No Man’s Sky has been one of the most anticipated games for several years running. It was delayed a few months ago. But now, finally, No Man’s Sky is coming August 9.
To celebrate the imminent release Sony will be trickling out a series of four trailers. These trailers each focus on a different core aspect of the game: exploration, fighting, trading, and surviving.
The first, “Explore,” is a rapid-fire montage of discovering new planets. The gigantic universe of “18 quintillion planets” is entirely procedurally generated. That means the game creates planets and entire ecosystems as you explore. Exploration and discovery is a major part of the game.
The “Explore” trailer shows mostly inhabited worlds filled with large alien dinosaurs and strange monolithic structures. Hello Games had previously stated that about 90% of the planets will be uninhabited. Treat this as an extreme highlight reel of some of the coolest planets you’ll find.
Exploration actually has some gameplay involved. There’s a grand social tool called The Atlas. Explorers are encouraged to scan all the new flora and fauna they discover to add them to this galactic database and earn rewards.
The charming indie studio Hello Games has crafted one of the most ambitious indie titles ever conceived. “No Man’s Sky is the hardest thing I’ve ever worked on,” admits lead programmer Sean Murray in a June 24 blog post. “This is a type of game that hasn’t been attempted before. This is the hardest working, most talented team I’ve ever worked with, and I’m so proud of what we’re doing. The universe will be yours very soon.”
No Man’s Sky arrives August 9 for PlayStation 4 and PC.
