When No Man’s Sky launched in 2016, the game was met with mixed response. For some, the Hello Games title didn’t live up to the expectations set by the game’s marketing. In the years following the game’s rocky release, the developer continued to update No Man’s Sky, making it into a far more impressive game. On Wednesday, another major update has rolled out: Prisms.
No Man’s Sky’s Prisms update is a free update that overhauls the game’s visuals. The game looks stunning; at this point, Hello Games has more than surpassed the original promise made in the 2013 announcement trailer. No Man’s Sky has come so far in the past five years — truly, a Destiny-style comeback — that it now looks like an entirely new game.
“Virtually every aspect of the game has had a visual overhaul,” Hello Games said in a news release. “Planets, skies, stars, creatures, the weather, space stationers and more — new technology and new art mean they look the best they’ve ever been.”
New weather effects include dimensional rain, with “refracts the light,” making the surfaces it touches “slick and wet.” Caves can be explored underground, with dynamic lighting that dramatically impacts how the biomes look.
An update in February added pets — the ability for players to tame, train, and breed alien creatures. It’s a popular feature, but flying pets were never included in that. As of Prisms, they are: Players can now tame and ride flying creatures, like “giant beetles, flying worms, and colossal butterflies.” All companions will see visual improvements — like textured fur.
“Above you, the night sky now shines with the light from thousands of distant stars,” Hello Games wrote. “New audio and visual effects transform your interstellar experience as you warp between destinations. In the Space Station, your freighter, and other interiors you’ll notice volumetric lights, detailed surfaces from Parallax Occlusion Mapping and gorgeous reflective metallic surfaces.”
Photo Mode has also been enhanced as part of the Prisms update, with “improved depth of field and bloom controls.”
No Man’s Sky’s Prisms update is the third major free update launched in 2021, following the Companions and Expeditions updates. Hello Games said it has more coming later this year.
