[Update #2]: Subnautica: Below Zero has now launched from Early Access, and without any sort of major technical issues!

[Update]: The Deep Dive update has now added the Shadow Leviathan and a variety of new biomes to explore.

If you've been using Subnautica's islands as a way to escape the dangers that lie within the depths of the sea, I'm afraid you'll have to change up your strategy in Subnautica: Below Zero as the developers have just added the mighty Ice Worm. As the name itself would suggest, the gigantic beast tunnels through the icy surface, always on the lookout for tasty explorers it can munch on!

Besides the new gigantic new leviathan, this update has also added two new biomes to explore. The first are the Lilypad Islands that provide a fairly surreal environment to roam around in, and one that's full of shallow-dwelling creatures you'll need to keep an eye on. On the opposite side of things we have the Arctic Spires, a frozen wasteland dotted by large cliffs and guarded by the Ice Worm itself. Certainly a dangerous region to explore, but also one that will have a lot of significance to the story at some point in the future.

Speaking of which, the Subnautica team has now also reworked the introduction in order to make it significantly more engaging, as well as further fleshed out the mid-game story. All of this new dialogue is currently text-only, though worry not as voice acting will be coming in the future once the story has been fully solidified.

But enough of my babbling, here's what all of this looks like in gameplay terms. Have a gander, it's quite pretty:

You can learn more about the Ice Worm update, as well as Subnautica: Below Zero itself, over at the official website.