Forget subtle. The Last Caretaker just added sharks with laser beams strapped to their heads, and that sentence is completely factual.
Developer Channel37 dropped the third major update for its oceanic survival sim this week, titled Curiosity Wakes. The update has been in early access since its alpha launch in November, and the pace of updates has been genuinely impressive. Last month brought a jetski and two new biomes. December added a forklift and a compost system for biofuel production. Now? Laser sharks.
Three Sharks Walk Into an Update
The Curiosity Wakes update introduces three new hostile shark types to The Last Caretaker's waters. First are the laser sharks, which do exactly what the name promises: fire lasers at your robot protagonist from their heads. Then there are ram sharks, which presumably close the distance fast and hit hard. The third type is called archangels, a name that sounds peaceful but almost certainly is not.
Here's the thing: The Last Caretaker has always had a slightly ambiguous identity. Is it a melancholy post-apocalyptic survival story? A hopeful sci-fi tale about relaunching humanity by growing people in vats and shooting them into space? A boat-building crafting sandbox? The answer, apparently, is all three, plus now it also has Austin Powers villain energy.
danger
The Curiosity Wakes update is the game's third major content drop since its alpha launch in November, making it one of the more active early access projects currently on Steam.
Your New Companions Are a Cat-Faced Turret and an Army of Spiderbots
Fighting laser sharks alone sounds miserable, so the update also introduces two deployable NPC companions.
- The Sweetheart is a mobile gun turret with a cat face on it. Yes, really.
- Players can also craft swarms of spiderbot creatures to overwhelm enemies through sheer numbers.
The contrast between the game's existential premise and its actual content continues to be something. You are the last sentient being on an abandoned Earth, keeping the flame of humanity alive, and your best friend is a cat-faced cannon.
The Sweetheart companion turret
What Else Curiosity Wakes Brings to the Table
Beyond the new enemies and companions, the update fills out The Last Caretaker with a solid batch of additional content:
- Robot customisation options for your automaton protagonist
- Several new quests and locations to explore
- Further performance optimisations
- The Council of Humanity terminal, which lets you remotely contact the vatgrown humans you previously launched into space and have them perform unspecified actions
That last point is genuinely intriguing. Channel37 hasn't detailed what those actions are, which is either a deliberate tease or a sign the feature will expand in future updates. Either way, the idea of managing a space-bound remnant of humanity from a terminal on your boat is a strong hook.
For players who want to check the game out before committing, Channel37 recently upgraded the free demo on Steam, improving the starting area and expanding the explorable zones available before you need to purchase the full game. You can find out more about the game's background in the official Caretaker Program press release.
With three substantial updates in roughly four months, The Last Caretaker is building a reputation as an early access game that actually delivers content on a consistent schedule. Laser sharks are a bold creative choice, but bold creative choices are what make survival games memorable. Make sure to check out more:
