Noctis was an extremely unique space exploration game for its time. A game where you could explore a whole procedurally generated galaxy, land on planets, explore them, and watch their inhabitants...
Noctis was an extremely unique space exploration game for its time. A game where you could explore a whole procedurally generated galaxy, land on planets, explore them, and watch their inhabitants (also procedurally generated) roam around. You could also name the planets, and share the names online if you were the first to visit.
I poured many hours into Noctis as a kid, and eagerly anticipated the sequel—but it never came. Eventually, I forgot about it.
I didn't play No Man's Sky at launch due to all the undelivered promises, but I finally picked it up recently and had a blast. The developers have been extremely busy adding the missing features and fleshing the game out with free updates. Now it's truly a spiritual successor to Noctis.
Did anyone else ever play Noctis? How do you think No Man's Sky compares? Can you think of any other similar games that scratch the same itch?
I loved Noctis and played it a lot growing up. The last time I played it was using the bootdisk hack to get it working on more modern OS's, but I'm not sure it still works now. I ran the Noctis...
I loved Noctis and played it a lot growing up. The last time I played it was using the bootdisk hack to get it working on more modern OS's, but I'm not sure it still works now.
I ran the Noctis subreddit and while it was very sleepy there was always a stream of people asking about the game. If anyone does know a way to still play the game these days I'd love to get back into it.
I'm not sure there are other games like it. NMS is probably the closest, but the charming simplicity of Noctis is the very thing that makes it feel so complex.
I think that is why we tend to hold older games in higher regard sometimes. A lot of that software was limited by hardware restrictions and the outcome meant your imagination had to fill in a lot of the gaps. NMS is infinitely more complex than Noctis, but that very complexity makes it feel so much more shallow.
If NMS was an ocean with the depth of a puddle, then Noctis is a thimble of water so deep it could cut through a planet.
There is no other game like Noctis, and I don't think there ever will be. I've spent a lot of time searching.
That's such a great way to put it. No Man's Sky definitely feels shallow, despite all its features. Yet Noctis achieves so much with its narrow scope and despite the technical limitations. It's...
If NMS was an ocean with the depth of a puddle, then Noctis is a thimble of water so deep it could cut through a planet.
That's such a great way to put it. No Man's Sky definitely feels shallow, despite all its features. Yet Noctis achieves so much with its narrow scope and despite the technical limitations. It's far deeper than it has any right to be for its circumstances, and especially considering how unique was for the time.
The closest game I can think of to Noctis, besides No Man's Sky, is Proteus—a walking simulator where you explore a series of procedurally generated islands. Much of your time in Proteus is spent...
The closest game I can think of to Noctis, besides No Man's Sky, is Proteus—a walking simulator where you explore a series of procedurally generated islands.
Much of your time in Proteus is spent wandering the islands, inspecting the scenery, and observing the wildlife. The simple-yet-effective graphics really stir the imagination and evoke in me a lonely, haunting feeling that I find reminiscent of my time exploring strange planets in Noctis.
I loved Noctis back in the day! Haven't thought about it in a long time but I remember when No Man's Sky was announced, it very much reminded me of Noctis. Travelling to planets that were mostly...
I loved Noctis back in the day!
Haven't thought about it in a long time but I remember when No Man's Sky was announced, it very much reminded me of Noctis. Travelling to planets that were mostly barren, maybe the odd one with a few birds flying around or the ruins of some ancient civilisation to walk about.
The cube space ship that ran on rechargeable fuel cells that had to be charged at white dwarf stars (or maybe brown), can't remember exactly. The lore that your character was a cat-race, even though the game was played from a first person perspective and I don't think you ever saw another member of your race (aside from when you would see another ship when you inevitably ended up running out of fuel and had to put out a distress call for help).
I remember being very hyped for the next Noctis game, the creator would post screenshots of the game on his website and it looked very cool but then it just sort of died.
You know, I thought I recognised the influence of depression on No Man's Sky. I'm really glad to know whose genius it actually is, both the original creator and the community that helped develop...
You know, I thought I recognised the influence of depression on No Man's Sky. I'm really glad to know whose genius it actually is, both the original creator and the community that helped develop it. The post rock soundtrack really is the icing on the cake for the isolated mood. No other video game makes me openly weep like NMS. It's a lot like my own dreams - hardly ever any people in them.
Noctis was an extremely unique space exploration game for its time. A game where you could explore a whole procedurally generated galaxy, land on planets, explore them, and watch their inhabitants (also procedurally generated) roam around. You could also name the planets, and share the names online if you were the first to visit.
I poured many hours into Noctis as a kid, and eagerly anticipated the sequel—but it never came. Eventually, I forgot about it.
I didn't play No Man's Sky at launch due to all the undelivered promises, but I finally picked it up recently and had a blast. The developers have been extremely busy adding the missing features and fleshing the game out with free updates. Now it's truly a spiritual successor to Noctis.
Did anyone else ever play Noctis? How do you think No Man's Sky compares? Can you think of any other similar games that scratch the same itch?
I loved Noctis and played it a lot growing up. The last time I played it was using the bootdisk hack to get it working on more modern OS's, but I'm not sure it still works now.
I ran the Noctis subreddit and while it was very sleepy there was always a stream of people asking about the game. If anyone does know a way to still play the game these days I'd love to get back into it.
I'm not sure there are other games like it. NMS is probably the closest, but the charming simplicity of Noctis is the very thing that makes it feel so complex.
I think that is why we tend to hold older games in higher regard sometimes. A lot of that software was limited by hardware restrictions and the outcome meant your imagination had to fill in a lot of the gaps. NMS is infinitely more complex than Noctis, but that very complexity makes it feel so much more shallow.
If NMS was an ocean with the depth of a puddle, then Noctis is a thimble of water so deep it could cut through a planet.
There is no other game like Noctis, and I don't think there ever will be. I've spent a lot of time searching.
That's such a great way to put it. No Man's Sky definitely feels shallow, despite all its features. Yet Noctis achieves so much with its narrow scope and despite the technical limitations. It's far deeper than it has any right to be for its circumstances, and especially considering how unique was for the time.
The closest game I can think of to Noctis, besides No Man's Sky, is Proteus—a walking simulator where you explore a series of procedurally generated islands.
Much of your time in Proteus is spent wandering the islands, inspecting the scenery, and observing the wildlife. The simple-yet-effective graphics really stir the imagination and evoke in me a lonely, haunting feeling that I find reminiscent of my time exploring strange planets in Noctis.
I loved Noctis back in the day!
Haven't thought about it in a long time but I remember when No Man's Sky was announced, it very much reminded me of Noctis. Travelling to planets that were mostly barren, maybe the odd one with a few birds flying around or the ruins of some ancient civilisation to walk about.
The cube space ship that ran on rechargeable fuel cells that had to be charged at white dwarf stars (or maybe brown), can't remember exactly. The lore that your character was a cat-race, even though the game was played from a first person perspective and I don't think you ever saw another member of your race (aside from when you would see another ship when you inevitably ended up running out of fuel and had to put out a distress call for help).
I remember being very hyped for the next Noctis game, the creator would post screenshots of the game on his website and it looked very cool but then it just sort of died.
You know, I thought I recognised the influence of depression on No Man's Sky. I'm really glad to know whose genius it actually is, both the original creator and the community that helped develop it. The post rock soundtrack really is the icing on the cake for the isolated mood. No other video game makes me openly weep like NMS. It's a lot like my own dreams - hardly ever any people in them.