A Good Evening to All Investigators.
Soon, you will take control of Ericka and begin the trek down the dark and deceptive path that awaits you in the Cold and Afraid demo. I'm excited for every one of you to finally play; I'm eager to see you use your deductive reasoning skills to piece together fragments at a crime scene; use your intelligence to find pertinent clues, and ask the right questions.
More than that, though, I want you to enjoy the story that Cold and Afraid has to tell. It's one of mystery, intrigue, suspense, and drama. A lot of times, as I'm developing, I picture the game as more of a movie. A crime thriller in some respects, and a psychological drama in others. It's a cinematic experience in a lot of ways, not just a game you'll pick up and play with little thought. I'm striving to create characters that have personal stories, motivations, and aren't just NPCs whose dialogue you mindlessly tap through. And there are times where I even consider the game to be, in some ways, a visual novel! Just due to the emphasis on story and character being just as much a priority as the gameplay mechanics.
I've been debating with myself this past week about making Cold and Afraid episodic. You know, releasing Episode I in spring 2024, then Episode II sometime after that. It's a strategic decision I'd have to consider carefully because I value the momentum a full game can provide. Allowing the player to progress at their own pace. But on the other hand, it's becoming more clear that to finish the development of the game in it's entirety, it may take me even to 2025. And I don't know about you, but I can't wait that long for you to play it! I haven't fully committed to the idea, but as development carries along, it will become clearer to me which route I should go down. For example, if it becomes apparent that I actually can get the full game finished by next year, I would just do that. If not, an episodic release will allow all of you to get your hands on the game much sooner.
The demo, of course, would come out a lot sooner regardless of which option I commit to. I really don't want to say the date I'm aiming for because I don't want to disappoint anyone if I don't meet it. I know I teased it in the last update, but I think I've been using the word "soon" a bit carelessly. What I can say is that if I did meet the date I have in mind, the demo would come out this year. There would be two dates -- a public release and an early access release. Patreon Supporters will get the early access about a week before everyone else. But more details to come on that front.
Lastly, I want to give a shout to my Patreon supporters:
iw
Bert Cole
Bleepity Bloopity
Christopher Johnson
Vlad
I greatly appreciate any and all support you guys give so that I can continue to develop Cold and Afraid and make it the best it can possibly be. I'm thinking of having something special in the game for patrons, still ruminating on the type of easter egg it should be. If you're reading this and you'd like to become a supporter, a link will be below. And guess what?
It's only $3!
Also, I post small little updates on twitter. If you're interested in seeing a little more frequency out of me, you can follow me there.
Thank you for reading, and until next time, Investigators!