Greetings surveyors!

I’m excited to announce the immediate availability of the open alpha for Periphery Synthetic EP. It is the followup, and reimagining, of my games S.E.A. and E.X.O. within an expanded universe. In it, you survey a planetary system for valuable materials in a customizable exosuit, and uncover its mysterious past.

Continue reading to learn more about how to participate in the alpha today!

How to join the alpha

1. Visit Periphery Synthetic EP on itch.io.
2. Do one of the following:
   • Claim a free community copy. You will receive the game for free, for life, including the full version on release, and all future expansions. I’ve started us with 100 copies, and will add more as purchases are made.
   • Name your price. Pay as little as $1. You will also receive a Steam key, the full version on release, and all future expansions. For reference, the game will release for $1, and increase by $1 per expansion. I anticipate the price to increase to at least $5 within the next few years.
3. Download, unzip, and play. There is a manual that answers common questions like controls and how things work.

What to expect in the alpha

The alpha build is mostly feature-complete and ready for feedback:

• A new desert planet, featuring glacier-like waves of sand.
• A new soundtrack, featuring evolving, warm synth pads.
• Freely explore by walking, sprinting, jumping, driving, and drifting.
• Use a terrain scanner for navigating the world in three dimensions.
• Collect materials to unlock driving abilities and improve your core.

Known issues

Like any game in the alpha state, there are a few things to know:

• Collision detection is not perfect.
• Sound can get choppy on slower machines.
• Linux build is forthcoming.

What to expect in the full release

The full release is planned for the end of the year. It will include additional features that are related to an all-new codex system, where the surveyor provides descriptions of their observations:

• Scannable areas and events that add entries to the codex.
• Collectible artifacts that add entries to the codex.
• Discoverable locations that add fast travel destinations to the codex.

What to expect in future expansions

All copies include access to free content updates. In addition to continuous improvements to the core game, these expand it with portals to new worlds to explore, with new codex entries and abilities to unlock, including:

• An icy exomoon, featuring vertical terrain and jetpack abilities.
• An ocean world, featuring waves to surf and caves to explore.
• Unannounced new worlds.

Next steps

I’m eager to hear your feedback, which you may post on itch.io or wherever I’ve posted this news. This will help inform the direction of the initial release, as well as future content expansions.

In the meantime, there is plenty to finish on the road to release. For example, I’m eager to start writing the codex entries, and using these to provide text alternatives to the visuals on the screen.

Please let me know what you think. Enjoy!