I've been playing since launch, and have enjoyed this game at every release. I wasn't fazed by the lack of promised features at launch, mainly because I wasn't aware of all of the pre-release marketing - I only saw the initial E3 trailer and didn't know what to make of it at the time. I don't blame those that felt let down - though the echo chamber on the internet got a little out of hand (e.g, fans issuing death threats). This is a review of the game though, not the handling of Hello Games' marketing efforts or the gentle flower that is a hyped gaming community.

The game is completely different now (even since 1.38, a minor release), and I wish I could play the game like this in 2016 before I experienced monotonous gameplay, but its varied and interesting now. The story feels fuller, the gameplay loop richer, and the graphics are much more detailed. There's a missions system, a fourth race, vehicles, bases, some basic co-op support, better planets, and much more. It also hasn't lost its charm as a relaxing exploration game, if you want it to be that.

I'd like to see the fauna have more interesting behavior, and maybe do more interesting things related to them. What if there was a "zoo" of some sort, where you collect creatures and raise them? There's a lot of potential with not only making them a fun part of the gameplay, but also making them more convincing. Currently, aside from the odd frankenstein thing murmuring "kill me", I mostly ignore them.

Hello Games has tried things, and they have made mistakes, but I think they have proven themselves to have much more integrity than what the community's consensus on them was around release. They threw what was probably one of the more interesting viral marketing campaigns in recent memory with the Waking Titan ARG. They've shown they are willing to earn our trust back, and now we should let them.

Get this game, there's really no experience like it, and tune out the noise and baggage following it.

I've been playing since launch, and have enjoyed this game at every release. I wasn't fazed by the lack of promised features at launch, mainly because I wasn't aware of all of the pre-release marketing - I only saw the initial E3 trailer and didn't know what to make of it at the time. I don't blame those that felt let down - though the echo chamber on the internet got a little out of hand (e.g, fans issuing death threats). This is a review of the game though, not the handling of Hello Games' marketing efforts or the gentle flower that is a hyped gaming community. The game is completely different now (even since 1.38, a minor release), and I wish I could play the game like this in 2016 before I experienced monotonous gameplay, but its varied and interesting now. The story feels fuller, the gameplay loop richer, and the graphics are much more detailed. There's a missions system, a fourth race, vehicles, bases, some basic co-op support, better planets, and much more. It also hasn't lost its charm as a relaxing exploration game, if you want it to be that. I'd like to see the fauna have more interesting behavior, and maybe do more interesting things related to them. What if there was a "zoo" of some sort, where you collect creatures and raise them? There's a lot of potential with not only making them a fun part of the gameplay, but also making them more convincing. Currently, aside from the odd frankenstein thing murmuring "kill me", I mostly ignore them. Hello Games has tried things, and they have made mistakes, but I think they have proven themselves to have much more integrity than what the community's consensus on them was around release. They threw what was probably one of the more interesting viral marketing campaigns in recent memory with the Waking Titan ARG. They've shown they are willing to earn our trust back, and now we should let them. Get this game, there's really no experience like it, and tune out the noise and baggage following it.