KUTO Playtest — Sign Up for the September Build

We're running a closed playtest of KUTO: The Lock of Time in early September, and we're looking for people outside the studio to play it. Request access here — it is one button on our Steam page.

Being straight with you about what you would be getting. This is not the full game, and it isn't even the full demo. It's the first slice of it that holds together from start to finish.

What's in the build

• the first level, about ten rooms, playable end to end
• character movement, rebuilt — that was the first thing we fixed
• two bosses: the Minotaur and Athena
• time rewind, unlocked when you pick up the clock
• the winch
• main menu, save select, HUD with a boss health bar, pause, game over

What isn't in it yet

This list is longer, and you should read it before you say yes.

Rewind is the only time key in the build; the rest are not. There is no upgrade screen, no weapon select, no inventory, no cutscenes. The settings menu item exists but is switched off — it isn't decorative, it just doesn't work yet. No Continue, no respawn. Animations are placeholder, because the animation controller isn't in, so the character plays better than it looks right now. Combat effects and screen shake are untuned. We have no dialogue system yet, so the Chronos scene isn't in there either.

What we want to know

Whether this core holds your attention before we build the rest on top of it. Two things matter to us more than anything else: how it feels to control — running, jumping, fighting — and whether rewind reads as something you want to use, rather than one more button on the pad.

If you bounce after eight minutes, that is also an answer, and we would rather have it now than after another six months of building on top.

How to join

Press Request Access on the Steam page. We let people in in waves; when your turn comes Steam notifies you and the playtest appears in your library as its own game. You play whenever it suits you, and afterwards there is a short feedback form — about two minutes, so nobody has to write an essay.

What we ask in return

Nothing. Stream it and we will be delighted. Say nothing publicly and just tell us honestly what broke and where it dragged, and that is worth as much to us. A list of what's wrong helps more than praise does.

If you would rather wait for a finished build, the Steam page is where to press wishlist, and the Discord is where the build gets argued about between updates.