NMS is wide as an ocean but deep as a puddle. IMHO(!) The procedural generation of all the worlds/planets doesnt provide interesting places to discover. Everthing gets really samey really fast just with a bit of different paint so to speak. I also wouldnt say its a thinking mans game. Its mostly a lot of brain dead tedium with tons of ressource gathering. The main goal is to get to the center of the galaxy. Everything a long the way is the fun you find for yourself. There is some sort “story” in place. But compared to the other games you mentioned in your post i also could easily argue NMS doesnt have a story.

Personally i still use my first savefile since 2016 when i look into the game for a few minutes/hours after several big updates because i find the start to be really slow and boring before you can enter and fly your ship for the first time.

tbf, NMS never managed to really pull me in. Consider my post the pessimistic outlook. Maybe someone else can provide a more positive spin on the game.