One of my most popular Tweets (could not find it, so adding a Reddit repost). Here’s a screenshot from the very first version that shipped on PS4 (the original disc)—PC players had the 1.03 day-one patch preinstalled.
Despite the criticism (and let’s be honest – it was more like a beta release than a ready-to-ship product up until probably version 1.2), this is one of my favourite NMS versions. It is quite enjoyable to play – once you figure out when it might crash 😉 and save at strategic moments. The additional difficulty is that you cannot save whenever you want while on foot; you need to find a save beacon, which is always located near buildings. So if you’re up for a long hike, you’d better have enough time to get to the save point!
The game progression is much more streamlined, as they’ve nerfed many aspects in later releases. Here are my key favorite features:
- Ships are easy to obtain and relatively cheap; not much grinding is required, and the same goes for multitools.
- You always find a better ship and multitool than you currently have (with more slots).
- You can discover very cool crashed ships, and it actually makes sense to acquire them (unlike in later versions).
- You need to look for beacons to discover planetary settlements; you can’t build them, which I think is a good feature.
- You must seek out save points when on foot, which is also a cool feature.
- A few things can only be found through exploration, such as ruins and some rare resources, making the experience more rewarding.
- Terrain generation is wild! Some planets are a bit hard to traverse but very interesting indeed. Plus, your jetpack doesn’t run out quickly and is relatively easy to upgrade so it is no biggie (as you can climb straight up using jetpack).
- Backpack slots are very affordable (or even free; I can’t remember), and the number of items in the game is much lower, so it’s less likely to fill up your inventory.
- You only have two inventories to manage—backpack and starship—unlike future versions where you have dozens. In modern versions, I don’t even know—probably you manage millions of items, similar to Minecraft, which can be a pain and disrupt gameplay, in my opinion.
- Also, there are no annoying refiners, crafters, etc. This is subjective, but for me, NMS is supposed to be about exploration and wonder, not inventory management.
- You can find black holes and Atlas stations whenever you want by browsing the galactic map, rather than talking to the same NPC or visiting the same station repeatedly.
- Basically, I adore the whole experience of 1.00 – just turn on the console, and with two clicks, you’re in space. Literally, there are no splash menus or options to distract you. You click the NMS icon in the PS4 menu, and it takes you directly into space.
Conclusion
While No Man’s Sky has evolved significantly since its initial release, I hold a special place in my heart for the original version. Its simplicity and focus on exploration made it a unique experience. As the game continues to develop, I always get back to the charm of that early release. For those who haven’t experienced it, I encourage you to take a nostalgic journey back to where it all began. You might just find that the original magic is still there, waiting to be rediscovered.