One question that always crosses my mind whenever I play No Man’s Sky is: when is it enough? After exploring planets over and over, there surely comes a time when you want to land your ship and step away from the game, right? Well, it hasn’t happened for me. Are you familiar with the saying, “the gift that keeps on giving”? Yeah, that’s NMS for you. Almost a decade after its release, No Man’s Sky continues growing strong, becoming a game that’s worth experiencing, especially in 2024. Plus, the latest Worlds update feels like the reboot this endless universe needed.
The reason why I feel No Man’s Sky is completely worth it in 2024 is due to the recent update, Worlds – Part 1. Yes, it is a two-parter, and the second half still remains a mystery. Still, the first half brought many things with it, including the much-requested and anticipated planet revamp. Also, with Expedition 14 debuting with this update, there are so many things to do, planets to discover, bugs to squash, and much more. So, let’s see what awaits all Travelers.
A Planetary Facelift
Whether you’re a newcomer or a veteran, you should know that one divisive topic of No Man’s Sky, to a small extent, was its world-generation technology. A procedurally generated galaxy is no easy feat. However, many players complained that after visiting ten planets, the exploration part became a bit stale. Imagine you joined before the Worlds update; that might’ve happened to you as well. With the recent major patch, planets have received an almost full revamp to the way each world is generated. You can now find floating islands, new environmental hazards, and more. This makes exploring the undiscovered parts of the universe much more rewarding, even if you’ve been in this game for almost a decade.
If you’re only interested in discovering one planet, settling down, and maybe building your proper space home, you can do so, too. There are so many new biomes in the game that will challenge even the most experienced homesteaders. And even if you decide to stick to one world for an entire playthrough, chances are you won’t discover everything on a planet. That’s the level of depth No Man’s Sky offers in 2024 and something worth experiencing at least once.
Community-Wide Expeditions
Let’s say you have a dozen of live service games you need to tend to daily. Keeping up with every single one can be daunting. Add to that this space exploration game, and you won’t be able to keep up with everything. What if I told you that there’s a limited-time mode that allows the whole community to participate and obtain rewards that carry over to your main save file? That’s Expeditions for you. If you are not a fan of games that require you to be around every day, try any of the Expeditions in No Man’s Sky.
Expeditions are limited-time events with a set of objectives where all the community races to complete them. Each one has a different theme, with the upcoming one being inspired by Starship Troopers or, if you’re Gen-Z, Helldivers. You only need to invest a bit of your time in this and take all the rewards you obtain after completing milestones back to your game. That’s usually what I do. I join an Expedition, finish as many milestones as possible, and then play my save file casually. No Man’s Sky is one of the few games that respects your time, and regardless of when you jump back in, you can play it without feeling overwhelmed.
A Development Team That Never Quits
Lastly, one thing I feel is worth mentioning is the development team. Hello Games has had the best redemption arc in video game history ever. From overselling a game that flopped extremely hard to being one of the most played games on Steam right now and reaching Very Positive reviews even after being review-bombed to oblivion, the team didn’t let NMS die. On the contrary, Hello Games keeps giving us such amazing free updates that it is surprising that the studio never charges us for them. There are days when people just want to give money to the developers, but they won’t budge. And that, my fellow Travelers, is a mentality we rarely see in the video game industry.
In the end, it’s up to you to decide if No Man’s Sky is worth playing in 2024. Yet, if you ask me, it definitely is. It is a complete adventure that never stops surprising you. Even when you feel you’ve seen everything, a new update arrives, revamping existing systems and adding new ones. Thankfully, the Worlds update fixed what many thought was the weakest point of No Man’s Sky after extended play sessions. So, if you want the full experience, there’s no better time than now for take-off.
