Everyone else has said everything about this game already.
All I can say is this is the only game I know of that mixes religion, computer simulation models and God into a deep thought experience that (although not amusing as Douglas Adams) is well worth playing through the main story line for the Existential Crisis both you and your character ought to have at the end.
That being said I first saw this game when my son bought back when it came out. It didn't pique my interest tbh. Then, my son bought me a copy and I haven't looked back. I finally finished all the achievements and still haven't finished all the story content and this is after hundreds of hours of gameplay. Probably doesn't help that I am adhd and easily distracted by the great animal or the next rock or ooh a strange planet...
There are complaints about base building and I will agree that it could use a lot of work. Failing that build your base on a freighter. ( You will in the course of playing, have the opportunity to save a freighter from pirates who will be so grateful they offer you their ship for free).
I found the basic tutorial to be enough to start and anything else was a quick look at controls or the net. Mainly for planets and maths.
You ask maths? Well yes, you come across emergency beacons you go to the co-ordinates and you are faced with a sequence of numbers. You have to work out the last numbers. Luckily most of them are simple repeating patterns.
You get access to a few really fun vehicles and a nice submarine for one to explore ocean depths.
You EARN everything through missions or the sweat of your brow. It's fun though.
It is mainly exploration. Although if you are spoiling for a fight you can take on pirates or sentinels. The sentinels are like the cops in the old GTA games. The more damage you do the more arrive, and the more difficult they are. It's worth it for the hardframes and glass and other useful items you can get from them.
If your an average guns person like me dig a hole and shoot them as they come over it if your not going to take it to the point of robot dogs and beyond. Those little creeps can get in your hole with you.
As for pirates.. kill them or be one. Be a smuggler. Be a Pirate captain for profit by plunder.and lead your own fleet.
Be a merchant, add to your fleet and chart courses to profit. Send your fleet out on missions for money and upgrades for your freighter.
BE an explorer. Find the core of the universe and get spat out into another, usually more interesting universe. Chart planets and earn money for doing it.
Search for rare upgrades, pets, or weapons and ships.
Unravel the secret of the sentinels and the Crimson. Meet the strange and friendly inhabitants of the Anomaly where you can buy all your base parts starship, vehicle and weapon upgrades.
Finish all the achievements and feel proud of your long run to immortality in permadeath mode to the core.

So contrary to some reviews, there is battles on the ground, in the air, or out in space. You are simply not forced to do them unless your defending your fleet from pirates. Given opportunity you can outrun pirates or if your close fly into the local space station to escape.
There is farming for minerals and resources. You can have a farm or a refinery. But those are two of the more advanced options. If you want it simple. You can.
I am sad that some people are so put off by base building. There are other players out there making magnificent structures. It really does take the kind of patience i don't own. (If you are anything like me when I play Valheim. Oh look a broke down hut. I'll fix that up. That'll do for me.} Four walls a roof and a door. yep. Job done. I'll just put the portal outside in the rain along with everything else.
I come back every time they have an expedition. I have friends who hate that it's not like a set yearly event( e.g xmas) because they want to play it when they want it. I don't care, if it comes I do it and enjoy it. My only complaint is every expedition needs a new character and I would really like to roll everything into one character. You can get rewards on other characters but not things like the space ship from the last expedition. Nor the freighter from another etc etc. Hopefully one day they will. Then I can free up some space in my save file.

Everyone else has said everything about this game already. All I can say is this is the only game I know of that mixes religion, computer simulation models and God into a deep thought experience that (although not amusing as Douglas Adams) is well worth playing through the main story line for the Existential Crisis both you and your character ought to have at the end. That being said I first saw this game when my son bought back when it came out. It didn't pique my interest tbh. Then, my son bought me a copy and I haven't looked back. I finally finished all the achievements and still haven't finished all the story content and this is after hundreds of hours of gameplay. Probably doesn't help that I am adhd and easily distracted by the great animal or the next rock or ooh a strange planet... There are complaints about base building and I will agree that it could use a lot of work. Failing that build your base on a freighter. ( You will in the course of playing, have the opportunity to save a freighter from pirates who will be so grateful they offer you their ship for free). I found the basic tutorial to be enough to start and anything else was a quick look at controls or the net. Mainly for planets and maths. You ask maths? Well yes, you come across emergency beacons you go to the co-ordinates and you are faced with a sequence of numbers. You have to work out the last numbers. Luckily most of them are simple repeating patterns. You get access to a few really fun vehicles and a nice submarine for one to explore ocean depths. You EARN everything through missions or the sweat of your brow. It's fun though. It is mainly exploration. Although if you are spoiling for a fight you can take on pirates or sentinels. The sentinels are like the cops in the old GTA games. The more damage you do the more arrive, and the more difficult they are. It's worth it for the hardframes and glass and other useful items you can get from them. If your an average guns person like me dig a hole and shoot them as they come over it if your not going to take it to the point of robot dogs and beyond. Those little creeps can get in your hole with you. As for pirates.. kill them or be one. Be a smuggler. Be a Pirate captain for profit by plunder.and lead your own fleet. Be a merchant, add to your fleet and chart courses to profit. Send your fleet out on missions for money and upgrades for your freighter. BE an explorer. Find the core of the universe and get spat out into another, usually more interesting universe. Chart planets and earn money for doing it. Search for rare upgrades, pets, or weapons and ships. Unravel the secret of the sentinels and the Crimson. Meet the strange and friendly inhabitants of the Anomaly where you can buy all your base parts starship, vehicle and weapon upgrades. Finish all the achievements and feel proud of your long run to immortality in permadeath mode to the core. So contrary to some reviews, there is battles on the ground, in the air, or out in space. You are simply not forced to do them unless your defending your fleet from pirates. Given opportunity you can outrun pirates or if your close fly into the local space station to escape. There is farming for minerals and resources. You can have a farm or a refinery. But those are two of the more advanced options. If you want it simple. You can. I am sad that some people are so put off by base building. There are other players out there making magnificent structures. It really does take the kind of patience i don't own. (If you are anything like me when I play Valheim. Oh look a broke down hut. I'll fix that up. That'll do for me.} Four walls a roof and a door. yep. Job done. I'll just put the portal outside in the rain along with everything else. I come back every time they have an expedition. I have friends who hate that it's not like a set yearly event( e.g xmas) because they want to play it when they want it. I don't care, if it comes I do it and enjoy it. My only complaint is every expedition needs a new character and I would really like to roll everything into one character. You can get rewards on other characters but not things like the space ship from the last expedition. Nor the freighter from another etc etc. Hopefully one day they will. Then I can free up some space in my save file.