Why Early Access?

“We're extremely passionate about games at Explorers Guild, but we're also a fledgling development team. We thought an Early Access release of Hope's End would be best to allow us to get community feedback, as well as tune and revise any parts of the game that don't click with many players. This is ultimately going to be the best way to bring the best game we can to as many people as possible.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Six to twelve months.”

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

“Outside of overwhelming responses to the contrary, much of the core gameplay of Hope's End will remain the same from Early Access to full launch. We're continuing to work on new Challenges, map layouts, Specializations, and enemy Primes which will be included in the game gradually, as well as tighten balance, kill bugs, and improve overall play experience.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Seven of the twelve planned Specializations are complete and in the game, each with five variations granted by their unique Ascendancy options. Three Challenge modes are currently in the game, each with four tiers of difficulty to be challenged with every Specialization/Ascendancy combination. The length of individual runs is not intended to increase beyond the six Stages presently in the game, as we want to preserve an arcade and make Hope's End something you can casually sit down to play for a bit and step away from at your leisure without a long time commitment at any one play session.

Some aspects of the game's mechanics and gameplay may be in an unstable or unreliable state during this period, however.”

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

“Yes, the price of the game will increase once we leave Early Access.”

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

“We care immensely about the community's feedback in our development! Our Discord server is the best place to communicate with us about the current state of the game, and we're interested in hearing from people with all kinds of experiences, from the very best, to those struggling, to those who might just feel like they had an "okay" experience. We'll be checking the forums on Steam as well, so communication from those not wanting to join the Discord won't go unheard.”