When “No Man’s Sky” was first announced, it created quite the buzz. The game was being published by Sony even though the developer, Hello Games, was a small indie studio. Sean Murray, founder of Hello Games, went on TV shows and did various interviews with gaming sites. He made the game sound like it was the end-all-be-all of games. After over two years of waiting and hype, the game was finally released August 9, 2016.

Upon release, the game was pretty bare-bones. Planets were large but there wasn’t much to do on them, there wasn’t really a story or even an ending. Despite the game being panned by critics and players, it still managed to sell well.

I played “NMS” when it came out. I liked the game for what it was, but after a few hours of playing, it was clear that there wasn’t a lot of worthwhile content there. It was fun exploring all the different planets but it got old fast. After a year of updates, I went back to see how much had changed.

Hello Games has done a good job of adding features that make the game feel more complete.

The game has a more focused story along with new missions, characters, side plots, missions, aliens, space stations, base buildings and bounties.

“NMS” now offers a deeper version of the ‘Atlas’ storyline that was in the game since the launch. As you explore, you’ll meet various characters who refer to you as a “Traveler,” a unique species that was created by an unknown entity. They also mention that they feel compelled to seek out the Atlas and find the truth behind who they are and where they came from.

I’m sure there are plenty of people who bought the game around the time of release and felt burned by it. Now might be a good time for those lapsed players to jump back to see if this new experience makes it all worth it.

I’ve been enjoying my time in “No Man’s Sky” so far, but the core issues the game has still lingers. There’s plenty more to do, but aside from a few storylines, none of it seems meaningful. Exploring some of the planets is interesting but they still feel largely empty.

With what has been said, it’s still a pretty relaxing game and the writing has a nice, old sci-fi novel feel to it. The few alien races that are in the game are interesting, even if their background and purpose in the galaxy are a little too ambiguous.

3 out of 5 stars

Ulises Duenas can be reached at [email protected] or @OrionUlisesD on Twitter.