Exciting news explorers!
We recently told you we would be part of the next Steam Festival in October. As part of this, we have decided to launch our full prologue on 30th September and to have a demo running even sooner! This demo will be available on the 19th of August and will be live and playable through the end of August. The demo will be a much more combat and wave-focused slice of Hostile Mars, giving new players a chance to experience some of the core aspects of the game but in a quicker fashion.
You can wish list the prologue here
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2088900/Hostile_Mars_Prologue/
Some of you may have some queries regarding this and the release date of Hostile Mars, so hopefully, the following FAQ will help.
Why a prologue?
We decided to have a prologue up permanently in response to your previous feedback about having a more extended period to try Hostile Mars.
Why a demo for a prologue?
A demo for the prologue will allow us to gain feedback on the combat and wave mechanics at this stage. Prologues are also vital in getting players to try and buy a game, so even a prologue must be in the best state it can be.
Why not just a public demo for the full release?
Hostile Mars has many different aspects, tower defense, exploration, and automation, we feel a short prologue will be more beneficial to give people an idea of the game and to give us feedback on certain mechanics, we also plan to have closed play-tests still to help develop other specific areas which signups to our email and some discord members will be invited too.
So when is the actual early access release?
we have been aiming for a late summer release but feel a small amount of extra time will mean a more successful early access launch, we are not ready to announce a specific release date yet, but we are planning it very soon after the prologue goes live.
Will a demo slows down the development of the early access launch?
No. Some things need more testing, and as a primarily solo-made game for the last three years, we must get more feedback from playtesters and demo users. It does take some time to get a workable build stable and then polished enough for a demo/prologue, but the feedback we will receive is vital in ensuring the early access launch is as smooth as possible.
Hopefully, that will clear up any questions you may have. We are striving to make Hostile Mars as good as it can be for the Early Access launch, and we feel a prologue and demo will help with that. If you have any feedback, do let us know. We can't wait to see more people playing Hostile Mars and appreciate all the support we have received so far.
Jade - community manager