Yep, No Man’s Sky is going to be a big ol’ time sink

Here’s ‘an average 20 minutes with the game’

Hello Games has demoed another extended slice of No Man’s Sky with IGN. If you have a tenuous grasp on what this space adventure game is about moment to moment, managing director and studio co-founder Sean Murray describes this latest playthrough as an average look at an average planet. Personally, I found it to be more substantive than the last outing.

Punching holes into a hill and uncovering an existing cave system? Yep, cool. And creature scanning, while not a new feature by any means, should be a delight. “When you scan them, you can name them,” says Murray. “Right now, today, the game is still in testing, so the profanity filter is off.”

He’s quick to point out that everyone will have a chance to leave their stamp on the galaxy because it’s 1) absurdly vast and 2) we’ll start out in different areas. “It’s actually a slightly sad but amazing thing that 99.9 percent of the planets in No Man’s Sky will probably never be visited.”

The footage delves a bit more into the alien lore and languages than I’ve seen in prior demonstrations (though, like the overarching story/goal, it’s still secretive). It also shows off building interiors, including factories and bases. The latter can serve as a revive point if you disrupt the natural flow of a planet too much and get shot down by angry sentinels. Most of the action here is on-ground, but towards the end Murray hops in a ship, takes part in a dogfight, and walks through a space station.

With that, I think I need to stop watching videos going forward. I’ve seen enough, and June 21 isn’t too far off. The first few hours of this game are going to fly by. Better get a doctor’s note lined up.