Why Early Access?

“Thank you for taking the time to read these thoughts. I am a solo indie game developer and my views on design and release are influenced by my own preferences and experiences. I've always appreciated and enjoyed the opportunity to play games through Steam's Early Access program; I see it as an opportunity to both enjoy games particular to my niches and interests, as well as help support development and possibly help guide it with my feedback. In other words, I don't want to wait to play a new game I can tell I'm going to love.

So, it felt natural to release my first Steam title to Early Access. I hope this to be a worthy entry to the genre as well as the marketplace, and I'm excited to develop the game alongside the players who choose to join me.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“My goal is to have the game completed in six months. I believe this to be a realistic goal since most of the core systems are in place; the bulk of the remaining work is adding content such as new stages and art for cards and enemies. The main programming tasks left are adding functionality for new card and enemy effects and attacks, which are quick to implement because of the existing framework.”

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

“There are a number of additional stages planned, each with their own content - new enemies, new items, new cutscenes, and so on.

Also in planning are more protagonists to choose from, each with their own starting deck and locked card pool to customize from. These are intended to have their own mechanics and game feel, to increase replayability as well as allowing for differing styles of play.

Another goal is to expand the cast of merchants, each with their own personality and bargaining preferences.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Based on the playtests of myself and a handful of volunteers, there is an approximate ten to twenty hours of gameplay in this first launch build of the game. This is the time estimated to learn the game and its strategy and to craft a strong enough deck to defeat all three bosses, with additional time if you wish to explore each stage path and to find every item.

As of the launch to Early Access, there is one protagonist with over a dozen unique cards and seven unique card upgrades, allowing for a range of approaches and styles.

There are three fully implemented stages, with twenty combat encounters arranged along branching paths, allowing for different routes to be taken for each run. These are arranged in node maps with accompanying descriptive text and art, as well as cutscenes, that tell the story of Zoryavia and the terrible destruction in store for the world.

There are almost four dozen unique items to be found, each with their own accompanying lore that reveals a little about the setting and themes. Between each stage is an interstitial mini-stage where the player can rest and encounter merchants. There are currently four merchants, each of which has their own preferences for items they buy, creating a risk-and-reward-strategy for the sale of items and thus the customization of your deck during a run.”

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

“As of now I am not anticipating a price adjustment after moving the game out of Early Access.”

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

“I plan for feedback from the community to play a major role in the development process. Suggestions, encouragement, complaints, and bug reports are all vital - please leave your thoughts on the Steam Discussion board. Critical and constructive feedback from the player community is vital to continuing work towards making the best game possible.”