苹果独立游戏周将《No Man’s Sky》带上iPhone和iPad

Hello Games’ sprawling and critically acclaimed space adventure, No Man’s Sky, is coming to iPhone and iPad on 28 October, bringing a decade’s worth of updates to Apple’s devices.

That makes it the standout of Apple’s Indie Games Week, which begins today. No Man’s Sky is a sizeable game to bring to a phone, and allows players to explore, trade, fight and survive in a procedurally generated universe, with every major content expansion released so far included. That means the mobile version will also include the recent Cosmos update, which lets players command their own space stations.

The App Store has no shortage of games, but I thought No Man’s Sky would give the mobile catalogue a particularly ambitious addition. It is not a small spin-off or a new game built around short sessions; it is the space odyssey that has continued to grow since its debut a decade ago, now adapted for iPhone and iPad.

During a media briefing, I asked a Sean Murry, managing director and co-founder of Hello Games, what surprised the team about bringing the game to touchscreens. A lot of its gameplay, he said, happens in the menus: managing inventory, building and crafting. He said: “A surprising amount of the actual gameplay is in the UI such as inventory management, building things, taking photographs. A lot of what you do in the game is exploring the world, but many of the gameplay mechanics happen in the UI, particularly in sandbox games, where you’re doing things like complicated crafting.”

I’ve been really surprised by how much touch brings to that, and how natural it can feel. Being able to drag and drop things on your screen, or touch something to get more information, can feel more intuitive and comfortable than playing on a console, and often even on PC. You’re right there with the screen, and I find myself doing more crafting and other gameplay more easily because that barrier isn’t there.

Sean Murry, managing director and co-founder, Hello Games

“I love inventory management in games, so I enjoy that meta-game. I’ve been surprised that I find myself doing it more on a phone and iPad,” he added.

Apple is using Indie Games Week to spotlight seven acclaimed games, with daily features and curated collections running throughout the week. The line-up also includes Sifu, the martial arts brawler, and Vampire Crawlers, a card-battling spin-off of Vampire Survivors. Sifu has been adapted for iPhone and iPad with touch controls and a reworked camera, and supports controllers.

The other games featured are Little Kitty, Big City, 9 Kings, Dome Keeper and Yes, Your Grace 2: Snowfall. They are available to download now, while No Man’s Sky arrives later on 28 October.