Why Early Access?

“As a rhythm game, a significant part of the appeal and longevity of Thirsty Bird is user-generated content (that is, custom levels/charts.) The game supports custom charts at the moment, but the tooling is basic and may presently lack features important to those interested in making content for Thirsty Bird. In my view, the wisest way to develop robust UGC support is to respond to players' wishes as to what kind of tooling and features the game should include.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“I will publish a 1.0 version Q2 of 2025.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“For the full version, I am tentatively planning to develop more robust tooling and features for UGC. In decreasing order of plausibility, this may include: BPM interpolation, many more items (note types,) an in-game chart editor, shader support, cutscene support, etc.

I also plan to include extra first-party levels and game modes to increase replayability. Highest priority first, those are: "hard mode" for all 5 official levels, a second "chapter" of five levels with all-new mechanics, achievement-locked skins, a procedurally generated endless mode per chapter.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“At present, Thirsty Bird includes one "chapter" of five levels, each with its own environment, mechanic, and song. The chapter is fully playable. The game also includes support for custom levels using a simple text-based syntax.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“Thirsty Bird will never exceed its current price point.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“Primarily, I will be fielding opinions and feedback about UGC workflows to ensure that making custom levels is a pleasant experience, and that the tooling is flexible enough to enable players' creativity. I am also open to conducting surveys to help re-prioritize some of my planned first-party features. (For example, skins may end up being much more important to players than additional modes, so I would develop that feature first.)

To provide feedback, feel free to post on the game's Community Discussion Hub, join the Thirsty Bird Central Discord server, or reach out to the developers directly via the game's support email address.”