If you put in the time to understand the steep learning curve, enjoy sandbox survival experiences, and love space, this game is up your ally. i started the game back in 2016 and only played a couple hours. it was very boring. but in the many years that followed, Hello Games put SO MUCH love and dedication into this game and it shows. Don't get me wrong, just like in most sandbox survival games, you kinda make your own fun with the tools and ingredients you obtain (think Minecraft), but there is also quite a lot of content that is just genuinely fun that you will stumble upon, be it intended, or unexpectedly :)

it does miss a few opportunities i feel would have varied the experience a little more. and its highly possible they are working on it. Such as getting more planets with different gravity. Having every planet except airless have the same gravity i feel is a missed mark. it may not add a lot to the core game play, but i feel it would add to the experience a little. as well as any form of ship customization. i do note that it would take away from the rarity of some ships, but even just letting us change the color would be nice. we can already upgrade the class and the inventory size, but we cant adjust the color, but we can adjust the color of the freighters?? it may be coming an update though, so just a nitpick. the last complaint is the "tutorial". i feel like it does explain stuff, but not really in a "new player" fashion. I was having to walk my friends through majority of the first half of the game, as they had no idea what to do. they began to catch on around hour 2 and saw where to look and how to read the UI, but learning that i feel could be improved just a little. again not a huge complaint but just something that could be improved to retain new player attention.

All in all, you have to give it the time to learn the systems, learn the UI, and finish the "tutorial" but then the game really is fun for as long as you want it to be, and with all the twitchy shooters out, it is a relaxing breath of fresh air to come into this game and just enjoy slowing down and smelling the roses a little.

Highly recommend as a Minecraft alternative or a casual chill-and-explore game.

9/10

EDIT: This is the game that never stops giving!