Why Early Access?

“WISP's core is in place and fun to play. A game built around music and build variety needs players (other than us) to tune it well, though. Some questions or bugs only show up after tens or hundreds of runs: whether songs feel fair, boss/level tuning, whether boons are balanced, and how hard the overall climb should be.

Early Access lets me release the game now and finish it with the people playing it. My goals are to:

- Expand the Climb and the Arena with more bosses, songs, and enemy types
- Add more boons and deeper long-term progression between runs
- Add accessibility and practice options (seeds, assist settings, boss phase practice)
- Polish visuals, audio, and game feel, and tune it all for Steam Deck

I'm committed to finishing WISP. I'll keep updating it regularly, read and respond to feedback in the Steam forums, and post patch notes for each update so you can see how your input is shaping the game.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“6 months.”

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

“Additional acts, enemies, and abilities will be added during the early-access period. Some gameplay mechanics may be tweaked, but the core will remain intact. ”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“WISP is about 80% complete and fully playable from start to finish. The current version includes:

- The Climb: the main roguelite run, 10 levels of 10 floors each, with a map, shops, and a boss at the end of every level
- The Arena: an endless survival mode with rounds that get harder and harder
- Free Play: pick your own song, background, and enemies
- A tutorial that teaches the ring and the core combat
- 9 hand-crafted boss fights and about 30 regular enemy types
- 30 songs, each with enemy attacks timed to the music
- Over 70 boons to build your run around, plus a Compendium that lists them all
- Permanent progression: attribute points earned by leveling up, unlockable boons, and wisp colors
- Steam achievements, 3 save slots, audio latency calibration, rebindable controls, and accessibility settings
- Full Steam Deck support

Expect changes to enemies and their attack patterns, small tweaks to player abilities, and ongoing balance changes to boons and difficulty. Saves may sometimes be reset during Early Access if a major update requires it. ”

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

“No.”

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

“Player feedback will directly shape what WISP becomes. Here's how:

- Balance: reports on boons that feel too strong, too weak, or never worth picking will drive balance changes
- Difficulty and fairness: if a song, boss pattern, or attack feels unfair or hard to read, tell me and I'll look at adjusting it
- New content: suggestions for new boons, enemies, and modes will help decide what gets added next
- Bugs and performance: bug reports, especially from Steam Deck players and different PC setups, will be fixed first

The best way to reach me is the Steam Community discussion forums, which I'll read and reply to regularly. Each update will come with patch notes on Steam explaining what changed and which changes came from player feedback.”