Further Adventures In No Man's Sky

FURTHER ADVENTURES IN NO MAN'S SKY

Before me, suspended in the pale blue void of space, hung the next planet I intended to visit. From here it had an earthlike appearance, with white clouds covering much of its globe, behind which I could glimpse patches of blue (presumably oceans) and flecks of brown that had to be landmasses.

Navigating my way down toward the surface of one of those landmasses, what from my vantage point in space had been just a brown speck became, as I got closer, a vast landscape of rocky hills and the tortured shapes of stone eroded by sand and grit blown by strong winds. Even from this far up, I could detect signs of life in the form of large plants dotted here and there.

The landing thrusters of my ship kicked up great plumes of dust. After it settled, I popped the hatch and stepped out onto the surface of this new world. In the distance I could see what looked like a tree, only this was not a plant but a form of giant fungus. And it was not the only giant to live here, for scuttling toward me was....Well, at first glance I would have called it a crab but it less resembled such a crustacean than did the creature I had encountered earlier. This animal had a shell shaped just like a mushroom, and it scuttled about on highly flexible legs which looked more like tentacles. It came up close to me, waving two green appendages which I took to be sensors of some kind or other.

Leaving the creature in peace, I ventured forth across the dusty-stoned landscape. Clambering up one of the strange tubular structures which stretched over the land, I looked down and beheld many gargantuan mushroom-like plants. I wondered if the crab-like creature had evolved to look like a mushroom in order to evade predators or to set a trap for prey?

Before long, among the strange leopard-spotted roots of those mega-mushrooms, I encountered my next alien life form. It was a squat, muscular creature, predominantly brown in color, sporting a huge thick tail that shouted out from the rear end of a thick shell that covered most of its back. Its legs were similarly impressively thick, perhaps not surprising given the weight it was obliged to carry around. I could see no eyes but two holes which I took to be olfactory organs of some description. It seemed unconcerned by my presence. Perhaps its thick shell and hefty muscles rendered it more than capable of defending itself?

As I journeyed on, the local star began to slowly sink until it was touching the brow of a distant hill. The whole sky seemed to blaze with golden light, and those huge mushrooms threw shadows that stretched across the dusty floor.

The vocalisation of an as-yet undiscovered animal interrupted my meditation of an alien sunset. Turning in the direction of its sound, I encountered what I can only describe as a cross between a possum and a stegosaurus. The creature had a head like a possum, save for the fact that it was scaly instead of furry, but sprouting from its body were unmistakably stegosaur-like spines. There appeared to me too few for them to have any defensive purpose. Perhaps they worked like some kind of natural radiator?

By the time the local star had dipped low enough for everything to have the deep shadows of dusk, I had reached the foot of that hill. From here it cut an imposing form, towering above me and wrapped in the mist of a fine rain that had started to fall. I felt compelled to climb up to its summit, and began what I expected to be a test of endurance.

Upon advancing a short way up the steep slopes of the hill, I encountered a creature more obviously accustomed to this kind of terrain than I. It was a cow-like animal, complete with hooves that gave it a confident sense of balance on this difficult terrain. Its most curious feature were these large green oval blobs that grew on the underside of its belly. Was this some kind of alien parasite? Perhaps one of the fungus-analogues had evolved to become a giant version of the verrucas that we sometimes get? If so, I was glad to have an environment-protection suit on!

After more arduous climbing that left me sweating inside my suit, despite the now chill evening air outside, I finally hauled myself to the summit. There, my efforts were rewarded with a most remarkable sight. Below me I beheld an ancient alien structure. It was made of metal, a vast triangular wedge mounted atop a large stone slab decorated here and there with obelisks and one cylinder that glowed with a white light. This was technology that was still functioning! Were its builders still alive? As I descended, I noticed that the triangular wedge had a semicircle cut out from it, evidently so that it could accommodate a large metal orb, held in place by four struts sprouting from it like the rays in a children's drawing of the Sun. What purpose did this imposing structure serve for whoever built it? I could not say, but I felt like it might have had some kind of religious significance.

The loud roar of a large animal caught my attention. As I soon discovered, 'large' was something of an understatement. This was a huge animal! A mighty, stegosaurus-like behemoth which would have towered over an African elephant. Surely this monster was not the same species as that dog-sized possum-like animal I had previously encountered? The ground positively shook as each of its four legs, so thick I could not possibly wrap my arms around them, stamped into the ground. It stood over me, and I was cast into the shadow thrown by its impressive bulk. Craning my neck I beheld it had a mouth shaped like a duck's bill. With another loud roar it dipped its bill toward me. My goodness did it mean to eat me? I took this as my cue to leave this world, and continue by quest of exploration...

Thanks to Hello Games for the images.