No Man Sky Worlds Part 1 is the latest free content update for No Man’s Sky, bringing the game to version 5.0. These updates have shown no sign of slowing down, and Sean Murray and the team at Hellogames have constantly far exceeded expectations, supporting the game for over 8 years now. No Man’s Sky Worlds Part 1 update has just dropped on Switch, promising another visual overhaul, and being the keen Traveler I am, I thought I would jump in and test it out. What’s it Like? Let’s take a look at the good, the bad… and the ugly.
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The first, and possibly biggest change to No Man’s Sky in the Worlds update is how planets look. There’s a wider range of planet biomes, and new clouds unique to planets depending on weather systems. The clouds look amazing on the trailers, but unfortunately and expectedly, Switch owners may need to lower expectations as there are compromises here and they still look volumetric but lack the difference in colour that makes them pop on other systems. Planets look great in the overhaul, with frozen tundras and desert planets getting some additional love. There is now wind effects, dynamic water, and all new creatures populating planets.
The dynamic water looks decent on Switch, but there is now a bit of blur, possibly from dynamic resolution or texture management to maintain frames. The addition of swaying flora makes the world feel alive, and there are also dust clouds and other debris that get pushed around by the weather effects making the planets feel more real. There are new floating islands with waterfalls that you can build bases on and they give bases a more exotic feel. All of this looks really beautiful and there’s a significant difference in planets and immersion in the game. I found upon returning to my barren Lava planet base, that there was a lot more scenery and it fleshed things out even more. Unfortunately, some of this additional visual fidelity comes at a cost.
Firstly, the new clouds are very low resolution, with very heavy pixelation. It’s quite obvious and while it has a minimal impact on the immersion of the game it should be noted. Also flying through clouds can cause the framerate to dip on occasion, which happens when entering or leaving the atmosphere of a planet. The dynamic resolution seems lower at times as well, and the game doesn’t look as sharp as it used to, and there’s an overall blur to things that is a bit more noticeable than before. The game still looks incredible and performs well for the most part, and the minor compromises are worth it in my opinion.
Along with the new update comes a new expedition, which is titled “Liquidators.” This expedition is a combat-heavy mission to eliminate the new brood of bug enemies that came along with the update. It looks to be vastly different from other expeditions with a more fast-paced focus and is reminiscent of starship troopers. You will be able to unlock parts and create a combat mech out of the Minotaur called “The Liquidator.” There will be a guide going up as fast as humanly possible so keep your eyes peeled for that one.
Finally, there are a few quality-of-life changes like being able to rename discoveries on the fly, a new labeling system, which was really helpful when facing a pirate dreadnaught, and several bug fixes. There is now also the option to customise and build your own solar starships, a highly requested feature. As with most of these updates, we will see further refining through patches in the coming weeks to smooth out a lot of issues mentioned above, and HelloGames is usually very quick to roll these patches out.
Despite small compromises, Worlds Part 1 is a great update, and I can’t wait for Part 2. I hope you enjoy exploring the game as much as I do and don’t forget to enlist in the liquidator’s Expedition to unlock some bug-themed armour. The only good bug is a dead bug. What are you waiting for? Do you want to live forever?
