(109 hours played as of review) I only started playing this shortly after the Desolation update, but I haven't been able to stop playing it since purchasing, and I still haven't gotten through everything the game has to offer. I felt it took a while to get used to how the gameplay loop worked, but after about 15 hours I was able to traverse between solar systems and got drip-fed ways to access content outside the main questline where you can improve and personalise your time in-game. Content like building a good base, upgrading your ship, purchasing freighters, and engaging in the wide variety of planets and solar systems you explore in the game. You do many of these things either through the space stations that appear in many solar systems or the game's social hub that you can access while you're in space. Want a fleet of ships to get cash, resources and rare items? Earn money doing missions, or exploit the in-game economy (which honestly feels too easy to do if you're content doing some repetitive tasks) and you'll be able to buy them while exploring. Selling alien weed? Spend some time harvesting and unlocking the upgrades to grow plants and that's possible. Want to collect resources more easily? Learn how to make automatic mining stations and make a network of portals to teleport to each resource as you need them. I've had issues with the game occasionally freezing up for a few seconds, the camera occasionally not switching views properly and have had 2 complete crashes. They didn't ruin the game too much for me to stop enjoying it since the autosave is pretty forgiving, but I feel they're worth mentioning. I've enjoyed my time exploring the imaginative worlds, creatures, characters and stories you encounter. The dialogue feels grand, complimenting the scope of the game and the sound design is good with an engaging and immersive soundtrack. If you can get past a few small issues I would recommend playing if you have the time/patience to let it grow on you.
