What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access? “To get the community involved as early in development as possible. Delaying the release of the game for another year just to develop in a vacuum seems like a fairly good way to limit the creative potential of any game. And, based on the type of game that Odd Realm is, this is especially so. This is a game that has a large amount of freedom to evolve. It's important for Players to be a part of that process. Their feedback and creative ideas are fuel for the game to grow in interesting ways.” Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access? “To be determined. For us, Early Access communicates that this is something which will get better and evolve as time goes on and is open to player suggestions. Though, we will continue to develop the realm of Odd as long as Players still enjoy the game.” How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version? “Without guaranteeing any specific features, here are some that we're excited to potentially add during the early access period: boats, more biomes, invading other settlements, magical components to make working machines, four more playable races, and, of course, as many items, props, creatures, plants, and scenarios as we can cram in!” What is the current state of the Early Access version? “Odd Realm is at a stage where it is feature and content complete. That is to say, feature and content complete for the Early Access build. This build consists of 4 unique biomes, hundreds of items and props to build, 24+ creature races to encounter, and thousands of generated dungeons, caves, tombs, etc. As well, it's perfectly stable and ready for Players to explore.” Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access? “Yes. The game price currently reflects that of a work-in-progress. As more of it is completed, the price will go up to represent that.” How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process? “Aside from the aforementioned feature and content suggestions that we'll be looking for, Players will be invaluable to help find bugs, provide translations, and create mods.”