No Man's Sky was a bit of a mess when it released one year ago. Issues ranged from balancing to any lack of meaningful progress beyond getting a bigger ship. Since then, the developers have added significant new blocks to the game like ground vehicles and base building, while tweaking most of everything else. But while those elements could be fun, on their own, they didn't mean much beyond that.
1.3 which dropped last week, adds a ton of changes, from new gameplay modes to a bigger story. Most importantly it brings everything together, tying the story with base building, star hopping, and all the adventure together, while also making flight and space combat actually fun on their own merits, and balancing the grind aspects of the game so that its not a chore anymore.
With the graphical overhaul and the new hi-res textures, planets are more awe inspiring than ever. Terrain, plants and animals feel more natural, adding to the suspension of disbelief when you explore a planet.
They also made it so that from space, the "generic" planet texture transitions more seamlessly into the actual terrain texture (I think that's what happens), so that when you fly above a planet in a low orbit altitude, you actually see the terrain features, adding a lot to immersion.
There are many other changes such as new system economy, new missions and types, new ways to shape the terrain, and it all makes for a fun space exploration game with elements of RPG and adventure that draws you in and then leaves you wanting more.