Why Early Access?

“Sanctuary is built around a bleak, lonely world, exploration, and the freedom to develop your character without fixed classes. I want players to help shape how that experience feels as development continues.

Early Access gives me the opportunity to learn from people playing in ways I might not anticipate. Feedback on combat, progression, exploration, and the smaller details of the world can help me understand what is working and where Sanctuary needs more attention. My goal is to develop the game with that feedback while staying true to its atmosphere and identity.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“I currently expect Sanctuary to remain in Early Access for roughly 12–24 months after its Early Access launch. I’m developing the game on my own, so this is an estimate rather than a fixed release date. The timeline may change as development progresses and I respond to player feedback.

During that time, I plan to expand the world, refine the game’s systems, and improve progression and overall quality. My goal for the full release is a more complete adventure with satisfying progression and a consistent level of quality throughout.
I plan to share development progress through Steam announcements and update this estimate if my expectations change.”

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

“I plan to expand Sanctuary with more places to explore, enemies and bosses to encounter, equipment to discover, and opportunities to develop your character. I also want to build out the world’s story and deepen the interactions that make it feel atmospheric and responsive.

Another goal is to explore more re-playable dungeon content, including varied encounters that draw on enemies and bosses from across the game. Alongside new content, I plan to refine combat, progression, balance, usability and QoL.

These are development intentions, and their scope and priority may change as I learn from player feedback and continued development.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The current version introduces Sanctuary’s solitary dark fantasy world through its available forest areas and crypt dungeon content. Players can explore, fight enemies, collect and equip loot, manage their inventory, and save their progress. The world also includes changing weather, wildlife, secrets, and environmental interactions.

Sanctuary is still in active development. The available content represents part of the intended adventure, and players should expect bugs, uneven balance, and areas or systems that need further refinement. The broader journey and the planned re-playable endgame are not complete.”

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

“Yes, I plan for Sanctuary to have a lower price during Early Access than at full release. As the game grows, I may also raise the price during Early Access to reflect substantial additions to its content and features. I plan to communicate any price increases in advance through Steam announcements. Fret not, prices will always been meaningful.”

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

“I plan to use the Steam Community discussions to gather feedback, bug reports, and suggestions, and Steam announcements to share updates and explain development priorities.

I’m especially interested in hearing where players feel lost, which encounters feel satisfying or frustrating, how character progression feels, and what makes exploration rewarding (and reports about technical problems and unclear interfaces).

I’ll use that feedback to help prioritize fixes and improvements while keeping Sanctuary’s core vision in focus. I won’t be able to implement every suggestion, but I want players to understand how their experiences help inform the game’s development.”