Core Keeper Key Art
Image: Pugstorm & Fireshine Games

Game recognize game; Hookshot recognize Hookshot. As someone who doesn't really dedicate much time to survival crafting sandboxes, my many dozens of hours spent with Core Keeper (mostly played with friends) should attest to the quality of this Terraria-esque gem. And today, there's even more reasons to play it, thanks to its third major free post-release update: Riders of the Underground. No points for guessing what the focus of this little expansion is about.

Up until now, getting around in Core Keeper has mostly involved hopping on a mine-cart or boat until you get close to your destination, then dismounting to travel the rest of the way on foot. No longer! As detailed in the extensive patch notes here, once you've crafted yourself a saddle (or the upgraded racing variant), you can slap it on any 'cattle' class critter and hop aboard to give your feet a rest.

The update also adds one other major traversal tool–the Hookshot–equipped as an off-hand item, and it does exactly what you'd hope it would, letting you zip over pits and pools of water by grappling to a wall on the far side. Handy to have when you'd rather not build a bridge over every single gap you encounter on an expedition. There's a bit more new equipment too, including some new weapon types, including a whole set of seven magical scepters for magic-users.

The underground is also just a tad bigger this update, with a new sub-biome. Within the Forgotten Ruins area, freshly generated worlds may now spawn the Moss Forest sub-zone, all lush and green and friendly. Notable for having no predators lurking here, not even the goofy snaggle-toothed Orex dinosaurs. Coming in a whole range of colours, they're herbivores and can be tamed and ridden too. And who doesn't want a dinosaur pal? Especially when you can just feed them mushrooms.

As usual, there's far more to the update, including a raft of quality-of-life improvements (and even some quality-of-life improvements for rafts!), but you can read the full patch notes to really dig into that, or just dive into the game and try it for yourself. It's free real estate content!

The Riders of the Underground update is out now, although not accompanied by any discounts on Steam. Core Keeper is £16/$20, but savvy shoppers should be able to find it for around half that elsewhere. There are two more big updates planned in the 'Road to the Maw' arc planned, with Trials of the Depths coming next, and Beyond the Breach coming last. You can check out the development road-map here.