Why Early Access?

“We chose Early Access because the core rhythm gameplay is already complete and fully playable, while several key aspects still need refinement through real player feedback.
For rhythm games in particular, judgment feel, difficulty balance, and timing experience across different devices and play styles are difficult to fully validate through internal testing alone. Early Access allows us to improve these systems based on broader player feedback and data.

At the same time, the game’s content, modules, and overall experience will continue to expand throughout development. The goal of Early Access is to steadily improve quality while maintaining a clear development direction.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We expect the Early Access period to last for some time, allowing us to further refine the core rhythm experience and expand the game’s content.
The decision to conclude Early Access will primarily be based on the stability of judgment feel and difficulty balance, the overall completeness of the experience, and the maturity of key features.

At this stage, we estimate that Early Access may last from several months up to around one year, though the exact duration may change depending on development progress.”

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

“The Early Access version offers a fully playable core rhythm experience, while the overall experience is still being refined.
The planned full release will present a more stable and polished state, with further improvements to judgment feel, difficulty balance, and the overall functionality and interface meeting our expectations for a full release.

Compared to Early Access, the full version aims to deliver a more consistent and complete rhythm experience. Specific content and implementations will continue to be refined based on actual development progress.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The current Early Access version already includes a fully playable core experience, featuring dual-lane falling-note melody gameplay, drum machine mode switching, an initial set of characters and sound timbres, and an Early Access song library of around 60 tracks. Players can experience the game’s main mechanics and core content.

However, some systems are still being refined, such as judgment feel, difficulty balance, song count, as well as the completeness of the interface, features, and community systems. These elements are not yet in their final form.”

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

“As the game’s content and overall quality improve, We plan to gradually raise the price as we ship new content and features. We aim to ensure that each price change is accompanied by clear and meaningful additions or improvements to the game.

Players who purchase the Early Access version are supporting DEFLATE at its current stage and taking part in its ongoing refinement. We sincerely appreciate your support.”

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

“We plan to maintain ongoing communication with the community through multiple channels, including the Steam Community, official social groups, and development logs. Player feedback on judgment feel, difficulty balance, and overall feature experience will be actively collected during gameplay.

All feedback will serve as an important reference for adjustments and improvements, while the game’s core design and final decisions will remain the responsibility of the development team.

In addition, we hope to gather suggestions through our own Chinese doujin music platform, dizzylab, to further improve the game and create more opportunities for interaction and showcase between musicians and players. Some of this content may be introduced into the game at an appropriate stage.

The goal of the Early Access phase is to involve the community in the ongoing refinement of the game while maintaining a clear development direction.”