It's been a while since I've made an announcement about Cryspace, but I feel it's time to shed some light on the project:
I have made the decision to transition the title to Early Access. I do not want to cause any further delays, and I'd like to get some of the game out for everyone to experience and continue iterating from there based on user feedback.
What will be available on launch?
Sam Winters' entire story will be playable on day one of release. Her story alone will provide hours of content especially if you play through all of the available branching paths (there are many!). I cannot stress how important your decisions will be during your playthroughs, and I sincerely believe you'll enjoy playing through every one of them.
What about Alexis/Vanesa fans?
These characters will be implemented down the line, and for those of you who have played the demo, your saved data is safe. They will be fully available in future updates to the game post-release. On Day 1 of Early Access release, saved data with Alexis and Vanesa will be unavailable to load, but once these characters are released, you may access that saved data again.
Male Love Interests/Female Protagonist?
For those of you who have requested the ability to play from a feminine perspective, I've got you covered. From day one, you will have the ability to select your gender on the profile creation screen, which will change the love interests and some gender-specific story elements.
Full Game DLC?
Cryspace is a free game, meaning anyone can pick it up and give the game a shot for a reasonable amount of time (about an hour's worth of gameplay). To clarify on the available Full Game DLC, this will grant you access to Sam Winters' full story on launch, and any future updates (custom stories, Alexis/Vanesa's full story arcs, whatever else might be released in the future) will be yours for free. There will be no future DLC releases, meaning that if you purchase the Full Game DLC, the entire game and all future updates will be available to you with no additional charges. This, of course, includes Alexis and Vanesa as selectable love interests, and the story editor. There will never be any additional DLC available for Cryspace. Free-to-play players will also benefit from these future updates, unlocking partial access to Alexis'/Vanesa's story arcs as they are released at no charge.
Why Early Access?
I've said from the beginning that I don't plan to release an unfinished product on release, and this still holds true. The game you receive on day one of Early Access could be considered a full product in it of itself with the amount of branching paths available to you as well as the amount of features, and the hours of content you will be able to play through as a result. Early Access is necessary as I've spent a lot of development time simply working on Sam's story alone, and naturally, I intend to release more love interests. Frankly, I need more time to write engaging stories for these other love interests, and I don't want to keep anyone waiting any longer to experience a full playthrough of Cryspace. Overall, I feel Early Access to be a proper tag as I want to keep adding/iterating to the game post-release. Once all the love interests are implemented as well as the custom stories, the game will be out of Early Access.
When will the game be released in Early Access?
With this announcement, I am proud to announce an updated release of October 1st, 2024. As mentioned, Sam Winters' entire story will be available on Day 1 with the Full Game DLC, and a partial story will be available for those without this DLC. This may seem a bit far out, but it is a necessity in order to finish all of the branching paths, add art and music to the game where appropriate, make some other quality-of-life changes, and to test the game and every path available.
For everyone who has wishlisted the game thus far, thank you. For the curators who've reviewed the game, thank you. I am committed to providing a great experience throughout every stage of development with the community's suggestions taken into account. I truly believe I have made a great game, and I am anxious to see what you all think about Sam's story once you have the chance to experience it for yourself. Thanks again for your patience, and I look forward to your reactions of the game once it is available.