought its unique development style to No Man’s Sky. The game features planetary exploration, deep oceans, space-based battles, predators and prey, and much more across various procedurally-generated worlds. Each world has its ecosystems, rewards, and dangers, leading the player through the four core pillars of the game: Explore, Fight, Trade, and Survive.
So what do you get; well, a lot. Not something I can cover in my lifespan:
- 18 Quintillion possible planets – There are 2^64 (18.446.744.073.709.551.616) possibilities (seeds) for planets (18 quintillions in US terms, 18 trillion in UK terms), each one unique and unexplored.
- Nearly infinite play time – Having 18 quintillion planets, players would need more than 570 billion years to explore every planet if they stay for one second on each planet.
- A genuinely open universe – You can go there if you can see it. You can fly seamlessly from the surface of one planet to another, and every star in the sky is a sun you can visit.
- Exploration is seeing things that no one else has ever seen before – Every creature, geological formation, plant, and starship is unique.
- Survive on a dangerous frontier – You are alone and vulnerable and will face threats everywhere, from deep space to thick forests, barren deserts to dark oceans.
- Build for an epic journey – Collect precious materials, trade them for better spacecraft and upgrades for your suit and equipment, and prepare for your journey to the galaxy’s center.
- A shared universe – Share your discoveries with other players using a galaxy map, or join with them directly using crossplay options. Strike out for unexplored frontiers or build your strengths in a known space.
Nintendo Switch:
With the release of the Nintendo Switch version of No Man’s Sky, the game received its 155th official update, pushing it into version 4.00. Most notable is the addition of the Relaxed mode; The new relaxed preset provides an accessible, laid-back experience of No Man’s Sky. Perfect for players who want to experience all facets of gameplay, from story to survival to combat, with reduced danger and minimal grind. There are a lot more QoL updates, with many updates tweaking the game to run smoothly on the Nintendo Switch. And boy, they didn’t lie.
There are a few games on my list that I never expected to see on the Nintendo Switch; No Man’s Sky was one of them. However, fast forward a few years, and I found myself on a planet attacked by solar flares and radiation storms, almost killing me in the very few minutes I tried to find my way to the spaceship I crashed in. The tutorial of No Man’s Sky takes you through the basics and teaches you the necessary steps to survive, build, trade, and explore. Even though the text looks small in some segments when played in handheld mode, it was a great experience to travel through hyperspace on the Nintendo Switch in the palm of my hand.
Story-wise each game is different and offers different approaches, planets, and such. There is a general storyline to follow, but the main idea of No Man’s Sky is the unique exploration aspects. The Nintendo Switch offers a great outlook on the game, and even the smaller icons and plants popped out of my Switch. I can’t imagine how this looks in the OLED with even brighter colors. And yeah, I hear all you nay-sayers call me out already about starting the game on version 4.00 or not playing this on the PC or any other next-gen console. Sorry, not sorry; Nintendo got a great version of a great game.
Conclusion
I don’t want to spoil too much about the story since it’s a good one (even though I need many, many more hours to dive into the other parts). I mainly wrote this review for those on the fence about picking up the Nintendo Switch version. You can do it without risking a wrongfully bought game. It’s a great port, plays fluidly, and runs like a charm. I prefer to play this one on the big screen with my Pro Controller, but I spent a good amount of hours handheld to compare the gameplay elements. The only cons you have to keep in mind (might be added, you never know) is that the Nintendo Switch version does not currently direct multiplayer and has no large alien settlements. Luckily there is enough to keep us busy grinding through planets and scanning animals. Does anyone know if I can build an alien animal farm? Please let me know.
