Introduction

Welcome to another entry in Indie Hour, where Tarrmu covers the latest independent games that may have passed you by. This time the spotlight falls on Fallen Tear: The Ascension, a lush and vibrant Metroidvania developed by Winter Crew Studios.

The Hook

Fallen Tear shows you the ropes early, letting you get a feel for its basics within the first half an hour, and then, like many games in the genre, it cuts you loose to explore its world, solve puzzles, earn new unlocks and make new discoveries. The map is huge. Across three hours with the game, Tarrmu had barely scratched the surface of how large the world of Fallen Tear really is. Worth noting too is that the game is still in early access, so there is more content set to arrive with the full release.

What hooked Tarrmu was the sense of exploration on offer, sitting alongside the fantasy world the game builds out over time. A lot of different features work in tandem here. Some feel on brand for a Metroidvania, others feel like an interesting spin on something different. There is a real charm to it, and a genuine want to see more of Fallen Tear's world, which makes the question of how the remaining biomes and boss encounters shape up an interesting one. On that note, the boss fights in this version of the game were dynamic and satisfying, introducing new mechanics that feed directly into how you tackle them.

The Moment

The moment Fallen Tear clicked was after the first boss encounter, when the world opened up and full exploration became possible. Fallen Tear is not necessarily unique in its design, and in a lot of ways its approach to exploration plays fairly close to the book. That is not a bad thing, given traversal and navigation are fun, with a good amount of puzzle variety and biome diversity.

One element that does feel different, and that Tarrmu has not really seen elsewhere in the genre, is the inclusion of bonds. These are party members who join you on your adventure, making the journey feel like the work of a band of heroes rather than a solo trek. The characters you meet along the way can aid you in combat and fill the role of ability-based attacks, with each unique bond corresponding to an ability you can call on in a fight, whether that is a fireball dealing burn damage over time or another that freezes enemies for a moment.

The Features

Plenty of features underpin Fallen Tear, starting with all the staples of the genre: exploring distinct areas, finding regions gated behind abilities you have not yet acquired, and cities with bounty boards for side quests running alongside the main objectives. Many of the people you meet offer side objectives, while others offer the bonds mentioned earlier, and it appears there is a substantial roster of characters who can become one. On top of bond abilities there are Ascension abilities, which are closer to standard Metroidvania unlocks like wall running or double jumping, opening up more of the world and letting you branch out.

Each area is built around a particular biome, with environmental hazards that feed into traversal and new enemies populating the space, and each location is generally capped off with a boss encounter. Some also contain a hidden boss that can be turned in for bounties. There are hidden walls and locations holding treasure chests, along with milestones tied to completing various feats out in the world.

Those milestones are the one system that feels underbaked. They are obtuse and out of the way to track, popping up as an "oh, cool" moment rather than something you can work towards, which is strange given they reward you with the key currency for upgrades. There is no tab or section clearly indicating where these feats are, which makes chasing them difficult. This is an area that would benefit from clearer communication, or simply a dedicated screen explaining what the feats are, whether they are repeatable, and whether they function more like trackable achievements.

Overall, though, there is an abundance to do in Fallen Tear. The map is expansive and the progression systems are large and flexible.

The Presentation

The art direction feels distinct. It oddly recalls the kind of game you would have found on browser sites in the late 2000s, coupled with a really nice fantasy aesthetic in the vein of something like Ori. The art and character designs all look clean and detailed, and the variety on display makes this fantasy world feel expressive.

Sound is another element working firmly in the game's favour. The characters are fully voice acted, which is something Tarrmu absolutely adores about this one. The soundtrack is lovely, and the wider sound design, from enemies through to the effects backing hit detection, all functions as it should.

On the performance front the game ran well, with no real issues in the way of bugs or crashes. One slightly odd thing is the keyboard mapping. Tarrmu played mostly on controller, but in the brief window spent trying the keyboard controls things felt awkward, and small oversights like the arrow keys not working on the main menu are the sort of thing that ought to be covered by default. Those are minor nitpicks, though.

Who This Is For

Fallen Tear: The Ascension has a wealth of potential and could well end up a must-play for fans of the genre. There is still a way to go, and with the game in early access there is room for Winter Crew Studios to further polish and refine it. The hope is that they can cohesively pull all these unique elements together into a whole that stays fun across the roughly 20-hour runtime announced for launch, and that measures up to the three hours Tarrmu spent with it here.

If you are a fan of the genre, or you simply love a vibrant and beautiful world to explore with a ton of content to keep you invested for hours, Fallen Tear is well worth putting on your radar now.

Tarrmu is holding off for the full release before playing through the whole thing, so expect coverage the day Fallen Tear hits 1.0. It is still early days, but the future for Fallen Tear: The Ascension looks bright.