• Register

Explore the lost world of KAIRO. An strange bleak world filled with vast strange monuments. As you explore the depths within you must solve puzzles to bring ancient machinery back to life and give KAIRO a purpose once again. KAIRO is a first person atmospheric exploration and puzzle solving game.

  • View media
  • View media
  • View media
  • View media
  • View media
  • View media
Post article RSS Articles

So all last year I was telling everyone Kairo would be done by the end of 2011 no matter what. That didn't happen and I'm still not done. In fact I've been ominously quiet to the point where people seem to be finally asking, "where the hell is my damn game?". Just to get the main question out of the way, the game is still in full development and is getting very close to the end of development. I can't give you a solid release date but it will be as soon as I can possibly manage.

The Struggle

I don't think I'll be shocking anyone if I declare that finishing a game is hard. The bigger the game the harder that is and Kairo is the biggest project I've ever worked on. My original idea for the game was nowhere near as big and ambitious as it's become, but like most of my projects it's grown on its own in a very natural way. I feel like the game is very close to being what it was always meant to be, as vague as that may sound. I could certainly scale back the scope a little, trim pieces here and there and wrap it up sooner but I'm resisting that kind of drastic approach. I'm happy to remove excess and uninteresting content but I don't want to cut it short because it's the easier path.

Right now is a pretty tough period for me with the game. I keep telling both myself and everyone else it will be done soon yet there always seems to be more and more to get done. The daily development on the game largely feels like a real grind. I work on it anywhere from 5-7 days a week and typically work through late into the evenings. I don't say this for any kind of sympathy as my job and life are way more cushy than most people. Just want to emphasise that production hasn't stopped in my silence, I've just not felt like talking about it much.

Just Keep Going

I'm very grateful to every single person who's pre-ordered the game. Not so much because of the money, but because having people who've invested in the game has been the biggest motivator keeping me going. Left to my own devices it would probably have been very tempting to release Kairo as a smaller, lesser game and move onto something new and fresh. I feel like I owe you guys for the faith placed in me and don't want to disappoint. It's a lot to live up to and I guess I can't help but dread people might find Kairo a huge let down.

I hope people won't take this post as some kind of whining. I wouldn't trade this for anything, I spend my days living in comfort and working on something personal to me. I just figured I should be open and honest about where I am with the game and why it's taking time. I also hope this level of honesty might be of some help to those making their first games. There's a lot of amazing stuff coming out of the indie scene and at times it can look like everyone else produces great stuff with very little effort yet behind the scenes I think the vast majority find it just as much of a struggle.

So yeah… please bear with me.

Kairo World Tour 2011

Kairo World Tour 2011

News 1 comment

A look back at the lessons learned from taking Kairo to various gaming events over the past few months.

Kairo alpha + preorder now available

Kairo alpha + preorder now available

News 1 comment

First person atmospheric exploration and puzzle solving game is now available for preorder. All preorders include instant download access to alpha builds...

Lessons from the coin-op

Lessons from the coin-op

News 2 comments

A look at the development involved in getting Kairo ready to be playable on the show floor.

Kairo on the move

Kairo on the move

News 1 comment

Kairo is going to be on show at the Develop Showcase in Brighton, UK and at PAX Prime too!

RSS Files
Kairo Demo

Kairo Demo

Demo

Enter the lost world of Kairo. Explore vast abandoned monuments. Bring strange and ancient machinery back to life. Slowly uncover the true purpose of...

Post comment Comments  (0 - 10 of 44)
Lunick
Lunick

This game is still in the Alpha section for some reason O.o

Reply Good karma Bad karma+1 vote
Toyoch
Toyoch

Seems like this game's on steam. I bought KAIRO and I'd be grateful to have a key to redeem it on steam.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+4 votes
TheShobo
TheShobo

I'd also very much appreciated a steam key if possible!

Reply Good karma Bad karma+2 votes
Nyox
Nyox

is it now possible to have a steam key?

Reply Good karma Bad karma+1 vote
StanGe205
StanGe205

i bought the game directly via your site /humble store. would it be possible to add desura keys to the humble page so i don´t loose the game on my HDD in some time. would be bad.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+2 votes
markx2
markx2

I would echo this. And it's not just downloading the game, it's also remembering I have it. A Desura key would be very welcome indeed. Thanks

Reply Good karma Bad karma+2 votes
d10sfan
d10sfan

is the linux and mac versions going to be on desura? also, could I get a desura key from buying it off the site (with the humble bundle)?

Reply Good karma Bad karma+2 votes
Lunick
Lunick

This is still in the Alpha section?

Reply Good karma Bad karma+2 votes
sturmkoenig2k
sturmkoenig2k

The game is out since some weekts. It's a bit sad that the Desura version is still not updated.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+1 vote
Perrin Creator
Perrin

The release version was uploaded to Desura a few days after launch. Though I hadn't updated the description on here to indicate it. Sorry.

Reply Good karma+1 vote
sturmkoenig2k
sturmkoenig2k

Ah, ok. It's just too silent here. :(

Reply Good karma Bad karma+2 votes
Post a comment

Your comment will be anonymous unless you join the community. Or sign in with your social account:

X

Latest posts from @perrinashcroft

For Ludum Dare 53 worked with @erinbwr on a deductive mystery adventure game Lockeddoorpuzzle.itch.io It was a fun w… T.co

May 1 2023

Pretty hyped to finally share the game I'm working on. Can't say anymore than is in the trailer but it's gonna be a… T.co

Dec 8 2022

Made another short adventure game this time for Amiga CD32 which probably limits the audience to about 8 people but… T.co

Nov 30 2022

Oh wow. I didn’t realise today was this milestone. Proud of kairo, the game changed the direction of my life. I gue… T.co

Oct 21 2022

For Ludum Dare 51 I made a short adventure game for the SNES Lockeddoorpuzzle.itch.io It was equal parts exciting an… T.co

Oct 11 2022

RT @Duffadash: I got annoyed by one of those "how many retro games have you played" things that have been floating around, so I de… T.co

Jun 1 2022