Fallen Tear’s Early Access is almost here — a hand-drawn Metroidvania with JRPG party tricks

Why this matters: an ally-driven Metroidvania that isn’t playing by the usual rules

Fallen Tear: The Ascension grabbed my attention because it tries to do two things I love but rarely see together: hand-animated Metroidvania exploration and JRPG-style party mechanics. Winter Crew and CMD Studios are opening the doors to Steam Early Access on March 17, 2026 – and there’s a demo on Steam right now so you can poke at the systems before buying in.

• Early Access launches March 17, 2026 on PC via Steam; demo available now.
• Price at launch: $19.99 (Steam store confirms).
• Early Access build contains ~15-20 hours, 10 interconnected regions, six main bosses and three optional bosses, full voice acting.
• Core twist: Hira forges “Fated Bonds” with allies to use their combat and traversal abilities – a JRPG party system inside a Metroidvania map.
• Kickstarter backers are prioritized in the development roadmap; post-EA updates will be community-driven.

Breaking down the announcement

Gematsu and the studio’s press materials lay out the basics: Fallen Tear delivers a fully hand-drawn 2D world called Raoah, where protagonist Hira builds “Fated Bonds” with allies to borrow their abilities for both combat and traversal. The Early Access opening act includes ten regions, a roughly 15-20 hour story slice, full voice work, and nine bosses across the map (six main, three optional). The Steam page lists the launch price at $19.99.

CMD Studios founder Stephen Manalastas framed the Early Access run as deliberately collaborative: the world has “evolved so much over the years,” and the plan is to refine Fated Rush attacks, ally abilities and balance with player feedback. That aligns with Winter Crew’s decision to prioritize Kickstarter backers in the roadmap – they’ll get early influence on the direction of party abilities and post-launch updates.

What actually changes for players

The Fated Bonds mechanic is the headline because it changes how you approach a Metroidvania map. Instead of purely growing Hira’s kit, you recruit allies whose powers you can temporarily wield — think of it as swapping party utility into a side-scroller. That promises puzzles and traversal gated by who you’ve bonded with, and combat encounters tuned around party synergies rather than single-character mastery.

Hand-drawn animation gives the setting personality — but animation alone won’t carry the systems. The Early Access build is explicitly presented as the opening act: it’s meant to be tuned and expanded with community input. The current demo is your chance to test whether Fated Bonds feel meaningful or like a cosmetic party menu.

Why Early Access is the right (and risky) move

Going into Early Access makes sense here. A party-and-traversal hybrid needs iteration to land: designers will have to balance which ally powers trivialize platforming, which make combat overpowered, and how progression gates map exploration. Letting players stress-test those interactions is smart — provided the studio listens and patches quickly.

That said, Early Access is a double-edged sword. Recent hands-on coverage of other ambitious EA projects shows common pitfalls: thin content loops, grindy progression, and tech hiccups can sour the community before a game finds its footing. Winter Crew and CMD Studios will need to be transparent and fast to avoid that fate.

What to watch next

• Player feedback on the Steam demo — does Fated Bonds feel distinct and fun or clumsy and tacked-on?
• Early Access launch metrics: concurrent players, review trends, and whether the studio hits regular patch cadence.
• Roadmap updates for consoles (Switch, Switch 2, PS5, Xbox) and full-release timeline.

Fallen Tear: The Ascension isn’t promising the moon — it’s promising a bold mashup. If the team can make allied abilities feel essential without breaking exploration, this could be one of the more interesting Metroidvanias of the year. If it stalls in balance or polish, Early Access could expose it to the same churn that has hurt other ambitious projects. For now, the playable demo is the best way to see whether the Fated Bonds system delivers on the promise.

TL;DR

Fallen Tear: The Ascension mixes hand-drawn Metroidvania design with JRPG-style party bonds and enters Early Access on March 17 for $19.99. There’s a demo on Steam now — play it if you care about whether allied abilities will actually make exploration and combat more interesting rather than just prettier.