No Man’s Sky is easily the biggest redemption story in videogames. Over eight years, Hello Games has taken what was once an overpromised universe simulator and delivered a plethora of new ideas, while making good on what it guaranteed before release. Between base building, mechs, crossplay, freighters, quests, and so much more NMS is now the premiere space game, and it just got even bigger: this is No Man’s Sky Worlds Part 1.
Hello Games founder Sean Murray says No Man’s Sky Worlds Part 1 is “refreshing the universe” with even more technology, gameplay opportunities, flora, and fauna. The space game’s procedural generation promise has been dialed up to 11, as new and old systems interact with each other even more than before.
With so much in Worlds Part 1, let’s start with the water. New water technology creates dynamic waves and reflections, breathing even more life into ocean planets. Wind patterns now dictate the waves, and you can land your ship on the water to disrupt the calm surface whenever you want. Simply flying over the ocean, watching the waves crash into cliffs as your reflection peacefully glides along the water’s surface, is completely new.
Hello Games is giving No Man’s Sky’s clouds a similar treatment. New cloud tech means planets have multiple weather patterns, so whenever you look up you’ll see something different. The new weather system means rolling fog, rain, blizzards, lava sparks, and more combine with the wind and clouds to create dynamic meteorological conditions – just be sure you’re not stuck in the ocean when lightning strikes.
Dynamic weather systems aren’t the end of Worlds Part 1, with new biomes and creatures spread across every planet in the universe. “It’s not enough to just add more,” Murray says. “We want to do things that people haven’t seen before. And of course, these new creatures can all be pets and mounts.”
No Man’s Sky also has a new expedition, which Murray says is very “Starship Troopers-inspired.” You go on a tour of the new planets fighting bugs, and just like in Helldivers 2 the progress is community-driven. “There’s a new mech with heavy armor and a cool flamethrower arm,” Murray adds. “And you are going to need it!”
I’m constantly floored by No Man’s Sky. We’re in a time when videogames can easily come out unfinished and left that way, but Hello Games continues to go from strength to strength. This style of revamp is what you’d expect a developer to highlight while selling their next project, not dropping a free update to an eight-year-old game out of nowhere. Our own No Man’s Sky review from 2016 feels like a time capsule, one that points out the universe generator’s many flaws, but assures it still has an unmistakable charm.
No Man’s Sky Worlds Part 1 is out now on all platforms, with Part 2 dropping at a later date. You can read the full patch notes right here.
If you want even more games similar to No Man’s Sky there are plenty more RPGs to keep you busy, and massive universes to explore in some incredible open-world games too.
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