Short answer is, "everything is more expensive now". Long answer is as follows! The inflation situation in the US means that practically everything is going to be pricier no matter what. Not only is getting rewards manufactured pricier, but the amount needed to sustain our creative team with rent and groceries has also gone up. Petal Crash 2 also has a larger team this time around. Unlike the first game, we now have artists collaborating on in-game assets like portraits and backgrounds, as well as a full-time lead programmer. The returning collaborators are also being paid more than before - not just because everything is more expensive (as mentioned above), but their skill has increased and their talent is accordingly worth more. Making sure everyone's fairly compensated is important! Every little bit helps - if you're considering a contribution, thank you so much!

Probably eventually! Petal Crash 2 will be targeting PC only during Early Access, but once the game hits version 1.0, we'll be looking into console ports then!

Mimi's definitely coming back! She's been promoted to a proper, non-hidden cast member, and we'll be happy to present her as a constant obstacle. Libbie and Baz's return is a stretch goal - if we raise $15,000 past our $40,000 goal, they'll both return! We'll reveal our plans for the other hidden characters a later time.

We don't currently plan to give the hidden characters story modes, but we aren't ruling out letting them shine in single player in a story-type way someday! It'll be something worth considering once we've delivered on the core features of the game.

The current plan is to have Early Access include eight playable characters (with all their stage themes and animations), the Score Attack modes, the Versus mode, the puzzle editor, and a good start on a pile of Puzzle Mode puzzles. This is what our funding goal accounts for! Backers who pledge at the Backstage Pass level will get access to even earlier builds of the game - these will have many modes fully playable, but missing some polish or using some placeholder assets. We want to make sure people get their hands on Petal 2 as soon as possible!

It's still very important to me that no character is a better choice than any other - I want people to be able to pick their favorites without worrying about gameplay differences between them. On the other hand, it's very fun to come up with special powers for each character that suit their personalities. Fortunately, there's nothing saying we can't have both! The "Dream Spell" moves will be themed around individual characters, but any character will be able to use any move, and your choice of character won't have any bearing on gameplay. Feel free to stick with your main!

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