No Man’s Sky was once the most anticipated game of 2016. Then, after its release in August, it became one of the most controversial games of 2016. Now, with a No Man’s Sky update fresh to the game, is there a chance that the game could reclaim some of its prestige?
Following No Man’s Sky’s release, some felt that the game wasn’t as fun as they’d hoped. Some very vocal players even felt deceived by the developers, expecting more features and interactivity. The new 1.1 No Man’s Sky update might finally deal with some of those complaints. Let’s dive into the meat of the update — read the full patch notes here or watch the above video — and see if this could be enough to satisfy those disappointed folks.
No Man’s Sky Update – The Biggest Changes
It’s nicknamed the Foundation Update for a reason. Bases are now in the game. These are customizable homesteads that players can build on any given planet to create a save point. But there’s so much more to it than that. You can farm crops and other resources in your base. You can also recruit aliens to work in your base to help maintain items.
And if you need even more storage than your base, you purchase freighters. They exist off-planet and can also be staffed by alien creatures. The freighters and bases are part of an overall expansion of the inventory. Not only are their more personal inventory slots, but the UI has been massively simplified and overhauled.
Another major part of the No Man’s Sky update is the new game difficulty — Normal, Survival, and Creative. Normal is how No Man’s Sky played when it launched. There’s now also Survival, a much more challenging mode with fewer resources and tougher enemies. Oppositely, there’s Creative mode, which doesn’t limit your exploration and is more giving with resources.
Lastly, those changes and numerous smaller ones look much better thanks to some new visual upgrades. In all, this is a fairly substantial (and free) No Man’s Sky update. But is it too late?
Will People Come Back?
All these changes in the No Man’s Sky update are smartly timed for the holiday season. Many new folks will likely be picking up the game as gifts or on sale. However, are these substantial updates enough to get the early adopters to return?
The Foundation Update doesn’t address concerns some fans had about online interactivity or No Man’s Sky ending. It also won’t do much to change the core gameplay that some dismissed as boring. This update also comes after fans were waiting for any information from the very silent developers, and they still haven’t said much beyond this patch. Meanwhile, the folks who rather unrealistically thought No Man’s Sky was an endless adventure still won’t find infinite gameplay inside.
If you’re one of those folks still let down even after this No Man’s Sky update, there’s some hope to hold onto. Hello Games has said this is called the Foundation Update because it lays the foundation for more updates to come. If you dream of more changes to come, then be happy that the developers have made it clear this isn’t the last No Man’s Sky update.