Hand-Drawn Metroidvania Fallen Tear: The Ascension Leaving Early Access on September 16th
Indie dev Winter Crew Studios today announced that Fallen Tear: The Ascension, its hand-drawn story-driven metroidvania, will launch in 1.0 on Steam on September 16th, 2026 for $24.99 / €24.99 / £21.99, with a 2-week 10% launch discount . This full launch concludes the Early Access period that kicked off in March 2026, which has already earned a “Very Positive” rating from players.
Watch the Fallen Tear: The Ascension Release Date Trailer Here
Set in the high-fantasy world of Raoah, Fallen Tear: The Ascension follows Hira, a mysterious child fated to stand against ancient gods, through a Metroidvania built around the Fated Bonds system – allies with distinct combat and traversal abilities that reshape how players fight and explore. The game mixes traditional hand-drawn animation and full voice acting with fast, skill-based combat and JRPG-inspired storytelling.
Fallen Tear’s Early Access version launched with 10 interconnected regions, 6 main bosses (and 3 optional bosses), 10 Fated Bonds contained within the game’s opening act. The full launch roughly doubles the game’s content: 10 additional major regions with interconnected areas, 5 new main bosses and 19 new optional side bosses and 11 new Fated Bonds, each with their own abilities and story moments. Hira’s progression expands with 3 additional Ascensions, 6 new Hunter Skills, 4 new Elemental Imbuements and 16 new Mastery Skills spanning Tier III and Tier IV – with full combat, progression and exploration systems available at launch. Altogether, the 1.0 release offers 35 to 40 hours of story content, and more than 80 hours for players chasing full completion!
“Early Access let us build Fallen Tear: The Ascension alongside the community that plays it, and their feedback shaped everything from combat balance to how the Fated Bonds feel in a fight,” said Stephen Manalastas, Creative Director at Winter Crew Studios. “On September 16th the story finally comes together, with new regions, new bonds and an ending we’ve been building toward since we started this project.”
Key Features:
- Fated Bonds – Forge bonds with allies across Raoah, each granting unique combat and traversal abilities that change how you fight and explore.
- Hand-Drawn World – Explore lush forests, lost cities and forgotten ruins rendered in traditional hand-drawn animation with full voice acting.
- Skill-Based Combat – Slash, parry and dodge through the Ascension and Hunter skill trees and switch tactics mid-fight against bosses that keep you guessing.
- Multiple Endings – Shape Hira’s fate through the bonds you form and the choices you make on the way to one of several possible endings.
- The Temple of Oras – Customize a personal hub high above Raoah and fill it with allies met throughout the journey.
Fallen Tear: The Ascension launches on Steam on September 16th, 2026, featuring full audio in English and text localization support for English, German, Brazilian Portuguese and Simplified Chinese; with further languages (Spanish, French, Italian, Turkish, Korean, and Japanese) arriving after launch. Wishlist Fallen Tear: The Ascension now on Steam!
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About Winter Crew Studios
Winter Crew Studio is the original game development team under CMD Studios, based in the Philippines. Founded in 2020, Winter Crew focuses exclusively on creating original, high-quality video games and is currently developing its debut title, Fallen Tear: The Ascension. While this is Winter Crew’s first original game, the team brings years of experience through CMD Studios, having collaborated with international clients ranging from AAA game developers to world-class animation studios. As storytellers and passionate gamers, we are dedicated to creating memorable experiences that engage, inspire, and leave a lasting impact on players around the world.
About CMD Studios
With a passion for creation, we understand that our reality is only limited by what we can imagine. Making stories come to life is something we continuously pursue. The CMD Studios has already worked with different AAA game companies and corporations all over the world. The company has been progressing by creating quality work and building an excellent relationship with clients – knowing the value of having a good attitude and prioritizing effective communication. Our vision has always been to build with greatness, to work with kindness, and to inspire with purpose.
