Distress may not have been due to be released until the end of the month but developer Light Machine have made the sensible decision to announce in advance that the sci-fi/horror visual novel will be delayed from June to autumn/winter of 2016.
The three-man team have also been quick to hold their hands up and state there are no problems or resource issues, it’s just a matter of changing work schedules meaning they need a bit more time to finish. Only two backers have commented on this news (although there are only 284 in total anyway) but they’ve been supportive and the silence from the remaining backers implies they’re similarly unworried.
When the Kickstarter campaign for Distress began back in September 2015 I was intrigued by the concept and the brief demo that showcased some comic book-style visuals and natural dialogue. However ultimately I opted not to back it due to a lack of content and information that made me concerned it could fizzle out and never be released. In retrospect I think I made the wrong choice as with fortnightly updates Light Machine have shown they’re committed to the project and their backers.
In fact transparency and open communication were two concepts that Light Machine were keen to stress in their Kickstarter campaign and they’re delivered on that front. The fact they were pragmatic enough to opt for a low target of $3,000 and that the game would only be three hours long (albeit with thirty possible endings) also demonstrates they’re keeping their expectations realistic and if I were a backer I’d definitely be happy to afford them the extra development time.
