Why Early Access?

“Keep Rising is an incremental game, and incremental games live or die on their numbers: how fast you grow, when a wall of enemies feels fair, when a Rebirth pays off. I am one developer, and I can test that pacing for hundreds of hours myself, but players will find the dull stretches and the broken builds far faster than I can. Early Access lets me tune the economy against how people actually play while the game is still easy to change, and lets the community help decide which of the planned systems comes next.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Around 12 months. I would rather release 1.0 when the long-term systems below are finished and balanced than on a fixed date, so this may move, and I will say so on the store page and in the news feed if it does.”

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

“The full version adds the deeper long-term layers that the current game is built to grow into. Planned:

- Ascension, a second prestige layer above Rebirth with its own currency and permanent upgrades, so the climb past wave 100 keeps compounding
- More castle rooms, such as the Treasury and the Laboratory with a research tree, and rune stone crafting at the Forge
- More towers, enemies and bosses, and more hand-designed waves before the endless waves take over
- Challenge runs with rule changes and their own rewards
- Optional automation rules for players who want to play hands-off
- Controller support and Steam Deck layout
- Ongoing balance, quality-of-life and performance work based on your feedback

Plans can change with feedback.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The game is complete enough to play for many hours, and it is stable. It includes:

- Free Play with an endless wave generator after 30 designed waves, and four difficulty levels
- A 17-chapter Campaign across seven biomes, each with its own enemies, super-boss and exclusive rune stones
- 6 towers, 4 recruitable heroes and 8 spells that combine into elemental combos
- A castle you build room by room, with adjacency bonuses
- Rebirth with Souls and a Soul tree, rune stones and loadouts
- Offline progress, Steam achievements and Steam Cloud saves
- 21 languages

Expect balance changes between updates, especially in the late game.”

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

“Yes. Keep Rising costs less during Early Access than it will at full release, and the price will go up when 1.0 launches. Buying during Early Access gets you every update and the full version at no extra cost. There are no microtransactions, and there never will be.”

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

“- The in-game feedback button sends reports straight to me.
- The Steam discussion forums and the Keep Rising Discord are where I read bug reports, balance complaints and suggestions, and answer them.
- Every update gets patch notes in the Steam news feed, saying what changed and why, including which changes came from player reports.
- I will ask the community before large balance changes and when choosing which planned system to build next.”