Why Early Access?

“With how long it is taking to complete this project, I decided to make it available in early access as the core of the game is already very fun and highly repayable. This way people can enjoy the game now and offer feedback as development progresses.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“I have no estimate to give at this time. My plan is to release a major update approximately every two months for the foreseeable future, each one containing whatever new content is completed and ready to be released. This will continue until a point where the game is close enough to completion that I will want to stop early access updates to focus all my resources on wrapping up the project. This means that there will be a sizeable gap between the last early access update and the 1.0 update, but I will continue to keep everyone updated on what's going on during that time.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“The biggest difference will be that the finished version of the game will contain a lot more polish, secrets, and story elements/context. Many aspects of the game that currently feel unfinished, such as the menus, will be significantly improved in the final version. The story I have planned will also remain completely absent from the early access. This story will be relatively unobtrusive, so anyone who's interested solely in the gameplay will not have to worry about it getting in the way. My focus is making a fun game first, cool story second.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“As of version 0.4 released in February 2024, the game is in a very playable state, specifically the main Hide & Seek mode. This update brought a lot of technical changes that paved the way for smoother development and my plans for the rest of development.

Features that are currently implemented include:

• Hide and Seek (The game's main mode), which requires the player to beat a series of randomly generated levels. (Currently has three levels to beat, more are planned)
  
• Endless Mode
  
• Field Trips
  
• Challenge Mode (Currently there are three old challenge maps available for legacy purposes, more are planned to be added near the end of development)
  
• Custom NPC AI (Currently there are 13 fully functional NPCs, more are planned)
  
• Procedural level generation
  
• Random events (Currently there are seven, more are planned)
  
• Field trips (Currently there is one, with a total revamp of the current field trip style planned)
  
• "Educational" activities, which are very short puzzles or mini-games that must be completed to collect notebooks in some modes. (Currently, there is one, more are planned)
  
• Custom lighting system
  
• In-game shop where you can purchase items between levels
  
• Save and continue system which allows you to quit in the middle of a game of Hide and Seek and then continue later where you left off.
  
• A sound propagation system that forces sound to travel around walls in a relatively realistic way.

Planned features that are not yet implemented include:

• Secret levels
  
• Achievements (Both in-game and through Steam)
  
• More prominent horror elements (This will come much later into development)
  
• Adaptive music
  
• Unobtrusive story elements
  
• Tutorial
  
• A per-run upgrade system (Not to be confused with upgrades that carryover between runs)
  
• ERROR

”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“Yes, when the game leaves early access the price will be increased.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“Player feedback is very important to me and has and will continue to be a very important part of the development process. It is particularly helpful for getting game balance right, something that I will be tweaking constantly until the very end of development. If you have any feedback at all, please let me know in the Steam discussions or an email!”