Why Early Access?

“Community feedback has played a fundamental role in Syncblade's development since our very first playtesting sessions. Many of the game's improvements and features have come directly from players' suggestions, and Syncblade wouldn't be what it is today without their involvement. While the core gameplay mechanics are already complete and fully functional, other aspects of the game, such as the story, arenas, and character customization options, still require further development and can be gradually introduced and expanded throughout Early Access. We also believe that a rhythm game like Syncblade has enormous potential to keep growing through new songs, features, and community-created content. Early Access allows us to continue building the game together with our players, progressively expanding its content while listening to their feedback and refining the overall experience.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We currently expect Early Access to last approximately 4 to 8 months, during which we'll introduce new content and additional game modes, culminating in the third and final act of the story. This timeline may change depending on development progress and community feedback, but we'll keep players regularly updated.”

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

“The full story campaign is planned to feature three acts, each introducing new content, including additional music, environments, and cosmetic options for both the player character and enemies. We also plan to introduce real-time competitive multiplayer alongside the ranked mode available from the beginning of Early Access.

Beyond the main campaign, we'd love to expand the game's music library through collaborations with independent artists and community creators. Throughout Early Access, we'll also continue refining existing features, including automatic music analysis, the level editor, and the gameplay mechanics in general, taking players' feedback into account.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Syncblade will enter Early Access with all its core gameplay mechanics fully functional and a variety of content and features already available:
- Automatic music analysis: import your own songs and instantly generate playable levels, without any limitations.
- Original soundtrack: a selection of original songs accompanied by handcrafted levels.
- Story campaign: the first act of Akemi's story.
- Playable arenas: explore different environments while playing along to your favorite music.
- Level editor: a fully featured editor with Steam Workshop integration, allowing players to create, share, and download custom levels.
- Character editor: customize Akemi's appearance.
- Competitive multiplayer: ranked matches with online leaderboards.”

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

“Yes! Syncblade will be available in Early Access at a lower price than the planned full-release price. As we introduce new story acts, songs, arenas, and other content, we plan to gradually increase the price to reflect the growing amount of content available, rather than applying a single price increase when the full version launches.

This way, players who choose to support Syncblade from the very beginning will be able to purchase it at a lower price and follow its evolution throughout Early Access.”

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

“As mentioned earlier, our community is already playing a significant role in shaping Syncblade through multiple rounds of private playtesting, and we want to continue that collaboration throughout Early Access.

We'll actively collect feedback, suggestions, and bug reports through our Discord server and Steam Community discussions, while regularly sharing development updates and information about upcoming content.

Beyond providing feedback, we also want to encourage players to contribute creatively through the level editor and Steam Workshop. Building on what we've already experimented with during playtesting, we'd love to involve community members in creating official levels for the game.

We also hope to collaborate with musicians and artists, giving them the opportunity to share their original music and reach new audiences through community-created levels and potentially official game content.”