GiggleForce Announcement and FAQ

A few days back, I announced a project I've been working on with a handful of friends called "GiggleForce". Reception so far has been beyond what I could have imagined: to some it might not seem like much, but I don't really use Twitter all too often these days and haven't really gotten this kind of response on a game in a while.
Maybe that's because I've been focusing mostly on smaller web games for the past few years? Maybe it's because people just like the superficial Earthbound look? I dunno, but I'm glad people seem to like it.

Render of the game's protagonists by Topple: the game's main concept artist

In short:
Giggleforce is a parody of the "Quirky Earthbound-inspired RPG" subgenre. You play as a recently-let-go everyman: Guy Parker, a provocative young wrestling enthusiast: Dani Shapelle, a masked serial killer: Jeffrey Pilkington, and a macho wannabe revolutionary: Jickie Choon. These four unwittingly end up tasked with stopping the prophecy of a cult by defeating hookers, joking ostriches, robots, flying seals, and other eccentric bullshit.
!FAIR WARNING!
Giggleforce features a lot of crude humor and adult subject matter. There's no shame in being uncomfortable with this kind of content, but I would recommend against playing the game if this sounds unpleasant to you.

I've gotten a fair few questions and comments about the project, and seeing as how I've been mostly silent about it thusfar I figure now is as good a time as any to answer them:

RELEASE / DEVELOPMENT
Q: When will the game release?
A: At the moment, there is no set release date. The game is currently a little over a third of the way done by my estimation.

Q: Will this game be released on platforms like Steam? How much will it cost?
A: Nope, only Gamejolt. The game will be freeware.

Q: Where can I follow this game?
A: I post monthly updates on the game in the Unique Indie RPGs Discord server.
I'm going to try to post at least one screenshot every other week or so on Twitter, though as GiggleForce is largely a comedy game I might go dark on occasion when I work on sequences that are better experienced blind.

GAMEPLAY / GAME DESIGN
Q: Can you rename the party members?
A: You can! At the beginning of the game, you are able set unique names for all the party members, as well as a few words that appear in dialogue ala the favorite food/thing in Earthbound.
That being said, character surnames appear in dialogue (albeit rarely) which cannot be changed by the player.

Q: Are there any other party members?
A: Yes! At the moment there are 5, but there could be more:
Karlov Smitovski: A foreign man who guides Guy and Dani in the ways of his tribe of Elvis impersonators.
Dubya: An unfortunately-named monkey sold to you for a mere 20 dollars. If you truly hate George Bush, you can change his name.
Sir Buffcoat, the Lion of the Codlands: A legendary knight from a snowy land to the north. He seeks to bring an end to the tyrannical rule of the sinister and illusive Green Wizard.
Sergei: Sir Buffcoat's squire and pack-mule. Begrudgingly follows Sir Buffcoat, since he had no desire to be a fisherman: the most common profession in his village.
Earl F Brown: You like the name? His mother does too! An obnoxious fourth-wall breaking public defender who hasn't lost a case yet!

Q: How long is the game going to be?
A: It's easily one of the biggest games I've ever approached, though it's hard to say for certain right now. Quite honestly, I just add anything relevant to the themes of the game that I find funny, and stitch it together with the existing content.
I've implemented about a third of the full game's content, which totaled to about 3 hours, so I'd guess about... 9 hours give or take?

Q: How bad is the "crude humor and adult subject matter"?
A: It's hard to really give specifics without spoiling some of what I consider the game's best moments, but personally, I feel like it's about on par with something like Da Ali G Show.
Characters cuss, there's nudity in certain sections, and the player can take pills to cure status effects.

MISC
Q: I thought you were working on a sequel to Beetle Ninja? When is that coming out?
A: Admittedly, Beetle Ninja 2 was mostly born out of the over-enthusiasm I had for the original game. The project has lingered on in development hell for about 3 or 4 years now, and while bits and pieces of it are still technically impressive to me, I wouldn't hold your breath expecting it to release.

Q: Who's who?
A: Guy is the man in blue with the yellow tie, Dani is the red-haired girl in the yellow jumper, Robert is the guy with the metal mask, and Jickie's the guy with the boxing glove and the wifebeater.

Q: Is this set in the same universe as Beetle Ninja or Where the Moon Goes at Night?
A: GiggleForce is very much a separate continuity from my earlier games.