Early access will launch with two maps, and there won’t be any NPCs. The Astronauts is also “leaning towards yes” for New Game Plus

Witchfire, The Astronauts’ long-in-development roguelite shooter, goes into early access this month. It will be available exclusively on PC via the Epic Games Store (for a year or so before coming to other platforms), and director Adrian Chmielarz answered several questions on the developer’s plans in a new FAQ.

When asked about New Game Plus, he said the team is “leaning towards yes,” though it’s still something to figure out in early access. Two maps will be available, and they’re pretty big. “A single map is more or less the size of the entire world of our previous game, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter.” Of course, whether you’ll have to explore the whole map in a single run remains to be seen.

While there is a role-playing element to the game with an inventory, lore, different builds and unlocking powers, not to mention a story, there won’t be many NPCs. As for whether players will need to aim down sights often or can rely on hip-fire, Chmielarz replied, “ADS extends the range of your insta-hit weapons. It does not affect the projectile-based ones like the crossbow.

“But there is no accuracy penalty for shooting from the hip. We figured that if you can headshot the enemy from the hip, good for you. That is hard enough and a proper challenge, so no need for any extra penalties.” He also teased that some weapons after early access is live will “benefit from hip-firing.”

Witchfire’s early access starts on September 20th. A new video will explain the core gameplay loop before release, so stay tuned.