Dome Keeper just got a massive update that ups replayability and helps generate better worlds
The dome has expanded
Katharine (RPS in peace) thought Dome Keeper's blend of tower defence and mining was both "meditative" and "perfectly formed" in her review. So it comes as great news, then, that the devs have somehow taken that perfect dome, expanded it and polished it to an even greater sheen. We're talking about new guild assignments, new gadgets, better world generation, a new world, new monsters. The list is enormous and designed expressly around improved replayability - take that, Las Vegas Dome.
Entitled "A Keeper's Duty", the aim of the update is to provide "more run variety and bigger replayability". Take new Guild Assignments, which are essentially special challenge runs. You'll pick an assignment with special conditions and goals, like landing on a planet that has "only monsters shooting projectiles", and you've got to figure out how to deal with the twist. Complete assignments and you'll earn badges, which you can then spend on permanent rewards: being offered three instead of two gadgets, being able to reroll gadget offers, and more.
There's a new "Droneyard" primary gadget that helps eliminate the bore of carrying resources from the mines to your dome, as drones will do it for you instead. The yard also generates two form of drone: combat and parasitic, with the former firing missiles and the other latching onto enemies and making them more vulnerable to attacks.
As for those new monsters, there's one called the breeder that continuously spawns new ticks. If you shoot it, it'll harden for a bit and make life more difficult. Otherwise, there's a new glass cannon called the tormentor that fires a massive laser but transforms into a squishy bastard when charging up. Timing is critical then, as you need to blast it when in this vulnerable state, lest you get cooked.
Thanks to a big engine update (moving from godot 3 to 4), the game now has better map generation. Before there were lots of blob-shaped maps, now there will be maps of many more shapes and sizes, with new interesting structures.
There's an absolute tonne of extra changes I could cover here, but won't because it'll turn into a day-long endeavour. You can view them all over on Steam if you're keen to soak it all in.