Gaming

Have you ever dreamed of becoming mayor of your own backwater town in the deep recesses of infinite space? Well, the best space exploration game of the decade just released another free expansion that will let you fulfill that particular fantasy to your heart’s content.

No Man’s Sky just dropped its latest update titled Beacon, a complete overhaul of what’s possible in planetary settlements made throughout the galaxy. As detailed in another one of Hello Games’ excellent trailers, Beacons allows players to discover and lead robotic towns as mayor. As a settlement leader, players can make crucial decisions about a town’s production and create new structures like bars and fishing ponds for townsfolk to enjoy. Keeping people happy will be a big part of this.

“You can upgrade the settlements,” Hello Games Managing Director Sean Murray says. “Each inhabitant has their own little backstory.”

Being a leader won’t just be about growing your town into a thriving center. Players will have to protect their settlement from outsiders and invaders by hiring a defensive squadron. They’ll also act as the mediator who resolves disputes between town inhabitants. The trailer promises this is just the beginning of Hello Games’ plans for overhauled settlement mechanics.