I was always going to be hyped for whatever Hello Games did next. I’m a massive fan of No Man’s Sky - both the initial release and what it has transformed into since, and its unique space exploration has helped me through a tough time recently. But the moment I heard Alt-J’s Hunger of the Pines start in that reveal trailer at The Game Awards 2023, I was sold on Light No Fire.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Here we go again. I understand the scepticism, given how much No Man’s Sky over-promised and then under-delivered, but I could spend hours talking about why this no longer matters. What does matter is how Hello Games responded to valid criticism, before going on to craft one of the best open-world sandboxes through creativity and perseverance across 31 feature-packed updates.

We’re eight years in now, and we still just want to do really big things… I’m so proud of the team and the love they’re pouring into it - Sean Murray

This year has been one of the best, too. Omega massively redesigned timed expeditions and reworked the main Atlas story. Orbital expanded space stations and allowed us to construct our dream ships from salvaged parts. Adrift took us into sci-fi horror territory, while Worlds Part 1 radically enhanced how we see the universe, visually. Then, less than a few weeks later, we got fishing in the Aquarius update. Just give No Man’s Sky the Game of the Year award already.

Jokes aside, it’s this dedication to improvement that has me most excited for Light No Fire. Each and every one of those updates has been at no cost, and while we’ve no information about how their next title will be monetised, we can be fairly confident that No Man’s Sky’s financial success means Hello Games is afforded the freedom to follow a similar path as a fully independent studio.

No Man’s Sky has shipped over ten million units in its lifetime, and even appeared on Steam’s list of best-selling titles in 2023 - it’s seventh year - a feat no doubt helped by Steam Deck verification and frequently being mentioned as an alternative to Bethesda's underwhelming big-budget title, Starfield.

The second thing that has me salivating at the thought of getting lost in Light No Fire’s colossal world is what we’ve seen both in the trailer and in No Man’s Sky recently - the evolution of Hello Games’ groundbreaking-but-understated procedural generation technology. Worlds Part 1, with its storms and realistic water effects is essentially a proof of concept of the kinds of things we can expect to see while traversing the fantasy-themed Super-Earth.

There’ll be a feeling of familiarity among No Man’s Sky players, but with Murray at pains to stress the ambition of Light No Fire, I think we can safely anticipate more without stepping into its predecessor’s overestimation. It takes a lot to be more ambitious than a virtually infinite universe, and while Hello Games are aiming high, I’d back them to use the lessons learned to create something very special. They won’t under deliver this time, and of that I’m sure.

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Now, again, I’d understand any eye rolls here. But what we have is a game positioning itself as something unlike others in its genre. To me, it feels like a game that could redefine a space dominated by games where metas, optimum builds, and FOMO pushing players to be constantly online are prevalent. Light No Fire feels much more like a do what you want, when you want, and just have fun with it game, and that is exactly what I want.

My worry is that people will inevitably make the same mistakes as with No Man’s Sky when it comes to expectations. Given the nature of the genre, they're going to expect MMO-style content, a la Final Fantasy 14 or World of Warcraft, but while details are scarce at the moment, I really don’t think Light No Fire is going to be that type of game. There's likely little hand-holding or god hand; content is going to be entirely player-driven within the framework. Think the NMS Galactic Hub, a community of players who build cities and claim home worlds in each galaxy.

Ultimately, it’s the people who are driving my hype for Light No Fire, from the communities that will spring up to Hello Games themselves.

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Light No Fire

Adventure Survival Open-World RPG Action Sandbox Fantasy Systems Released TBA Developer(s) Hello Games Publisher(s) Hello Games Engine Proprietary Multiplayer Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
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DIGITAL
Platform(s) PC Powered by Expand Collapse