When we previewed cozy co-op survivalbox Aloft back in January, we were surprised at how good it was – but already cognizant of the fact that it needed much more content, which was exactly what the early access period was meant to provide. And provide it does, as this afternoon, Funcom and Astrolabe have released the game’s first big early access update, dubbed Critters & Wonders.
“The Critters & Wonders update adds a whole range of collectable critters that can be found all across the skies of Aloft. Bees, butterflies, bats, frogs, lizards, and many more, with each species coming in a variety of colors, and rarities. Catch them using the net or lure them with feed to bring them on your journey through the clouds. Unleash your cute companions in places where the ecosystem needs a push for balance to be restored. They can even be placed in fancy vivariums on your skyship home base.”
And you can build landing pads so they land safely and call them back to their enclosures, too! That’s the “critters” part of it, and we can already imagine how much more alive they’ll make the game (in our experience, even just getting to an island with sheep makes the world feel less lonely). As for the the “wonders,” that part of the patch refers to a new type of floating island called Wonder Islands, which are “fixed in the world and always offer a unique reward or discovery.” Today’s patch includes two such islands with more on the way.
The patch blog further teases a new “shared home” flag that allows players to collaborate on bases without a need for individual permissions.
Astrolabe says this is “only the first of many content updates” coming during the early access. Worth noting is that Aloft will be on sale as part of the Steam spring sale starting Thursday, March 13th.
