I have tried this game on multiple occasions in the past. It felt childish, grindy, boring and silly.
And the irony is - it still CAN be - if you want...
Developers did something absolutely amazing here. They created the game that can really be played by anyone and the experience can be crafted to suits anyones playstyle.
Anyone that knows me knows that Im a big fan of realism and immersion.
I dont play football games if there is no fouls in them, I dont play racing games if there is no car damage in them.
And Im a big fan of survival games.
So is No Man's Sky a realistic Survival game? Is it fuck!

But it can be fun as hell and covers all the basics to suit my needs.
I need to watch myself in hazardous environment, I have to refuel and repair my ship and tools, when I get shot down by pirates - I spawn on a nearby planet next to my crashed ship that has to be repaired first.
Im playing on Survival mode that limits my inventory. Planets are more hostile, pirates are more dangerous, my hazardous protection is weaker, fall from height can easily kill me and there's more random dangerous events.
I dont look for alien pets tame and ride, I dont build bases on paradise planets full of life. Instead - I explore. Im slowly building my upgrades to get further and I travel. Instead of looking for unicorn planets - I look for raw, dead and realistic looking ones. I walk through caves, scan for distress signals, excavate ancient bones and ruins. Every now and then I pop to Space Station to sell my treasures.
I have to say - in all honesty - I dont remember last time I have played such relaxing and immersive game.
Love it!