Mojang wants to release smaller updates for Minecraft more frequently, rather than one big update every summer. Tonight's Minecraft Live stream detailed the upcoming Bravery And Bundles update, as well as another update to follow in the next few months. A spooky update.
It doesn't have a name yet, but it will add The Pale Garden, a new biome of eerie, gray trees and hanging moss, quiet by day and populated by a new gang, the Creaking, at night.
Squeakers are tree-like creatures that have adapted to their new biome home, making them easy to miss among the trees. If you spot and attack them, they won't take any damage. Instead, an ember beam will direct you to a block in the shadow of the trees called the Creaking Heart. The Heart acts as a puppet for the Squeaker, and that's what you must destroy to defeat them. The problem is that whenever you look away, the Squeakers move towards you.
If you chop down the trees in the Pale Garden, you'll get a new set of pale wood that you can use for crafting, and the new hanging moss can likewise be transferred or used for a creeping carpet. That's nice, but I'm more interested in the horror potential of a gang that evokes Doctor Who's weeping angels. The Warden, a hulking mob that emerges from the ground when you make too much noise in a deep, dark biome, is terrifying and produces some of the best moments in Minecraft, so more of it is a good thing.
The Creaking and Pale Garden will be coming to various beta versions of Minecraft soon.