Abiotic Factor just got another massive update that adds better pets, a ludicrously involved chemistry system, and most importantly, a mop for cleaning up all your failed experiments

A scientist is mobbed by friendly alien pets in Abiotic Factor. — (Image credit: Deep Field Games)

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!

As suggested by the update's title, however, the main feature of Cosmic Companions is Abiotic Factor's significantly enhanced pet system. Dubbed 'Pets 2.0' by Deep Field Games, the system makes pets a much more central part of Abiotic Factor's play. It adds a "Companion pet slot" to your inventory that enables them to accompany you as you explore. Potential pets now include the game's foundational "Peccary" enemy, which looks like a dog with no legs and a beak (so not much like a dog at all, being honest). You can also pick up Pets and holster them in your hotbar, meaning you can bring them up ladders, through vents, and anywhere else they can't reach on their own.

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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.

Cosmic Companions Trailer - Abiotic Factor - YouTube

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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).

Rick has been fascinated by PC gaming since he was seven years old, when he used to sneak into his dad's home office for covert sessions of Doom. He grew up on a diet of similarly unsuitable games, with favourites including Quake, Thief, Half-Life and Deus Ex. Between 2013 and 2022, Rick was games editor of Custom PC magazine and associated website bit-tech.net. But he's always kept one foot in freelance games journalism, writing for publications like Edge, Eurogamer, the Guardian and, naturally, PC Gamer. While he'll play anything that can be controlled with a keyboard and mouse, he has a particular passion for first-person shooters and immersive sims.