No Man’s Sky Xeno Arena Adds Pokémon-Style Battles
While news that Nintendo’s patent against their battle-style games was rejected, it seems like it’s good news for Hello Games. In the latest update of their action-adventure survival game, a Pokémon-style battle will be added.
No Man’s Sky Xeno Arena is the newest update in the game’s decade-long streak of new content. According to the official patch notes on the site, the new update will introduce “turn-based creature battles! Explore the universe to assemble a team of creature companions, perfect their genetic makeup, and test their mettle at stimulated combat arenas. Discover hundreds of unique battle abilities, challenge new alien characters, share your strategies for daily challenges, and more!”
Players will be able to challenge friends and NPCs to monster battles in exchange for new rewards. Creatures will have elemental affinities, just like in Pokémon, which are dictated by their planet’s biome. And of course, creatures that are in harsher biomes are stronger and rarer, creating a great incentive to be more adventurous.
“We are huge fans of Pokémon, Palworld, and pet-battling in World of Warcraft,” Hello Games founder Sean Murray said in a press release. “Now, when discovering a rare robotic creature in a far-flung purple system planet, you can check their abilities, and for instance, discover a powerful neutron blast attack. Suddenly, it brings a new dimension to exploration. Rare creatures and beautiful pets become something exciting to show off in the Arena.”
The genetic mutation option is an exciting addition to the Pokémon-style battles. According to the official site, players will “earn experience through battle to unlock genetic mutations for your creatures. Veteran battlers have the opportunity to enhance their likelihood of moving first and dodging incoming attacks, to increase their durability in battle, and to upgrade the overall effectiveness of all their combat abilities.”
This is the perfect time to get back into the game if you need a new and exciting spin on the game.
