Why Early Access?

“While the game itself is in a fully playable state (you can beat the game, all characters have first draft functionality and are supported by art, campaign has 36 levels and progression) the actual art and scope of the game is not fully complete. Notably, many screens in this early access build are not finalized, and use placeholder art to get across the point / current functionality of said screen. This is because we plan to use early access to evaluate the design of the game and change it based on player feedback, so we’ve intentionally left these screens in a “prototype” state as they will likely drastically change over the course of early access. Specifically, it doesn’t make sense to have finalized art for these screens until their functionality is mostly locked down. We also plan to add additional characters and content to the game that we had planned out prior over the course of early access, and we seek to include the player-base in the development and iteration of these ideas by taking their feedback into account.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Most likely a year at most. However, this depends entirely on the scope of content we deliver and player response to updates and changes. We have an internal roadmap for additional content, but this is in flux and subject to change as we evaluate and determine which ideas for development make it into the final release.”

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

“The early access version, while fleshed out and playable, does not contain the full planned scope of the game. We plan to add additional content in the form of new playable characters, new levels, and additional and finalized art over the course of early access. We also plan to re-evaluate and adjust the existing design of the game based on player feedback and our own discretion, so much of the content seen in the early access version may play or present very differently in the final release. Examples of things that may change include (but are not limited to):

Specific functionality of playable characters / their mechanics and overall design

Level Design / Level Order in the campaign mode

Game art and the presentation / layout of various screens and menus within the game

Overall, we plan for the full version of the game to be a well polished, expanded version of the early access release with additional content in the form of levels, playable characters, and finalized visual presentation.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“As mentioned prior, the current release is fully playable and fleshed out. All 6 characters have their specific functionality implemented (even if the specifics of balance and design are subject to change over the course of early access). The linear campaign has 36 levels, outlining the difficulty progression of the game , with more planned to be added over the course of early access, likely coinciding with additional characters being added. Art is an aspect of the current release that is subject to immense change post release, specifically in that many screens in this version of the game that are subject to further development are lacking finalized art, instead using “prototype” art for the time being. Specifically, these screens will be finalized artistically as they are finalized functionally, which will be over the course of early access. So, in summary;

The game is fully playable, but is missing some art. The specifics of game balance and design will likely change over the course of early access, and additional content is planned to be implemented over the course of early access. ”

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

“The game will be slightly cheaper during early access, and raised slightly in price upon the release of the full game.”

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

“We plan to take feedback from the player-base into consideration for development over the course of early access. In terms of the channels we will use to communicate with said player-base, we will be utilizing the steam community forums to monitor and engage with discourse on the game and its design. We also plan to create a public Discord server that will allow for players to discuss the game, and will monitor that as well. While we cannot guarantee that all player feedback and critique will make its way into the design of the final release, we plan to take into account what the player-base thinks of additional content and balancing changes when updating and finalizing the game.
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