Ark: Survival Evolved Adds Snow, Swamps, Direwolves
And a giant frog you can ride
There's something so straightforward about the populist appeal of Ark: Survival Evolved [official site] that I find it charming. "Hey, what if we made a dinosaur game that wasn't broken?" Alright. "Hey, what if you could ride the dinosaurs?" Sure, whatever. "What if there was a dinosaur that could roll around like Sonic?" Uh-huh, cool.
The latest update seems designed in a similar fashion, answering "OK yes" to questions like "What if there was a snow setting?" and "What if you could ride direwolves like those in that fantasy series everyone likes so much?" You'll find a video of that and more below.
The update is the first to add new biomes to Ark, and along with the snow there's also a swamp world. Both offer slightly different considerations for players looking to inhabit the zones, such as the need to don thicker clothes while exploring in the snow. They also both come with new local animal types, so while the snowbound ride their direwolves and the new stag-like Megaloceros, swamp rats can tame and ride the "Beezlebufo" gigantic frog. The frog looks particularly fun, because it can hop and catch things by extending its enormous tongue. I'd play a game about that.
Although I'm guessing the frog wouldn't pass muster with our expert when it comes to the scientific accuracy of Ark's creatures.
Alongside the update, Ark can now be bought through the Humble Store as well as Steam. Humble will simply give you a Steam key, but a sale celebrating its arrival does mean the game's £7 cheaper there for another day.
