No Man’s Sky seems to be the poster child for “how not to market a game,” but its disappointing and widely discussed reception hasn’t stopped Hello Games from putting its nose to the grindstone and continually working on it to create a better experience for players. In a huge anniversary update titled Atlas Rises, No Man’s Sky is receiving some much needed additions and changes.
As stated in its official patch notes, Atlas Rises brings “a brand new and overhauled central storyline, portals, a new procedural mission system, trade improvements, system economies, joint exploration and more.” One feature of note that players may be interested in is ‘joint exploration.’ This is essentially the game’s multiplayer… sort of. Up to 16 players, visualized by strange floating orbs, can communicate and explore the universe together. Unfortunately, interaction is currently very limited, but it marks the first step into a full co-op system.
Atlas Rises will also provide 30 hours of new story content. That’s double the lore and interactions of the existing game. Players will get to “discover the truth behind the Abandoned Building logs, the World of Glass, the Sentinels, the Redemption of the Gek, and the meaning of sixteen” as well as encounter a mysterious new inter-dimensional race.
Other big changes include added variety to planetary biomes, an overhauled user interface, and visual improvements. Full patch notes can be read here.
No Man’s Sky is available for PlayStation 4 and PC, so here’s hoping that Atlas Rises breathes some new life into the game and attracts more players. An Xbox One release hasn’t been ruled out, but there’s no word on when—or if—it will ever come to that console.
Published: Aug 11, 2017 02:01 pm