This is a overhyped indie game made by 15 people, being sold for AAA price. It's poorly optimized. It's shallow, empty, repetitive and boring. Their 18 quinquillion planets are just a bunch of re-color of the same assets, randomly generated with different combinations. Their representation of the universe is inaccurate, every single planet i've seen is inhabited with life and/or vegetation, there are no gas giants, no ring systems, no barren planets (EDIT: I've been told there are barren planets - i haven't encountered any) black holes are portals, and no variation of star types. But i'm not here to talk about that stuff you can easily confirm by watching some gameplay.
What i really want to talk about is how they straight out lied about it being multiplayer. The problem is not the fact that you can't see or interact and play together with other people, it's the fact that they said it was possible and it isn't. I'm perfectly fine with the game not having multiplayer, i play single-player games and i enjoy them. What i have a problem with, is they straight out lied about it being multiplayer, that is unacceptable, a game developer cannot do that and get away with it.
I am sick of these vague as f*ck tweets from Sean Murray implying something but not stating it clearly. It's just a series of shady moves they make over and over again, careful choice of words leaving multiple interpretations, misleading disinformation. They actually covered with a sticker the multiplayer icon from the PEGI score on the Limited Edition box. A few months ago the game had the Massively Multiplayer Online tag on Steam, recently they changed it to Single-Player (EDIT: Aparently these tags are added by users, if that's the case i stand corrected). After years of clearly stating that it was multiplayer, ONE DAY BEFORE the PS4 launch, they tweet that the game is not ''a multiplayer experience''.
Sean Murray specifically said on interviews you could see and interact with other players, and play together. Then on the first day it has been confirmed by two streamers that tried to meet up, they were in the same system, same planet, same spot, and couldn't see each other, for one of them it was day time, for the other one it was night time. And the kicker? Hello Games are celebrating that ‘’two players encountered each other’’. How can they be so deceitful?
Going back to the gameplay, the excitement lasts for about the first few planets, then the repetition sinks in, and you're left with a feeling of huge disappointment. You scan stuff, find some outposts, you mine materials, fill out your ship and your gear, run out of inventory space, go to the nearest space station, sell your sh*t, and then you move on the the next planet. That's basically what you do until you reach the center of the galaxy for a NG+.
If you're looking for a good exploration sandbox game, get Subnautica. A indie game with a indie game price. 92% overall positive reviews. Has survival mechanics, crafting mechanics, building mechanics. Better graphics and better optimized.
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