Astroneer's Exploration Update blasts off with jetpacks and glowsticks
Soaring, flying
We didn't travel the stars just to be stuck on solid ground. Gravity has kept a tight leash on chunky space adventure Astroneer for too long, but that stops now. Alien nasties can't you when you're 30 feet in the air, but gravity sure can. You packed enough fuel to get down safely, right? Last night's update for the adorably brutal space survivor is all about exploration, giving you new tools to take to the skies - and look good doing it.
Aerial antics headline Astroneer's Exploration Update. You can check out some jetpacking japes in the trailer below.
Astroneer's jetpacks come in two flavours. The Solid Fuel Jump Jet gives you an extra wee boost while jumping, while the Hydrazine Jet Pack is the noisy rocket-powered flight you'd expect from a jetpack. More air control comes at a higher price, mind, and you'll need 3x as many Bytes (Astroneer's research currency) to strap a Hydrazine on your back.
Developers System Era Softworks gave Katherine an early look at Astroneer's new jetpack at PAX East earlier this year. There's an interesting tradeoff, giving you massive exploration potential at the expense of valuable resources and distance from valuable oxygen lifelines.
Afraid of heights? Mechanical wings aren't the only things brought about by the Exploration update. The Small Camera lets you take pics of your favourite vistas - you can even set it on the ground with a timer for some proper family-holiday snaps. Glowsticks have been added to help you find your way back through caves and the inky blackness of night.
Or you could throw the most killer rave this side of Alpha Centauri. Go wild.
There's a bundle of new building parts for bases, including some rings you can pop around the planet to test your aerial prowess. There's a bundle of quality of life changes and bug fixes as standard. You can find the full patch notes over on Steam.
Astroneer can be picked up for 25% off over on Steam and Humble until September 9th, leaving it a nifty £18/$22/€21.
