Why Early Access?

“We feel that the game is already at a stage where it can offer a complete, fun experience with a lot of replayability. At the same time, we have many features in mind that we would like to add before the game is complete. The strengths of Sisyphus Paradox lie in its collection of components (Ship Assets, Enemies, Bosses/Minibosses, Random Events, etc) which can lead to various emergent tactics, builds, and playstyles. We believe that the best way to ensure that these emergent features are fun but also balanced is by exposing them to the user base and testing them through actual play. Furthermore, as a small independent studio, it is important for us to start having some kind of revenue stream.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We aim to release version 1.0 at around 12 months after the initial release of the Early Access version.”

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

“While the core of the game will probably remain as-is, we intend to listen very carefully to user feedback and consider modifying any aspects of gameplay that do not resonate with the players.
Furthermore, we have plans to extend the game with a number of features:

• One additional ship class, the Nano ship, reflecting BlissCo aesthetics and featuring unique mechanics that will lead to different playstyles
  
• New ship Assets (Weapons, Passives, Specials), including a number of Assets exclusive to the Nano ship
  
• New enemies, including Minibosses and Act End Bosses
  
• More Random Events, with a focus on Acts 2 and 3
  
• A richer, custom-tailored audioscape, particularly with respect to sound effects
  
• More graphics, including Ship and enemy animations
  
• Better support for controllers, consoles, and other platforms
  
• Polishing, bug fixing, UI revamping

Depending on user feedback, we would like to consider the following options as well

• Potentially more difficulty levels ("Timestreams") to accommodate demand for greater challenge
  
• Endless mode and a Scoreboard
  
• Limited Time Challenges
  
• Run Modifiers that encourage unique playstyles

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What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Sisyphus Paradox is currently fully playable, including all three acts, two Ship Classes, 56 Ship Assets, one miniboss per Act and enemy race, three Act End Bosses, ten Timestreams, and a large pool of Random Events. The core of the story arc is written and the cutscenes drawn, although open for further expansion. The current version has undergone rigorous in-house testing to provide a balanced, challenging, fun experience with a lot of potential for replayability. In short, it is a complete game, and is kept relatively bug-free.
Controller and Steamdeck support are implemented and almost fully functional, although some polishing of non-gamebreaking issues may be necessary.”

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

“We are considering raising the price as development is completed and we move to 1.0.”

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

“We plan to dedicate specific effort on engaging with the Community, paying close attention to user feedback, collecting bug reports and responding with solutions, patches, and game improvements.”