No Man's Sky is about to live up to its namesake with the Adrift update
Have you ever wondered what No Man's Sky would feel like without a single other soul?
We’re long past the launch era of No Man’s Sky, but part of what defined it for many (outside of all the broken pre-release promises) was just how lonely it all felt. Back then, NPCs were a rarity, and so many of the systems and mechanics players associate with the game today had yet to be implemented.
But, what if you could jump to a time when No Man’s Sky truly was a descriptive name for the Hello Games space exploration title?
That’s sort of what Adrift, the next No Man’s Sky major update, is attempting to offer. Adrift is the latest in a long line of free content updates for the game, though instead of adding something new, it’s taking a few things away.
Adrift transports players to an alternate version of the universe, one where NPCs, other lifeforms, trading, shops and many other conveniences do not exist. This a less-tamed world, one where monsters can roam free. The buildings players love to enter and explore are all broken and abandoned, with only the graves of travellers marking the way.
There’s an intriguing narrative behind this, one that you’ll need to go to space to explore, which is where you’re going to find the Frigate of the Damned and kickstart a quest that will unravel the mystery, and eventually lead to you getting a piece of this deserted world.
And, because Hello Games can’t help itself, Adrift also does have bits of new content, such as the new Hauler starship - the Iron Vulture. Following on from March’s Orbital update, which added ship customisation, Adrift also brings many new customisation options for all ships.
In the press release announcing Adrift, the developer said it actually started out just as the next No Man’s Sky Expedition, but grew in size and morphed into its own update (alongside also being an Expedition). The even better news is that Hello Games still isn’t done with the game, promising more to come in 2024.
For more details on what this update brings to the game, check out the official blog post. Adrift arrives today.