Abiotic Factor is already a massive game; you could easily spend 80+ hours exploring its sprawling, Black Mesa-ish research facility. But that hasn’t stopped developer Deep Field Games further extending the tendrils of its labyrinthine, interdimensional science lab. Last December’s “Holiday Cryosphere” update added a giant, living snowglobe that players could frolic festively around, and its latest patch opens up another strange dimension for your expeditious scientists to investigate.
The Cosmic Companions update invites players to brave the Dunkeltaler Forest, a coniferous portal world home to the Alpen Signal Observatorium. Accessible via a portal in the Hydroplant, the portal world will challenge you to track down the source of the signal picked up by the Observatorium. Mysterious!
While the pet system and new biome are the headline updates, arguably the most significant change in terms of actual gameplay is the introduction of a chemistry system. This adds two new workbenches—the distillation bench and the chemistry bench—allowing you to brew all manner of ethically questionable concoctions.
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Potential brews include strength enhancers, speed enhancers, and, er, size enhancers (no, not like that), transforming your puny scientist into a seven-foot-tall Hercules. Alongside potions, the chemistry system also lets you craft weapon-enhancing coatings and throwable flasks, with effects ranging from healing grenades to, well, regular grenades.
Other additions include improvements to blunt melee weapons for scientists who enjoy solving problems directly, the introduction of a new vehicle: the hovercraft-style Power Chair. And most importantly of all, the update adds the Mop 9,000, an incredibly advanced cleaning device that combines the power of kinetics and moisture to wash away any stains covering your laboratory floor (or, indeed, any floor).
It seems like another excellent expansion to what Morgan Park called “one of the greatest survival crafting games ever made” in his Abiotic Factor review, a declaration I’d eagerly concur with. The game’s also on a 20% discount until Monday, letting you pick it up for $27 (£24).
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