No Man's Sky was one of the most highly-anticipated games before release. The mix of developer promises and gamer expectations was an intoxicating cocktail spurring an eager news cycle. The industry waited with bated breath for a game that was supposed to be revolutionary.
And when it came out, the general and critical reception was... less than stellar. This is not exclusive to No Man's Sky. This has happened with countless games. It's happened several times since then with major titles like Mass Effect: Andromeda, Fallout 76, and Anthem. What's been exceptional is the response of Hello Games to the experience of the post-release fallout. Some studios suffer the bad press and move on to the next game.
Hello Games, though, has remained tight-lipped and stalwartly improved content. And not in small doses. The small team created update after update that steadily built upon the foundation of the original version of the game. It's looking more and more like what was promised and what was believed to be. It's becoming an awesome game.
And the newest update, Beyond, expands on the vision of the studio even more. The latest patch notes provide a detailed list of all the new goodies that will feature in No Man's Sky. It's a mob of changes, and the magnitude of the patch is ludicrous.
Virtual reality support brings a universe in front of your face that is wonderfully designed for the technology. The procedurally-generated worlds encompass your vision, and the beautiful part is this: you can switch between VR and ordinary gameplay without any hiccups.
Online multiplayer gets a boost as the player cap expands on both console and PC. Console players will be able to join groups of 8 now, and PC players have a group maximum of 32, which is ridiculous. These improvements will enhance the social element of the game as players are able to interact and play together with greater ease.
Other than those two specific updates, Beyond is introducing a bevy of smaller modifications and new content. It's a long list of changes. Hello Games is rewarding existing players with an ever-growing world, and the developer is also enticing new players by supporting the game in a robust way. They're a small team, but they're making big waves.
What Hello Games has accomplished with No Man's Sky is an achievement in commitment to a vision. It's been hard work, but No Man's Sky is turning into an excellent game.
