The overall rating of No Man's Sky on Steam is now "Mostly Positive." Though it's taken five years to get to this coveted category, it's another show of how far the action-adventure has come since its shaky launch.
After working on the Joe Danger games for half a decade, Hello Games knew that No Man's Sky was a leap into the dark for the indie developer. Inspired by pulpy '80s sci fi and the procedurally generated classics of Star Control II, Elite and Freespace, the promise of the enormous galaxy and its colourful creatures was enticing in its marketing and announcements. Yet, its launch in 2016 didn't deliver those assurances, and instead it marred the game with missing features, glitches, and a different atmosphere than what was portrayed in its trailers.
As a result, there was a backlash against Hello Games which then manifested in low scoring user reviews for No Man's Sky. On Steam alone, almost 70,000 reviews from players submitted in the months after its launch stamped a "Mostly Negative" label on its listing. Obviously, things started to look up for the team and No Man's Sky with the subsequent free updates that added a whole lot to the foundational experience.
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The Abyss brought marine biomes, Beyond integrated virtual reality compatibility, Living Ship allowed players to hatch and breed spaceships, Desolation gave us some real Alien: Isolation vibes, and Next Generation did exactly what it said on the tin in overhauling the look of the game on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X as well as improvements on PC. The admirable efforts of Hello Games has paid off and the game is now rated "Mostly Positive" through user reviews on Steam.
Founder Sean Murray is over the moon, to say the least. "Moving to Mixed took nearly 2 years, moving to Mostly Positive has taken the last 3," he explained on Twitter, and expressed his gratitude for the community that has been gathered over these last five years. "Each all-time % point is exponentially harder. 69% to 70% took nearly 10,000 positive reviews."
Praise for Hello Games and the journey No Man's Sky has taken against all of the odds has poured in, including a shout out from Geoff Keighley. "Congrats Sean, you and the team have earned it! Best Ongoing for second year running??" he asked. Watch this space.
Featured Image Credit: Hello GamesTopics: Steam, PC, No Man's Sky
