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Josh Powlison's BUTTON: Mildly Remastered Edition
Press a button. Increment a number. Change reality. The instant classic returns for a mildly remastered electric boogaloo on modern computer systems. Once again experience the euphoria of button pressing with Josh Powlison's striking developer commentary to guide you.
All Reviews:
3 user reviews - Need more user reviews to generate a score
Release Date:
Jun 10, 2024
Developer:
Publisher:
Josh Powlison

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Features
Single-player
Commentary available
Family Sharing
Steam is learning about this game 
Languages:
Interface Full Audio Subtitles
English ✔ ✔
Includes 11 Steam Achievements
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all 11

Early Access Game

Get instant access and start playing; get involved with this game as it develops.

Note: This Early Access game is not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“
  • The base game is clearly based, but it needs to be built upon. Knowing what the people want will be easier once I hear feedback such as "this game needs to support autosave" or "I can't press the button with both this green drink and these powdery chips in my hands, can you add voice support?" Do we need to add speedrunning support? An adventure mode? "Classic Mode" is a good start but not enough for a the final release.
  • I want to separate my ideas from the echo chamber of the closet I work from. My ideas must have feedback from devout players. I have hidden all these precious ideas away fearing critique, and I must expose myself!
  • I don't know which features are the most compelling and deserve further attention. I made the ability to change the button's color, and spent a lot of time on that. But I also spent a lot of time making the button press feel good. Which deserves more time? Which is more key to the button-pressing experience? Who better than the hivemind to ask!
  • I need a place to share my design process for feedback. I've had luddite game developers provide feedback in the past, and I would like to invite more luddite game developers to provide more feedback in the present. If I start going in the wrong direction I want you to tell me "we actually want more button graphics, stop fixing game crashes and broken saves!!"
  • I want to let people enjoy the base experience, because I believe the world needs this now. To wait until it's complete feels selfish. Some people have been craving this experience. I may as well let them have it now instead of holding it back until my arbitrary definition of "done" is reached.
  • The best ideas are hard to undo. I want to put out my best ideas for feedback before then. You may have heard of "decoupling" as a programming concept, but I believe in holy matrimony. Therefore, I try to couple my code as often as possible. Poetry ought to extend from the design into the code. This makes it hard to undo my ideas, but I swear it's worth it.
  • I want to invest in other artists to support this game, but I don't know where my time is best spent. If more button clicks, if background music, if epic diss tracks are what you want, how do I know that without your feedback? I'm happy to pour money, time, energy, and my very life source into this game, but I want to make sure it's not a waste.
  • I want you onboard for every decision. The game might not look the same in a year as it looks in 10 seconds. I'm hoping to achieve 100% approval rate for every decision I ever make. I think this is the only way to succeed in life, and in love.
  • Emotional support. Game dev can get lonely. Fortunately, I've found that forums are the least lonely and most emotionally supportive places on the planet. I think I'll need this to finish the project.
  • Community expertise. I don't know everything, but between all of us, we're surely close. Being able to ask questions when things get tough will help me make the game better, faster, because you all want the same thing.
”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“It might be a year. Depends on how many new ideas we get along the way that should have been there all along.

My Game Design Philosophy is the "Why Not?" Philosophy. I ask "why not?" and then don't answer the question and just implement. It's never let me down.”

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

“This is what I aspire to for our BUTTON: Mildly Remastered Edition 1.0 release:

  • Over 100 Steam Achievements
  • Full workshop integration for custom button graphics, sounds, and whatever else we dream up together!
  • At least 15 more hours of developer commentary
  • Full gamepad support so you can quit pulling that dumb roller ball mouse out of your bottom-left drawer
  • Button skins

I fully expect this list to expand as we think of more incredible features that are key for a worthy button-pressing experience.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Refer to the "About This" section for details. It is up-to-date. I swear.

We need to add the things that will truly bring BUTTON to life. I think we can do better. And I want to do it with you.”

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

“I'm planning to raise the price gradually as we ship new content and features. I will make sure to provide at least one month's heads-up each time before raising the base price.”

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

“I'm interested in a continuous feedback cycle: I feed while you back. Together, I know we'll make the most incredible game we've ever made together. :)

These are my plans:
  • Regular dev journals (most people call them updates)
  • Twitch streams where I work on the game
  • YouTube video updates showcasing progress
”
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Reviews

“What I thought was a joke turned out to be a cathartic meaningful experience. Pressing that button and waiting for the unexpected Stanley Parable-ish style narration took me on a fantastical journey through appreciation, anticipation, expectation, euphoria, and ultimately dependency.”
970M/NaN – Scott Jacobson, Game Design Instructor

“During my descent into madness, Josh Powlison's BUTTON was a beacon of sanity in the sea of voices echoing in my mind. Each click brought me closer to hearing Josh's dulcet tones and staving off the dark echoes of an elder god for yet a little while longer. 10/10 would click again!”
10/10 – Matt

“My only complaint? I couldn't press the button ENOUGH.”
19/3 Clicks – A woman

About This Game

Why you've wanted this all your life/Features...


  • Click the button. Watch the number goes up. Witness the power of math in real-time.
  • Listen to almost 2 hours of developer commentary (will be expanded with free Early Access updates).
  • Change the color of the button (full color spectrum support).
  • Save and load your progress (multiple save files in the future).
  • Play with keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, and gamepad (not full gamepad support yet, but it will happen).
  • Over 3 achievements (with plans to add many, many more).

Josh Powlison's BUTTON: Mildly Remastered Edition isn't just a game. It reflects a philosophy you have to believe to see.

Read on to comprehend the philosophy of BUTTON.

Euphoria.


That is the only word capable of encompassing the all-encompassing experience of pressing the button. Yes, the number goes up- but so do you. Euphoria.

Experience the original BUTTON, reborn on modern computers. It's like the original BUTTON and I had a baby. Except I'm both the mom and the dad. It's confusing, I know, but fortunately I'm here to guide you along with more developer commentary than ever before while you experience the euphoria of button pressing.

If you think you've pressed a button, you haven't pressed a button. If you think you haven't pressed a button, you haven't pressed a button. And if you're not sure, I'm here to prove you wrong.

The story of the original BUTTON.


February 8, 2020. On that day, I launched the original BUTTON: A game about pressing issues on Kickstarter. With no marketing, no advertising, and no plan, the people found us. Within 90 minutes, the game was fully funded, and by the time the Kickstarter had ended, BUTTON had been exactly 900% funded and we had hit 5 stretch goals.

We even had a sequel, ANALOG: A heartfelt metaphor about living with yourself, that launched on Kickstarter on May 21, 2021. It was fully funded in just 20 minutes, ended up being exactly 2,115% funded, and hit 9 stretch goals.

If I've learned anything from this, it's that I have a lot more to offer the world than I ever thought. And I need to stop being so humble.

Enter Josh Powlison's BUTTON: Mildly Remastered Edition.

What is BUTTON: Mildly Remastered Edition?


BUTTON: Mildly Remastered Edition is BUTTON but mildly remastered.

What does it mean for BUTTON to be mildly remastered?


"Remastered" is such an ostentatious term. It assumes any one of us has achieved true mastery. Why is it that "Remastered" games can get "Remastered" again? Clearly, the devs had gained more mastery!

This folly is why I refuse to ever claim I have fully "Remastered" BUTTON. When you experience a euphoric title like BUTTON, you quickly come to the realization that you can never remaster a true classic- that true classic remasters you. With this understanding and this new shared foundation, I'd like to propose that we appreciate how remastered a mild remaster might be, while understanding that we will never master the remaster enough to produce a fully remastered classic. Instead, we are the ones who will be mastered.

In short, I am updating the game while preserving the original heart and soul of the work. My goal is that it is at least vaguely reminiscent of the original BUTTON while encompassing modern features expected of modern games, like widescreen support.

I didn't think it was possible to improve BUTTON. But then I realized that that would mean it was impossible to improve myself, and after much soul-searching, I realized I was wrong. I know you might lose trust in me as a developer for admitting error, but I must be honest, or else I could not look myself in the mirror as a man.

Where are the achievements? Where is the mod support? Where are the forums?

BUTTON will always be greater than the sum of its parts, and I recognize that I am merely a part of BUTTON, just as BUTTON is a part of my soul. But still, the sum of its parts must become greater, and to do that, the parts of its sum must become greater. It's basic math.

Thus, BUTTON: Mildly Remastered Edition was conceived. And now I wish to publicly birth it before you, with your help.

Why Early Access?


I knew BUTTON: Mildly Remastered Edition would be a crazy ride. Little did I know how crazy. You see, I used to think that game development was easy and that anyone could do it. I've come to the realization that I was right. But I've also come to the realization that I was wrong.

You see, making games is easy, it just takes a long time. The hard part about making games is making an audience. I want to see if an audience can exist and grow perpetually for BUTTON. Like, forever.

I want to bring you along on the journey. Not just a journey, I'm talking about the journey of a lifetime. Because that may be how long it takes to even get BUTTON to a state where we could rightfully consider it just "mildly remastered". Because true, perfect mastery is above us all.

Our roadmap includes achievements, modding support, additional developer commentary, and more. And I want to make it happen. But I can't have this baby by myself. I need help.

Thus, Early Access.

About me.


But enough about the game. You need to know about me so that you know why you should come along on this journey. There's a reason my name is in the title of the game. If you can't trust me, who can you trust? My guru told me something like that.

I'm a game programmer who's worked on multiple games. You probably haven't heard of any of them, except BUTTON: Mildly Remastered Edition, because you're here right now. Welcome.

I teach people game programming, do game programming, and play video games. Sometimes I make tacos. If you were at my house, I'd first ask "what are you doing in my house?!" before offering you tacos. If I was out of taco shells, I'd ask you to run to Walmart for me. You'd do that for me, wouldn't you?

The future.


BUTTON is and always has been "a game about pressing issues". I promise wholeheartedly, with all of my heart, and from the bottom of my heart that this game will in no way deny, outcrowd, or overshadow the core of the game that made the experience so powerful for the uncountable people who adored the original BUTTON.

So let's make a better BUTTON. Let's mildly remaster this thing.

Let's have this baby together.

System Requirements

    Minimum:
    • OS *: Windows 8
    • Processor: A good one
    • Memory: 512 MB RAM
    • Graphics: A good graphics
    • Storage: 400 MB available space
    • Additional Notes: Chicken nuggets
    Recommended:
    • OS: Windows 10
    • Processor: A better one
    • Memory: 1 GB RAM
    • Graphics: A better graphics
    • Storage: 401 MB available space
    • Additional Notes: Chicken nuggets plus ranch
* Starting January 1st, 2024, the Steam Client will only support Windows 10 and later versions.

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