The first free update of 2020 has arrived for No Man's Sky (along with the complete patch notes). Titled The Living Ship, this latest update gives players a new way to traverse across the universe by hopping aboard sentient creatures. Mass Effect's Reapers, anyone?

The Living Ship update adds the first new starship to No Man's Sky since Atlas Rises, but these egg-born crafts are obviously a little different from anything that's come before. Players who fancy incubating, growing, and flying their own living vessel can visit the Space Anomaly and follow the call of the Void Egg. This will kick off a series of new missions that explore the ancient Korvax experiments that led to the birth of these interstellar beings, where you can also get your own.

As with everything else in No Man's Sky, each living ship is procedurally generated. They can't be upgraded like a traditional ship, but each one is born with a unique set of internal organs that determine their abilities. If you want one with, say, a fast hyperdrive, you'll have to nurture your ship towards the specs you want to see.

Aside from giving you the option of hatching your own vessel, The Living Ship update also introduces new space encounters to enhance the off-planet experience. Space travel should now be more varied with strange new lifeforms and mysterious objects awaiting your journey between planets.

Hello Games describes the organic ships as "slightly psychedelic," which isn't inaccurate.

2019 was a big year for No Man's Sky as developer Hello Games released the 2.0 Beyond update back in August, which added full PlayStation VR support and expanded multiplayer, among a host of other new additions. Since then, the studio has been experimenting with releasing regular feature updates every month or so, rather than waiting eight months between massive updates like Next and Beyond. Hello Games says this change in approach led to there being more players in January on all platforms than any previous year, while the average player enjoys longer play sessions across the board.

Hello Games promises The Living Ship update will be the first of many in 2020. You can pick up No Man's Sky on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC now.