Why Early Access?

“Why Early Access?
The type of game I’m working on is very unique in nature and as a solo developer it’s hard to obtain varied feedback and I have no team to constantly test the experimental features the game possesses. Aza is made to be a game with a wide range of different gameplay and abilities that changes the further you get into the game, and has a lot of moving/changing mechanics. While for the majority of the game it's an arena fighter there are certain levels that stretch out or change the gameplay. Such as level 5 taking place in a longer room that requires the player to traverse through obstacles as well as defeat enemies. Another example is the second boss fight going from a hack and slash 3D fight, to a top down bullet hell during its 3rd phase. I believe releasing in Early Access so I can collect feedback on what is too much and what works best in the game's direction.
Also because of the number of different combinations in abilities and menus, there are a lot of hidden bugs that only appear in special conditions. With the feedback from a varied amount of people that will play the game differently from each other, I can identify these bugs and improve the game’s overall experience faster, and release a more stable product.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“There are 100 planned levels, 7 planned episodes of story, 7 bosses with each having a change in gameplay for their different phases, many unique abilities, super skills, cinematic reaction events and various different enemy types. With this in mind, I plan to have the game in Early Access for 10 months to a year. In that time I plan to finish the rest of the levels, add more skills, abilities and enemies to the game. I work on the game at a daily pace, rapidly improving systems, enemy AI, making skills and animating cinematic events. If the player’s feedback asks for more fleshed out parts in any particular area that appeals to the vast majority even though it may be close to the release window, I will extend the Early Access, depending on the flow of development at that point.”

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

“I envision the full version to have many different possible builds that will suit any player's playstyle, with a combat style that supports not only a varied amount of abilities and skills, but also cinematic combat moments made to fill the player with satisfaction upon successful execution and the feel that they are the protagonist to an anime. The goal is to be able to have a different combat experience every time you play.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Episode 0 is set as the first episode to be in the game; it shows the structure of how episodes work as well as serves as the tutorial to the game play. The first arena is completed and the first 5 levels of the game including the first boss are available right from the start along with 5 skills and 8 passive abilities for players to be able to unlock and combine. There are 3 base enemies and each has a unique cinematic event that can be activated when special conditions are met through methods such as, perfect guards, well timed parries or well matched attacks. Finally, there's 1 boss fight with 3 different phases, the first one being the normal fight in the area, the one that follows is where he fills the room with darkness and it's up to the players reaction timing or defense build to ensure survival. The final one is fighting a powered up version of the first phase fight when the boss has additional attack patterns and packs an extra punch.”

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

“The price may increase upon release.”

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

“I will be available for receiving feedback actively through the official twitter account, official Discord, YouTube page, and the steam community thread.”