Fans of dystopian survival and deep crafting mechanics, it’s time to fire up your engines. Helsinki-based developer Channel37 has officially deployed Update 5: New Horizons, the latest major Early Access content drop for their atmospheric hit, The Last Caretaker.
Available right now on both Steam and the Epic Games Store, this massive update shifts the game’s focus from mere lonely survival toward the active restoration of Earth. If you’ve been waiting for your actions on this flooded planet to truly mean something, this is the milestone patch you’ve been waiting for.
Check out the official breakdown of what’s waiting for you beneath the waves and across the stars.
1. Project Eden: Watch the World Heal
Up until now, your primary directive as the last active robotic Caretaker has been an isolated loop: salvage resources, nurture human embryo seeds in the Lazarus Complex, and launch them into orbit. With New Horizons, Project Eden begins. For the first time, your orbital committee’s progress results in physical, visible changes on Earth. As humanity’s future progresses in space, the Eden mega-structure will literally begin to rise from the sea.
2. The Committees Awaken
Those humans you’ve spent hours launching into the cosmos are no longer just success metrics on a terminal monitor. The Council of Humanity and Orbiting Committees have officially awakened. Players can now interact with space committees via terminal networks, unlocking entirely new development paths, technology rewards, and long-term restoration goals that filter back down to the surface.
3. Deep-Sea Encounters: Project Jonah & Theta-9
- Project Jonah: Dive into a beautiful and mysterious new questline featuring a massive whale encounter. This addition introduces dedicated summoning locations, deep lore drops, and exclusive rewards.
- Theta-9: Ready for a challenge? Players can now infiltrate Theta-9, a heavily sealed, flooded research facility constructed to study the mysterious Roth’s Anomaly. Expect eerie environments, corporate secrets, and high-tier loot.
4. Uncover ‘Cultural Memories’
Rebuilding a civilisation requires more than just manufacturing bodies; it requires preserving culture. Update 5 introduces Cultural Memories, scattered remnants of the world that came before. Using your Photodrone, you can hunt down and analyse ancient cave paintings, holographic memories, statue spires, and historical samples to piece together what caused Earth’s great deluge.
5. An Upgraded Arsenal of Tools & Tech
Channel37 has introduced a devastatingly fun lineup of new hardware to help optimise your salvage operations:
- The Rhino Dismantler: A roaring, petrol-powered dismantling beast designed for faster, louder, and messier material recovery.
- TideRipper™ Hand Jets: Need to navigate flooded corridors quickly? These hand jets completely overhaul underwater mobility.
- PECO Grid Scan 2000: An essential utility upgrade allowing you to visually trace power lines, wire networks, and complex machine links.
- Recovery Grinder & Rocket Payload Fabrication: Advanced loops for recycling and preparing your next rocket payload.
- Data Recovery Deck: Now featuring actual MOD music playback to keep you company across the quiet ocean.
Technical Tuning and New Threats
It’s not an ocean paradise without a few hazards. Be on the lookout for new smarter-behaving threats, including Ram Sharks, Laser Sharks, and ArchAngels.
To balance the scale, the update introduces comprehensive under-the-hood overhauls. Players will experience a major memory optimisation pass, better CPU/GPU performance, enhanced underwater visibility through glass, HDR support, a brand-new wave and weather system, and full Italian and Spanish localisation.
The Verdict: Channel37 continues to prove why they are one of the most transparent and dedicated teams in Early Access gaming. New Horizons successfully bridges the gap between mechanical base-building and impactful storytelling.
The Last Caretaker is out now in Early Access on PC. Head over to Steam or Epic Games Store to grab the update or check out the free playable demo.
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