Why Early Access?

“Because a village should grow with the people who live in it.

Gardens of Lutonia comes in two modes. COSY is here today: a calm, complete 2D game you can play in a few minutes, from 5 to 90. RED MOON comes next: the full mode, deeper and darker, built in the open on the same world.

What we need you for:
- The rhythm between the day that grows and the night that gnaws.
- The pace of the village: how fast it should grow, how far it should reach.
- What RED MOON should bring first.

A personal note: I am 46, and this game is my synthesis of three decades of strategy and sandbox games, in a world I have been writing for years in books and comics. Book One of the saga is called Red Moon. I want to build the rest of it with you.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“About a year. COSY grows with each update; RED MOON arrives in steps, then grows too. The full game comes when both modes hold together from the first dawn to the last, and when players tell us so.”

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

“The full version keeps COSY as it is, and adds RED MOON, the full mode:

- FULL MOON DRUIDIC FARMING: garden with the phases of the moon, and the runes.
- CARDS: the full fauna and flora card system of Lutonia.
- POTIONS: real potion crafting, beyond today's juices.
- COMBAT: a combat system, for the nights that bite back.
- BUILDING: more terraforming and more to build.
- LORE: more of the world of the books, its characters and its story.
- SEASONS AND WEATHER that change how you grow and how you defend.

This is the plan, not a contract: what players ask for can change the order, and sometimes the plan.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Playable, complete in its mode, and honest about what it is. Today, in COSY, you can:

- Grow apples, bananas and watermelons in the gardens of your village.
- Press them into juices at the cauldron, and pour a juice on a fruit to make it hit harder.
- Extend your village, home by home, until the map is full: that is how you win.
- Hold the night: wolves and golems come only after your village grows. Pour juices on the wall to shield it, throw fruit to send them home. Nobody dies, and you never lose: at worst, a home un-grows.
- Ride the leys across the village, watch the rabbits, the dogs and the owls, and the crows that announce the wave.
- Play with a keyboard and mouse, or fully with a gamepad.

Windows only, English only. Expect rough edges: this is an early version, and balance has barely begun.”

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

“Yes. The price will rise step by step as RED MOON arrives. The Early Access price is the lowest the game will ever be outside seasonal sales, and everyone who buys it now receives every update up to the full release, COSY and RED MOON alike.”

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

“By listening and by showing the work. Steam discussions are read. Every update says what changed and why. Tell us what feels off, in the design, the art or the bugs: every suggestion is read, and RED MOON will be shaped by what you ask for. I play every build myself before it ships.”