Hi GAF!
I finished the game today. Sort of. I got the platinum trophy (on PS4), and am not actually done-done, since I don't know if this game really even has that kind of "state." Probably not.
I stayed away from all threads about this game purposefully, for the most part. I asked for help on one or two occasions, but for the most part paved my own way. Not at all surprised at a lot of the reactions towards the game, but man, I have to say I've had a ton of fun with it. It's such a weird game -- maybe going in with absolutely no expectations helped me appreciate it. I never paid attention to any pre-release hype, or "things sean murray said", or any of that. Just got the game on a whim and went in.
I like reading the criticisms though. Most of them, I agree with. It's a game with so much breadth and so little depth, but I think I twisted the matrix a bit and treated the breadth more or less as this games manner of "depth", if you will. Maybe that makes no sense.
I haven't ever played a game like this. It's core problem is also its most unwitting design curiosity -- this circular dependency built into its primary mechanism of play: you must leave the planet, and to do this you need resources. You must go to space, and land on a planet because it's the only way to get resources. It's ad infinitum, and potentially the most boring thing in the world if it didn't feel so compelling. Even at its most boring, I had fun somehow, playing around with what the game does let you do. I did a lot of everything, and not all of it is great, but I suppose between a mix of luck of the draw and the ability to keep my inertia as I went, I extracted everything the "vanilla" version of this game can offer.
I feel like I have a misplaced enthusiasm for the game. Even when I see it making stupid decisions, or boiling itself down to elements which are distinctly uninteresting, I still enjoy its core premise so much it makes me wonder where it could go. Maybe it's a 3/10. Maybe it's a 10/10. Maybe it's a trash-tier Steam early access title not worth anyone's time of day. Seems like the game is a lot of things to different people, so far. It's such a curiosity.
I truly hope the game grows into something more people can enjoy. I see its myriad of faults and can't help but think it can be so much better. I loved what I've played, but God, I really hope they don't leave it at the ellipses. I've never been so enthralled with something so undeserving in so many ways.
