Hey - Dev Here
Today we have some important news to discuss, because we decided to delay the Early Access Launch on Steam. We think a delay will benefit the game and here are the reasons:
We want to improve the weakest game mechanics.
We want to contact publishers again.
And lastly - we keep the itch.io-demo available and updated and release it on Steam too.
Updates and Demo
Towards the end of may we want to update the demo with all changes and features, which were planned for Early Access. Afterwards we will work to release the demo on Steam as soon as possible.
Publishers
We got new insights on presenting the game to publishers. We realised that our approach - namely a pony-themed shoot ‘em up that’s not a bullet hell - is a very attractive selling point, which makes the game stand out. We want to team up with a publisher to get steady funding and to help us with marketing. We want to work closely with the publishers, so that the development process remains as transparent as it is now and to ensure that you can still have access to the game. This is important for us, because only by releasing the game to the public and getting your feedback, Waifu got out of the single-dev development hell.
Gameplay Improvements
Thanks to your feedback we found a lot of game mechanics, which need improvement. To be more specific, here are the aspects we want to enhance:
Adding a Dodge as part of the Boost to avoid enemy attacks at the last moment.
Revamping the Boost Bar as a Stamina system to strengthen other actions like Throwing.
Improve Healing and tie it to the new Stamina system.
Improving Throwing by letting the player pick up environmental objects and make throwing things like crates and waifus more viable.
Adding the Poneh Zen minigame to enhance crafting and escaping grabby tentacles.
Overhaul the crafting system and replacing the library with a proper workshop.
All of these changes align with our roadmap. We will reconsider Early Access when we have finished “The Craft” milestone. Until then we will keep you up to date and release new Builds for you to play with the new changes. An Early Access on Steam needs to hit hard. As fun as Waifu is right now, we think releasing the game in Early Access soon won't bring us the strong start we need to be successful on Steam.
We are looking forward to your feedback and please let us know what you think about our decision to delay Early Access on Steam.
So - Thank you all for being here with us.