Why Early Access?

“Escape the Flood! is a race against the rising sea, and the best way to balance that race is to watch many groups play it. We want to learn how fast the water should rise, how much wood each island should have and how long a crew waits for friends who are still on the beach. Early Access lets us answer these questions with real players instead of guesses, and grow the game together with them.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“How long Early Access lasts depends on what we learn from players, so we do not have a date yet. We plan to share a timeline once we are sure we can keep it. If players show us that bigger changes are needed, we would rather take more time than leave Early Access too early.”

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

“Our goal is to add more islands with new challenges. We also plan to add more biomes, gear and boat parts, and more animals. Steam achievements and more accessibility options, such as color blind and high contrast modes, are planned too. Your feedback helps us decide what to build and when, and we keep improving balance and performance at the same time.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“A full run is playable from start to finish: gather, craft, build a boat and reach the open sea before each island floods. You can play alone or in a group of up to 10 players, online through Steam or on a local network. There are two islands, each generated from a seed and played in order. Crafting, tree felling, coconuts, swimming and diving, sharks, weather, surges, sailing and rowing, a character editor, levels that unlock new styles, first or third person, revives with ghosts and shrines in multiplayer, proximity voice chat, friendly fire, difficulty levels, controller support and a translated interface are all in the game. Variety is still limited: there are only two islands, and sharks are the only animals so far. We also keep working on balance and polish.”

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

“The price after Early Access is not decided yet. If it changes, we will announce it well in advance on this store page and in our Steam news posts.”

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

“Tell us what you think in the Steam discussions. We read bug reports, balance feedback and stories from your runs there, and they help us decide what to work on next. We share our progress in Steam news posts, and when we change something players care about, we try to explain why. We are a small team and cannot act on everything, but we want to hear early when something is not fun.”