Pacific Drive, the driving survival game from Ironwood Studios, has just received its Spring Update, and according to a post published on the game’s Steam Blog, it is the “largest ever” update to the game so far.
The main focus of this update is a new way to play Pacific Drive called Expeditions, which are available to all players after going through the early parts of the story.
“Expeditions start in the garage with an ever-changing set of challenges and restrictions, generating new routes, and ramping up the difficulty to ensure that every journey feels fresh. This new way to play is perfect for roguelite fans, offering players endless possibilities to keep playing.
On an Expedition, you'll be able to visit new Junction types that can assist you or provide you with new obstacles to overcome.”
These junctions will offer different things to the player, from a safe place to recoup and send materials back to Oppy’s garage, to challenging encounters. A new trader has been sighted in the Zone as well! Visit Ida’s Exchange to trade resources for rare parts, cosmetics, and recipes.
Here is a short bullet point list of other content and updates arriving with this Pacific Drive update, and here is a link to the complete patch notes:
- The Plasma Scrapper and Thermal Vacuum have been upgraded, adding new functions
- There is now an additional hour of new music in the game, consisting of 21 tracks from new and returning artists
- 25 New collectible Garage Cosmetics found exclusively during Expeditions
- New Fax Machine entries
- HUD options to allow for more organized, immersive gameplay
- New car cosmetics featuring personalities from the launch period streamer contest
While this would already constitute a hefty update to Pacific Drive, fans will likely be just as excited to hear about the changes the team has made to the game’s save system.
Due to player feedback the developers have received since the game’s launch, Pacific Drive has received a “Suspend Run” option, which allows players to pause their game indefinitely and continue on the same run upon returning.
“We firmly believe in the core design of the Pacific Drive gameplay loop and the risk that comes from a potential lost run. However, we know that sometimes life happens – plans can get interrupted and you have to step away, and we wanted to make the game's save structure more flexible to account for that.
Previously, Pacific Drive saved upon entry to every new junction and you were able to manually save at any time in the garage. Now you can also suspend your trip at any time in a junction and keep all your progress up to that point. Upon loading back into the game you'll find yourself on the same trip, in the same location, with your inventory up to date, and your progress in the junction saved.”
Now, fans can relax knowing they are able to pause their progress when life comes calling. The team at Ironwood Studios plans to give a more technical answer to how this new system works in the future.
They signed off on this Pacific Drive update with a heartwarming message to their fans, which reminds us of the importance of supporting the creators of the games we enjoy:
“One year later, Ironwood Studios is proud to continue our work on Pacific Drive. Updates like this one wouldn't be possible without the support of our excellent community and we look forward to all the adventures you'll have on your latest Expeditions.”
What are your thoughts on the changes coming with this Pacific Drive update? Let us know in the comments.
