Why Early Access?

“Cure The Dead is a systems game, and systems only tell you the truth once other people play them. The cure loop is built and playable end to end, but the balance around it is guesswork until players push on it: how hard a diagnosis should be, how often a cured survivor should relapse, how much a village should cost to feed. We would rather tune that alongside players than guess at it alone for another year and ship something balanced for one person.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We are planning on around twelve months in Early Access. That is roughly the time we expect the content pass, the ending and the remaining translation work to take. If it needs longer to be right, we will say so here rather than rush the 1.0.”

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

“The full version should roughly double the number of infections and cures, and give the game an ending. Planned for 1.0: a much wider spread of illnesses across every difficulty band, village levels beyond the ones currently authored, a progression tree that gates what the world gives you rather than only filling a menu, a named win condition instead of an open sandbox, and complete translations for every language listed on this page. What else lands depends on what Early Access teaches us.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Playable start to finish. Infected are delivered to you daily; you diagnose them, craft a cure at the bench from measured ingredients, inject it, and decide whether the patient is discharged into the village or removed. Cured survivors take houses and jobs, eat, and can relapse days later and turn inside the walls. The village has seasons, weather, damage and repair, a skill tree and a full save system. What is still thin: the number of infections and cures, the number of village levels, and there is no ending yet.”

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

“Yes. The price will go up when the game leaves Early Access. Buying during Early Access is the cheapest the game will be, and the full version is included at no extra cost.”

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

“The Steam discussion boards are the main channel. Bug reports, balance complaints and requests all go there, and we read them. Balance is where community input matters most to this game: how hard a diagnosis should be, how often survivors relapse, and how punishing hunger should get. We will post what changed and why with each update.”