Why Early Access?

“I want WatanOS to be a sandbox for all cryptic puzzle-lovers out there, like myself. The game will contain a story, but my main focus is to provide a robust platform to build, share, and solve puzzles.

I believe that the input from players about what works and what doesn’t will be valuable when developing more systems going forward forward. I’d like to make it available to people this early so I’m able to polish the existing puzzles and features - so we can all create, and solve the best cryptic puzzles out there.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“While this will probably change depending on the feedback I receive or how much the community responds to the game, I expect that WatanOS should be fully released by Q1 or Q2 of 2023.”

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

“The goal for the full release is to have a complete and functioning sandbox for people to create their own pages, and even customize the OS itself.

For the base game, I'm aiming on building a small story - accompanied by at least 50 puzzle levels.

Regarding the sandbox tools, the goal is to integrate a system for people to create their own web-pages within WatanOS and share them through the Steam Workshop.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The current version of WatanOS is fully playable, with most of the base mechanics in place - but it does not include all the content I want for the full release.

The game contains:
- over 20 levels
- over 40 puzzles (randomly selects one per level)
- random puzzle generation, no two gameplays will be the exact same
- Twitch chat integration, allow your twitch chat to mess with your computer

What's left?
- Over 10 more levels
- Over 20 more puzzles
- Implementing the story
- Finishing multi-language support

But even as is, I feel like the game already has the ‘vibe’ I’m going for for the rest of the game and people can already see what they’ll be getting in the future, as well as being part of it's development.”

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

“The game will remain free to play forever, but I will eventually release a $5 USD DLC for people to support the project.”

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

“Through my own twitter account (@Watanoge) and several forum posts inside steam - I plan to have an open and constructive conversation with early-access players, taking feedback and suggestions, and talking freely about design tradeoffs as I make development decisions. I have certain design goals and principles that I plan on sticking to, but as far as what people find valuable about the game, I would love to get that feedback to inform my decision making about what to work on next.”