The sci-fi survival game from the creator of DayZ heads to space Skyrim in its latest DLC, accompanied by a free update that adds oil processing and chainsaws

I haven't checked in on Icarus, the sci-fi survival game from DayZ creator Dean Hall, for quite a long time. And, well, a lot has changed in the years since it launched as a solid but somewhat unremarkable survival game. Over the course of hundreds of updates, RocketWerkz has added a fully explorable open world, masses of new missions, fishing, and paid DLC that expands the map and adds hardcore survival mode. Rocketwerkz even threw in a flamethrower to celebrate just how many updates it has done.

Contrary to the myth, Icarus' flight shows no signs of slowing down either. This week, the studio released another huge DLC accompanied by a substantial free update that, combined, seems like a game's worth of stuff.

We'll start with the DLC, which is called Dangerous Horizons and primarily adds a new map for players to explore. Named Elysium, this is an 8x8km with biomes including desert, tundra, geothermal and volcanic areas. Basically, it's space Skyrim. It even has idyllic silver birch forests like the Rift area of Tamriel's most northerly province.

Elysium is home to a wide menagerie of alien wildlife, which includes deer-like storkas, feathered alien raptors, and my immediate favourite, the gribbler, a gibbon-like creature that swings between trees and throws sticks at players who get too close. There are 45 new creatures in total, including aggressive wildlife and a massive world boss, which Rocketwerkz says will "test the limits of your combat capability."

Elsewhere, the DLC adds 17 missions for players to embark on, radioactive zones where players can harvest uranium for processing, soldier outposts to battle through, interactable NPCs, laser guns, and a new vehicle called the Hoverframe, which is basically the speeder bike from Return of the Jedi. It's a beefy package, and so it should be, given it's priced at $30 (£25), albeit with a 15% launch discount.

The free Kepler update is less expansive than the DLC, but it still folds in some major new features. The primary addition is a new tech-tree tier that introduces oil processing. Players can now harvest crude oil from oil deposits using pumpjacks, refine it in oil processors, and create byproducts like plastics, synthetics, and epoxy. Refined oil can be used to fuel various new power tools, such as a nail gun, a jackhammer, and a chainsaw. I should imagine Rocketwerkz has much bigger plans for oil refining, too, given the industrial opportunities it unlocks.

Alongside oil processing, the Kepler update adds a flame turret and tesla coil for more creative base defence, concrete and stone variants for base fortifications, expanded building options including curved structures, saddles for mounts, 12 extra missions, two new armour sets, and new specialist tiers for tool, weapon and armour attachments.

Icarus has come a long way since launch. Rocketwerkz has demonstrated its commitment to supporting the game in the remarkable consistency of its updates, and there's plenty to get your teeth into at this point, with or without expansions. If you're considering picking it up, it's currently available for two-thirds off at $12 (£10). That discount ends on March 19.