Hello everybody,
As of late, I've played a good number of early access aka maybe-alpha aka not-finished games publshed on Steam; and given my last written work was all about the timing of certain things, I find it rather prescient to talk about this as a release method that shouldn't be as maligned as it is. This will come across as anecdotal only (and justifiably so), but I'll describe the virtues of early access with some personal forays into the territory of three separate games.
Exhibit 1: Nuclear Throne, by Vlambeer
Disclaimer - I love this game. So much so, that despite being decidedly unfinished, it was my 2014 GOTY, and a strong game in my early Quest for Semi-Glory.
I stumbled into this game fairly early on, somewhere in the low 20's of weekly updates. As it is now in the high 60's, it's fair to say the rapid, regular releases are Vlambeer's shtick. And it works phenomenally well! I won't claim that each update, taken individually, are mind-blowingly revloutionary, but from release 1 to release 70 much has changed, and the level of transparency throughout the process is nothing short of commendable.
That said, it's different enough now that in the near future I will showcase it again on Quest for Semi-Glory. Never mind that I have been playing it pretty regularly ever since my first experience with it. Early access works here, largely because of the nature of the game (roguelike restart-on-deathj), and moreso because of how Vlambeer operates.
Exhibit 2: Assault Android Cactus, by Witchbeam
Disclaimer: I recently ended the longest-yet run of Quest for Semi-Glory sessions with this game, and it still holds the record for longest individual session (at 5+ hours).
This game I had never heard of, prior to PAX Prime 2014, though it was in early access for some time prior to that. And though the update frequency is far less than every week, the progress made from when I started playing (some few months ago) to now is startlingly large. The game is content-complete, with fantastic local multiplayer, full-service leaderboards, daily and infinite challenges, and heart-rendingly adorable to boot.
And I still play it, so it has staying power. Early access works here, too, because though the updates are less frequent, the game is developed enough that you can keep yourself busy for some time until the next. I am certain I will be questing in this game, again, once it hits full release...and in the meantime, still compete in (most) daily challenges.
Exhibit 3: Catacomb Kids, by FourBitFriday
Disclaimer: I am currently tackling this game in Quest for Semi-Glory, and have very little experience with the game as a whole, on top of not really knowing what the goal is.
It is also pretty sparse, as far as content goes - two playable character classes, the menus are sort of rough, and a steeper-than-expected learning curve.
That's not to say it's a bad game - much the opposite, in fact. At version 0.0.8, there's a lot to expect moving forward, but for now, with the content that is there, the interplay amongst game objects and the environment is so immense (I'm talking Spelunky-level immense) that even with limited moving pieces each session is new experiencts. To be fair, the punishing diificulty will scare a lot of people away, as it is of paramount importance that you pay attention to _all_ of your surroundings (something I am still learning).
I don't know what to expect out of it, as I haven't yet played through more than one version. But I get the gut feeling that it's a long-questing game - early access works here, because any updates in the interim will only make the interplay that much more complex.
And one other anecdote abput Catacomb Kids - the dev himself worked with me to get it working on-stream. My first play attempt ran into some weird control conention issues (due partly to my unorthodox setup), and with his help we were able to find a workaround. That the dev was willing to assist the lowest-tier streamer (that's me) immediately makes this an early access-worthy title.
That's all for now.