Image: Hello Games

No Man's Sky... where do I even begin?

It's possibly the single greatest comeback in gaming history, going from the most ridiculed release in recent memory to being one of the most respected sci-fi adventure exploration games of all time, and rising to a very positive rating on Steam with nearly 190k reviews. This redemption arc speaks for itself, and it keeps doing so with every update, with No Man's Sky 7.1 "Forsaken" no different.

"Forsaken" enhances the deep space introduced in the last month's "Cosmos" update, adding new traders and items that can be salvaged from various wrecks throughout the depths of space, in conjunction with new quests that go along with them and a vast array of corvette parts, a Larva multi-tool, Larva tank helmet, and title that tie into these mysterious traders, salvage spots, and... preserved grubs? (all very on brand for October, might I say!).

You'll discover new "forsaken traders" on the edges of space, aliens with a lust for mementoes, who are willing to trade some pretty cool exclusive corvette parts in exchange for them. Venture out to find space hulks, derelict freighters, and infested outposts to bring back these elusive "haunting mementoes" that deep-space shopkeepers so desire, and earn all-new Biomechanical "sinister" corvette modules.

Some of the new modules added are the Legion class interiors, Vintage class, Hornet class, Viper class, and Mantis class cockpits, along with many more, of which all I can say is that I will more than likely be making a new corvette, or at least modifying my current one.

Building on the "Cosmos" update, we had salvage contracts; now we have courier contracts (Euro Truck Simulator fans rejoice), and you can become a deep space trucker paid a hefty sum to transport clients' rarest and most valuable cargo safely.

Moving away from the content side of this update, we are going to look at what I think is a strange (but very big and openly welcomed) port of the game to iOS, meaning players on iPhone and iPad can now enjoy the infinite universe, too. Hats off to Hello Games for this port, as this wasn't needed and I doubt it will rake in many players, but it just goes to show that they do care about each and every player – no matter what platform they're playing on.

Some smaller, but equally as important, quality-of-life updates are also in this patch, such as a weapon radial select menu (finally!), minimal HUD mode, space base uploading, space scavenging guidance, deep space outpost holo battle tables, and last but far from least, seamless intersystem warping, allowing you to warp straight to a neighbouring star without the need to open up the galaxy map, which is such an immersive addition.

This update is, as always, full of things that build just that little bit more onto the phenomenal world of No Man's Sky, making it deeper and more developed every single time a patch drops, and what makes it even better is that it is all for completely free: in today's gaming climate, this is quite a refreshing way to do it.

If you're one of the few people who hasn't tried No Man's Sky, take this as your sign to jump in. Head over to Steam and pick up No Man's Sky today at a whopping 60% discount. Happy exploring!