The time is nigh but I forgot to ask, will we haz new game+ to begin a second journey with all gear/stats/upgrades?
What about difficulty modes?
I know this has probably been answered many times but bear (raawr) with me a few days more.
AFAIK, there won't be a straight-up new game plus option. There isn't really an 'upgrade' system that'd be compatible with that - there are two power-increase systems in the game, but I don't think they'd be transferable.
(For reference, the two systems are the special powers and the powerups. Special powers are elemental moves unlocked upon defeating a boss; each one includes both a movement power and a unique offense power. For example, the fire dash makes you immune to damage, while the fire attack is a shotgun-like short-range blast. Powerups are collectible items that can be found through exploration that give Talia a range of different possible abilities, three of which can be equipped at once. 50 in total are available, with 10 on each level, though which 10 will be RNG-based across different playthroughs.)
The closest thing that I think the full game will have to a ng+ would be the cheats; this piece has been mentioned before, but completing all 10 achievements for each of the 5 levels will unlock a special cheat code that will presumably be usable on replays. I don't know if any of the 5 in the full game will be this simple a cheat, but for comparison, if you get into a certain room in the public electric level demo, you can choose to unlock either infinite health or infinite mana.
As for difficulty modes, there's a basic choice on the main menu between 'Easy' and 'Normal' modes when starting a new game, though IIRC selecting 'Easy' will actually lock you out of the true ending and the true final boss, so YMMV on how much of a choice it actually is.
I think HW has said that post-game they plan to release some 'hard mode' maps as bonus content, but even if those are still planned it'll probably be a couple of months before they get made. (Though... while they wouldn't strictly be transferable, I can't think of any reason that powerups and special powers couldn't be made available - maybe optionally - for those hard maps. Question for HW, I suppose.)
*exits, pursued by a bear*